For a group of low- and very-low income families plagued by the
crunch of Hollister’s often-intimidating housing costs, a
collective dream came true Wednesday.
For a group of low- and very-low income families plagued by the crunch of Hollister’s often-intimidating housing costs, a collective dream came true Wednesday.
During the past 12 months, a community of neighbors unified as 14 families joined each built a new home in Hollister’s Riverview Estates subdivision. For many, it was their first home.
As part of the “sweat equity” project sponsored by South County Housing of Gilroy, each family put in 40 hours per week of physical labor. The nature of the program allowed their work to serve as a down payment on what would otherwise be unaffordable homes.
“All the work they did was the kind of work carpenters and masons would be doing,” said Jack Foley of South County Housing. “They had to do this in addition to their regular lives.”
The families juggled building their new homes with work, school and other items on their personal agendas. And soccer moms thought they had it rough.
Wednesday’s presentation of keys was just a culmination – a reward for a year of tiresome schedules and intense pressure.
Rows of folding chairs faced the newly crafted single-story homes for the ceremonial presentation. The freshness of the long-awaited day appeared on every face in the crowd, which included families and their relatives, representatives of South County Housing, county supervisors and Assemblyman Simon Salinas.
The mood was euphoric, like that of a wedding, birth or graduation. A smile could be seen behind every camcorder and camera recording the moment. Women donned their most fanciful hairstyles and dresses and each man tucked his shirt and slicked his hair. Laughs were infectious.
Maribel Cortez, 28, expressed elation after receiving the key to her first home. She and her husband were married 10 years ago but were unable to afford a house until now.
“We’re part of a neighborhood. It’s very exciting,” she said. “Ahhh, it’s just emotional.”
Cortez has a 7-year-old daughter, Laura, who now may enjoy the luxury of playing with new friends – she has two so far – and decorating her own room for the first time.
Much of the grunt work occurred on weekends. One man in particular committed himself and could be found roaming the grounds each Saturday and Sunday. Construction Supervisor Felipe Sanchez watched over the projects in guidance to the construction novices. He was a teacher, a supervisor and a friend.
Even though the workforce consisted of amateurs, the homes don’t look unprofessional by any means. The neighborhood exudes a suburban class, with clean streets, green lawns and moderate-sized homes. They’re no mansions, but they’re certainly not slums.
Sanchez received many thanks before the presentation ceremony, and South County Housing awarded him the opportunity to hand over keys to the new homeowners. It was apparent Sanchez had become part of this “family” of families.
Jack Foley of South County Housing said community bonding is a major emphasis of the sweat equity program.
“The whole idea is not just to build homes, but to build communities,” he said.
The families worked together, Foley said. They formed friendships. They looked out for each other.
“We got very close,” Cortez said.
But their optimistic future would not have been possible without the support of many outside agencies.
Community Services Development, created by the county, owns the 56-unit Riverside Estates Subdivision. South County Housing bought 28 units from CSD for sweat equity. The remaining 28 units were developed by private owners not associated with SCH.
County leaders drudged through widespread scrutiny for their support, according to County Supervisor Ron Rodrigues. They received “unjustified criticism” for the low-interest loans they administered to the project, Rodrigues said. The payments, though, were made right on schedule. And nobody’s complaining now.
Riverview’s below-interest-rate mortgages came from the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Additionally, the County of San Benito HOME, Rural Community Assistance Corporation, Local Initiatives Support Corporation and the Federal Home Loan Bank Affordable Housing Program all contributed to the funding effort.
The cost of building each home was $214,000 while the mortgage to be paid by each family is $111,000. The difference between the two figures is subsidized by outside agencies, said Jan Lindenthal, housing development director with SCH.
South County Housing had planned more sweat equity programs, but because of the cease-and-desist order imposed on Hollister by the Regional Water Quality Control Board, those projects are on hold, Lindenthal said.
The process began more than two years ago with promotion. SCH placed advertisements for the program in newspapers and performed outreach with local organizations, Lindenthal said. They also maintained an interest list and mailed out notices to those people.
SCH received about 800 applications for the 28 slots at Riverview Estates, Lindenthal said. They reduced that number based on income and area of residence. Residents of San Benito County were given preference.
From there, SCH held a random lottery for the 28 openings. A bulk of the families ended up coming from the Hollister area, Foley said.
Fate, circumstance and personal diligence combined in the effort.
“It’s the dream of having their own home for the betterment of the family and community,” Salinas said.
Ruth Gutierrez received her key Wednesday and gave a speech before the presentation. She thanked SCH, USDA, construction superintendent Jaime Martez and especially Sanchez.
“The keys are offered with a lot of sacrifice, courage and determination,” Gutierrez said.
When Lindenthal spoke, she reserved a special thanks to the home builders themselves.
“For your efforts, we salute you,” she said.
Along with the keys, the new homeowners received wrapped gifts of home linens, along with filing boxes to begin organizing their new lives.
Most evidently, they received due support from family and friends, mostly in the form of hugs and kisses.
Observers couldn’t help but smile as well. Inspiration fulfilled – on this level – is a grand sight to behold.
