USDA Rural Development State Director Terry Brunner was in Columbus, New Mexico earlier this afternoon to celebrate National Homeownership Month with a groundbreaking ceremony to begin the construction of new homes in that community.
USDA Rural Development provided a $403,000 grant to Tierra Del Sol Housing Corporation to administer the Self Help housing program that will be used to provide technical assistance in the construction of the homes. Today’s groundbreaking signifies applications are now be taken by those seeking to build a home in Columbus.
“This year, we are honoring the many individuals and organizations who make homeownership opportunities possible,” said Brunner during the event. He added, “Housing is a major part of our economy: it provides jobs and creates wealth for the individual homeowner.”
The Self-Help housing program provides grants to qualified organizations such as Tierra Del Sol Housing Corporation to help them oversee self-help housing construction projects. The grant recipients supervise groups of very-low and low-income individuals and families as they construct their own homes in rural areas. The homeowners provide most of the construction labor on each other’s homes, with technical assistance from the organization overseeing the project. The financing for the homes to the individual homeowners is made through the direct mortgage program administered by USDA Rural Development.
In the last seven years using all housing programs the New Mexico Rural Development staff has provided 3,656 families with financing to buy a home. Altogether the agency has made $553,970,124 in loans for those homeowners and to finance the construction of multi-family housing apartments.
Through our Direct Home Loans and Home Loan Guarantee Programs, USDA has helped more than 1 million rural residents across the nation buy homes since the start of the Obama administration.
The first National Homeownership celebration was held during the first week of June in 1997 to bring attention to the advantages of homeownership and to increase the purchase of homes. Since then the celebration has grown and is now held throughout the entire month of June with hundreds of events being held across the nation.
This year in New Mexico, USDA Rural Development is celebrating National Homeownership Month with eight events designed to educate the public about the advantages of being a home owner. The events are:
June 1, 2016, at 11:00 AM at Zuni Pueblo, NM –A HERO award will be presented to Ms. Lorelei Sanchez for her work to provide housing opportunities at Zuni Pueblo. Also a ground breaking ceremony to begin construction for several new homes will be held.
June 9, 2016, at 1:30 PM in Columbus, NM –A certificate of obligation will be presented to Tierra Del Sol Housing Corporation to administer a self-help housing project. The location for event will be at the Tierra Del Sol Self-Help Office in Columbus, NM.
June 10, 2016 at 9:00 AM in Deming, NM –A groundbreaking event will be held to begin the construction of the self-help housing program administered by the Southern NM Regional Housing and Economic Development, Inc. The ground breaking event will take place at: 1518 and 1522 South Iron Street, Deming, NM 88030.
June 10, 2016 at 11:30 AM in Las Cruces, NM –The dedication of the Paseo del Oro Farm Labor project in Las Cruces will be held. The event will be held at the new apartment complex located at 4350 Elks Drive, Las Cruces, NM 88007.
June 16, 2016 at 11:00 AM in Ruidoso, NM –A flag presentation will be made to Ms. Jessica Sheldon for becoming a new homeowner. The event will take place at Ms. Sheldon’s home located at 104 Hobart Drive, Ruidoso, NM 88345.
June 17, 2016 at 9:00 AM Artesia, NM –A presentation will be held to honor Ms. Theresa Baize a realtor for helping three families qualify for USDA Rural Development’s direct housing program. The three new homeowners will also be honored. They are; Ms. Pamela Jimenez, Ms. Naomi Ivans, and Ms. Angelica Sanchez.
June 30, 2016 at 1:00 PM Taos Pueblo, NM –RD staff will participate in a housing fair at the at the Taos Pueblo Housing Office located at 925 Spider Rock Road, Taos Pueblo, NM 87571.
President Obama’s plan for rural America has brought about historic investment and resulted in stronger rural communities. Under the President’s leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities. USDA’s investments in rural communities support the rural way of life that stands as the backbone of our American values.