Affordable housing

Angela Jacobson is only 22 years old, yet she already owns her own home in a quiet North Side development. She didn’t win the lottery or inherit a bunch of money. In fact, she built some of the house herself. She also helped build her neighbors’ houses.

Jacobson became a homeowner by participating in the Community Frameworks’ (formerly Northwest Regional Facilitators) HomeStarts Program, one of several programs the group offers to provide affordable housing in the Spokane area.

The HomeStarts Program gives first-time homebuyers an opportunity to earn their down payment and closing costs through sweat equity, by working with a group of families to build their homes. Low interest rates and deferred second-mortgage rates give participants affordable house payments.

Jacobson describes her neighborhood, Northpointe Commons, as “awesome.”

“All the kids in the neighborhood ride their bikes in the cul-de-sac area. It’s remarkably quiet, considering we’re behind Wal-Mart and off the Division Y. It’s very nice,” Jacobson said.

The developments are done in phases, with groups of eight to 10 families. Jacobson’s group included another single woman, three single moms with children, a single man and other family groupings. Everyone is required to work on one another’s houses, and no one moves in until all the houses in the group are completed.

All the homes are started at the same time, in an assembly-line fashion, with all the foundations poured, then all the framing done, etc.

No building experience is necessary. Each group works with a construction supervisor and contractors who do some of the work and teach them how to safely complete their tasks.

Jacobson’s group worked together on Tuesday nights, all day Saturdays and part of Sundays for six months.

“We did interior framing of nonsupporting beams, insulation, painting, site cleanup, exterior and interior trim work, and some sheetrock hanging and taping in our garages,” Jacobson said.

A strong sense of pride and community develops from working together for six months. You get to know your neighbors before you move in.

“I’m basically the little sister of my group,” Jacobson said. “They’re always watching out for me. They’re really nice people.

“The first night I stayed in my house, a couple of the neighbor kids came in and stole my pillow out from under my head, and we started a big pillow fight. It was really fun,” she said.

Jacobson said she pays less than $500 a month for her house payment, less than most apartments. And unlike renting an apartment or house, she’s earning equity in her investment.

According to Tesia Walsky, group coordinator at Community Frameworks, this is the type of people the program is designed for – people who haven’t owned a home before, have a steady income that falls within a certain range, depending on family size, and good credit (although they can work with applicants who don’t have perfect credit).

“For many people with $9-an-hour jobs, they can make their rent payments but can’t save enough money for a down payment,” Walsky said.

The program’s 100th house was completed in the Northpointe Commons development.