KHIC | November 8, 2013
London, Kentucky, – The U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and the Housing Assistance Council have awarded Kentucky Highlands Investment Corporation (KHIC) grants totaling $600,000 to expand its Mutual Self-Help Housing initiative. The KHIC program will construct 18 new single-family, energy-efficient homes for low- and very-low income families over the next two years. KHIC is the only Self-Help Housing provider in the state of Kentucky.
The KHIC Self-Help program is targeted to families who are unable to buy clean, safe housing through conventional methods. Families participating in a mutual self-help project perform approximately 65 percent of the construction labor on each other’s homes under qualified supervision. The savings from the reduction in labor costs allows otherwise ineligible families to own their homes. KHIC supervises all aspects of construction and typically builds the Self-Help homes in groups of five.
The award from USDA Rural Development is for $450,000. These funds will be used to both make the houses more affordable to build and to construct the homes with energy efficient components to make the homes more affordable for the families to live. The Housing Assistance Council funds of $150,000 will be used to cover the costs associated with land acquisition and infrastructure improvements for up to 10 new homes.
Since April 2013, KHIC has completed 7 homes, has 9 more under construction and will close on five homes by the end of 2013. All of these homes will benefit residents with need.
