It is going to be “A Dream Come Tru’e” for 20 qualified small-earner families as the USDA Rural Development and The Micronesia Community Development Corporation or USDA-MCDC joint project extends its Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grant program to the island community of Guam.
What the Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grant program does is supervise the group of individuals or the grant recipient’s family in carrying-out most of the construction labor in building their own houses with expert technical assistance every step of the way. This mutual project event will be happening for the first time in the history of Guam, which will benefit mostly first-time homeowners with low-paying jobs or with small income to realize their long-time dreams of finally owning a house.
This historical investment program started to materialize when the Micronesia Community Development Corporation received a $512,417 grant from USDA Rural Development to lay the foundation of the housing project. The grant is entirely for mobilization and for other related activities pertaining to Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grant program that will help the MCDC in screening the applicants, recruiting qualified future home owners, and with the processing of loan inclusions.
USDA Rural Development State Director for Hawaii and the Western Pacific Mr. Chris Kanazawa, this grant is yes the first-time to the Guam community and that it can be permanent for the coming years from this day on, as long as MCDC meets the USDA’s standard or guidelines. Having said, more low-incomed families can also have the chance of having their own homes through continuous partnership of USDA and MCDC, working together with the island’s community as reported by local news earlier.
“This is a special project because it’s the first time we’ve had a mutual self-help housing program for Guam,” said Kanazawa in local news interview. “Families will help build their own homes, reducing mortgage costs by up to 30 percent of the market price through sweat equity. This program will provide new opportunities for those wishing to purchase homes.” he added.
News release by the USDA said that 20 middle-class families and below can now finally avail of their own homes through the mutual self-help program of USDA and the MCDC as this is especially made for all of them who qualify under the program. These families are also those that are not able to get a mortgage approval from financial institutions and other conventional financing firms.
It will also open the doors of better opportunities to the island community people, by creating six (6) direct and ten (10) indirect jobs during the project through construction of the houses.-USDA added.
President Obama’s plans for America’s rural development has brought about positive reactions from the members of the local and federal communities that resulted in to building of additional industrial infrastructures, housings, businesses, and community facilities fueling not only the rural community of America and its territory including Guam, but also the entire U.S. government economy. This is according to the Executive order letter of the president himself. The letter came from the office of the secretary of the White House dated June 9, 2011.
According to the letter, the President together with the USDA and its current secretary Tom Vilsack, are committed to the better use of the federal reserves to invite economic growth in to the rural communities and the entire country. This is also to ensure that the government and the local community are working together as partners to look for greater possibilities/The Junction News Team
