After tears, smiles and handshakes, nine families became new homeowners in the Malloy Terrace neighborhood in Ferndale during a Thursday, June 29, key ceremony.
The event was put on by Whatcom-Skagit Housing, a nonprofit organization that has been operating since 1976 and has constructed more than 700 homes. For the nine families, Thursday’s ceremony marked the end of a multi-year journey.
Manuel Alverado, a key recipient during the ceremony, said he found out about the program through word of mouth and applied right away.
“This is a great opportunity to buy a house — they help us through the whole process,” Alverado said in Spanish during an interview. “We have architects who design the houses and supervisors to show us how to cut and nail the wood. They teach us everything.”
Serhiy and Nina Zablotskyy receive the keys to their new home — one they helped build. Whatcom-Skagit Housing has worked with families since 1976 to build more than 700 homes. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
The new homes were built through the nonprofit’s self-help homes program, a service where families can build their own homes, as well as their neighbors’ homes. Each family is required to work a minimum of 35 hours per week, which they balance with full-time jobs. The self-help program also offers a low-interest loan with no downpayment that covers the price of the lot and construction of the home.
Building homes with their future neighbors brought the families together, said Priscilla Alfredo, a fellow key recipient. Alfredo said she has never worked in construction but was determined to do the work for a new home.
“We worked on all the houses together, day after day, and you get to know people after working 35-plus hours a week [together],” Alfredo said in Spanish during an interview.
From left, Miguel Alfredo, Priscilla Alfredo, Brianna Nolasco and Juan Nolasco stand in front of their new home. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
Andrew Odushkin also felt closer to his new neighbors after working alongside them for more than a year and a half. Odushkin said he was already familiar with the self-help homes program because his grandparents and parents were both recipients.
“It’s a family thing,” Odushkin said.
The affordable homes typically sit on a 5,000-square-foot lot and have three to four bedrooms, with two or more bathrooms. The homes come with energy-efficient appliances and an attached two-car garage, according to the Whatcom-Skagit Housing website.
The nine families who will move into their new homes on Malloy Terrace stand together after putting in 35 hours of work per week. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
The average price to build a house through the program is $300,000, said Julia Menkee, executive director for Whatcom-Skagit Housing. Menkee said the nonprofit is able to stabilize the cost because of partnerships with local subcontractors, community members and agencies like the U.S Department of Agriculture (USDA).
Funding for these programs comes from the USDA Rural Development program, which has been working in partnership with Whatcom-Skagit Housing for more than 47 years, said Helen Price Johnson, Washington state director for USDA Rural Development.
The location of the new homes was purposeful — rural communities are often overlooked, Price Johnson said.
“Rather than taking resources from [rural areas] through farms, mining and forestry, then exporting that wealth into urban areas, we want to help rural communities to be more prosperous and get a more circular economy,” Price Johnson said in an interview.
