Kalispell, Montana. July 27, 2011 - The Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana’s (CAP) Mutual Self-Help Housing program assists low to very low income community members construct their own homes. The program is targeted to families who are unable to buy clean, safe housing using conventional financing means.
Families participating in the project perform approximately 65 percent of the construction labor on one another's homes, under qualified supervision by CAP.
Through a State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship Grant, Kalispell insurance agent Matt Downing presented $3500 in funding to support local families achieve their dreams of homeownership.
The grant specifically provides participating families much needed home building tools to assist in the completion of 6 new homes in the Spring Creek III build site. State Farm has been a sponsor of the program since 2008 contributing over $12,000 to the success and advancement of the program in the Kalispell region.
State Farm believes communities are the foundation and lifeblood of society and is committed to helping maintain the vibrancy of Montana neighborhoods through programs that promote affordable housing, first time homeownership, and community revitalization.
“This is the third year that our office has been able to assist Community Action Partnership participants build their own homes. We are proud to be able to further the mission of this program and help many new families build their first homes,” says Matt Downing State Farm Agent.
Each participant of the program will become a First Time Homebuyer and contribute to the building of a neighborhood with their fellow Mutual Self-Help families. Each family contributes 1,100 hours of “sweat equity” or more toward the purchase of their home. As a result of this time and training, families feel more confident about homeownership and their ability to address general repairs and maintenance issues.
CAP’s Mutual Self-Help Housing Program has resulted in the construction of 136 new single-family homes over the past 10 years in the Flathead Valley. “The State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship Grant is used to purchase fully equipped tool belts with hand tools that these families literally use to build their futures – and achieve the dream of owning their own home,” says Danielle Bundrock Agency Development Director. The tools remain with the families throughout their journey of homeownership and maintenance, without the State Farm Good Neighbor Citizenship Grant it would not be possible to provide the families with these much needed resources.
Mutual Self-Help Housing initiative began in the early 1970's and has grown steadily since its inception. Administered by the US Department of Agriculture, the program has built over 35,000 modest homes throughout the country. If you are interested in more information about the CAP’s Mutual Self-Help Housing Program please contact CAP at 406-752-6565.Daniel Losk, Public Affairs Specialists, (253) 912-6457
State Farm insures more cars and homes than any other insurer in the U.S. State Farm's 17,700 agents and more than 67,000 employees serve 81 million policies and accounts - 79 million auto, fire, life and health policies in the United States and Canada, and nearly 2 million bank accounts. State Farm is ranked No. 34 on the Fortune 500 list of largest companies. For more information, please visit www.statefarm.com®
