Responding to Community Housing Needs

Self-Help Success Stories

"We truly value NCALL’s staff development resources. "

Mutual Self-Help Housing grantee Community Action Commission of Fayette County, in Washington Court House, Ohio, is now the developer of the largest residential solar community in the state of Ohio. They acquired this designation after completing ten self-help homes with solar roof panels in their Arbor Village subdivision. Their Housing Director, Patty Griffiths, is excited to be part of this ground-breaking effort.

“This is one more step in our efforts towards making our homes more energy efficient and green. I think we will see the real cost savings to the homeowners over the next several years as utility prices rise faster than they have in the past.”

Geoff Greenfield of Third Sun Solar and Wind Power Limited of Athens, Ohio, explained the technical aspect of the solar panels.

“Fayette County is a leader. Partnering affordable homes with affordable energy is a key to progress and I can see it being replicated,” said Greenfield.

The solar power will work in harmony with utility power. The homes that have solar panels will get a portion of their power from the sun. The remaining portion will come from the utility grid. Twelve 180-watt panels were installed, which should provide each house with 2,160 kwh of power, according to Greenfield. An inverter is used to convert direct current from the solar panels to usable electricity. A meter measures the electric current both ways, and the utility generally pays the user a rebate for excess power. The project all started when the USDA, Rural Development Ohio State Office suggested that they look into a grant program for solar use projects. CAC of Fayette County applied for and received a grant of $8,000 per homeowner from the Ohio Department of Development and a federal tax credit of $2,000 per house. The remaining part of the almost $18,000 cost of the solar panels was covered by the participants’ USDA 502 Loans. After operating a Mutual Self-Help Housing Program for over 18 years, Griffiths can see a major difference in the community.

“It’s great to get families out of the rental cycle and begin building a wealth base. The town also benefits by creating new tax payers and generating additional water and sewer fees. We truly value NCALL’s staff development resources. They have definitely been there for us over the years with lots of encouragement and support. ”


"NCALL’s experience and best practice recommendations are wonderful."

Carlock, Illinois is a small village of approximately 500 residents surrounded by a large rural area. Several years ago their school district was considering shutting down the elementary school and busing the kids to other schools in surrounding communities. The residents were not happy. That is when YouthBuild of Bloomington, Illinois, stepped in. The nonprofit worked with the village to annex and develop a 57 acre subdivision that will eventually have 63 homes. Many of these homes are being built under the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program using the sweat equity of participating families.

YouthBuild is now on its third USDA Mutual Self-Help Housing grant, building 12 homes each time in Carlock’s new Stoneman Gardens subdivision.

“This program truly helps people achieve a dream that they wouldn’t be able to have otherwise,” says YouthBuild Executive Director, Suzanne Fitzgerald. “Most of the families in this program have come from rental situations. Aside from the affordability, these families also have lifelong advantages of being in a good school system and having lots of room for their kids to play outside.”

This project would not have been successful without NCALL’s assistance.

“NCALL was helpful right from the beginning,” says Mrs. Fitzgerald. “We really appreciated the straight talk. NCALL’s experience and best practice recommendations are wonderful. The organization is very customer service friendly. I have the utmost respect for NCALL.”

Now, six years later, the elementary school in the village of Carlock that was once in jeopardy of closing, is being expanded and renovated. Stoneman Gardens subdivision and the new residents it has brought to this village through self-help housing, has rejuvenated this rural community.