Those who agree to work a minimum of 30 hours per week for roughly 12 months to build their own homes could qualify to own houses produced by Mutual Self Help Housing from Mountainlands Community Housing Trust.
“No previous building experience is necessary and there is no down payment required,” a press release from Mountainlands states.
Mountainlands is recruiting for its 6th group of self-help homeowners.
Next spring, construction will begin on 10 three- and four-bedroom homes in the Prairie Junction subdivision in Kamas. Buyers qualify based on income and credit, according to Scott Loomis, executive director of Mountainlands Community Housing Trust.
He said Mountainlands cooperates with the U.S. Department of Agriculture to provide participants with training, supervision and support while building their homes.
USDA Rural Development provides loans with interest rates as low as 1 percent, according to Loomis.
“Other subsidized loans and grants will be available to make homeownership possible for individuals and families earning less than 60 percent of the area median income,” the press release states.
A meeting Oct. 1 at 6 p.m. at the Jim Santy Auditorium in Park City will describe the program and application process, according to Loomis.
Mountainlands will begin accepting applications Oct. 8. The non-profit group will select 10 applicants for home ownership.
The homes take roughly 12 months to build and the owners provide 65 percent of the labor.
“No one moves into their house until all of the homes are completed,” the press release states.
The Mountainlands self-help program has resulted in 40 homes being built in Summit County, according to Loomis.
Inmate work program
A Summit County Sheriff’s Office deputy encouraged elected officials from the county’s six municipalities to sign up jail inmates to perform services like landscaping in their cities.
Deputy Tony Ewell said prisoners can also install concrete and provide other light construction duties.
“We do a lot of painting,” Ewell said. “We can do just about anything.”
Kamas Mayor Lew Marchant joked that “they shovel snow really good.”
Ewell explained that jail inmates in the work program earn $2.50 per hour.
“They’re minimum security,” he said about the “non-violent” prisoners. “We do a lot of screening before we put them out on the road crew.”