HUD AWARDS $26.5 MILLION FOR "SWEAT EQUITY" HOUSING
Community Frameworks, Inc. of Spokane/Bremerton, Habitat for Humanity International and Housing Assistance Council win HUD grants to produce at least 1,540 homes for first-time homebuyers

SEATTLE - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Steve Preston today announced the award of $26.5
million in "sweat equity grants" to produce at least 1,540 homes for lower income first-time homebuyers.

Three non-profit, "self-help" housing providers - Community Frameworks of Spokane and Bremerton, Habitat for Humanity International and the Housing Assistance Council - will use the HUD grants to construct or rehabilitate homes along with contributed labor from the homebuyers and volunteers.

The Secretary had planned to make the award announcement this morning in High Point, a mixed-income Seattle neighborhood being revitalized with HUD funds by the Seattle Housing Authority and where Habitat for Humanity of Seattle/South King County is constructing 20 "self help" affordable housing units. However, his connecting flight
from Chicago was snowbound and he asked HUD Regional Director John Meyers to represent him at the event.

"Even during these hard times, homeownership remains the American Dream for many families," said Preston. "With HUD's support, and the sweat equity provided by these homebuyers and volunteers, we can help make these
dreams come true."

The grants announced today are provided through HUD's Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP).
The following nonprofit organizations are receiving grants:

SHOP grants are provided to national and regional nonprofit organizations that have experience in providing self-help housing. These funds are used to purchase land and install or improve infrastructure, which together may not
exceed an average investment of $15,000 per dwelling. These non-profit organizations propose to distribute SHOP funds to several hundred local affiliates that will acquire and prepare the land for construction, select homebuyers, coordinate the homebuyer sweat equity and volunteer efforts, and assist in the arrangement of interim and
permanent financing for the homebuyers.

Since the SHOP program began in 1996, HUD has provided SHOP funds to assist in the self-help construction of
1,109 "self help" homes - 331 by Habitat for Humanity, 353 by Community Frameworks and 425 by the Housing Assistance Council in Washington. Community Frameworks also works in Idaho, Montana and Oregon.

With the new SHOP grants, Habitat will construct an additional 762 "self help" units nationwide, the Housing Assistance Council will construct an additional 402 units nationwide and Community Frameworks will construct an additional 376 units in the Northwest.

Homebuyers contribute a minimum of 100 hours of sweat equity on the construction of their homes and/or the
homes of other homebuyers participating in the local self-help housing program. Self-help housing or sweat equity involves the homebuyer's participation in the construction of the housing, which can include, but is not limited to, assisting in the painting, carpentry, trim work, drywall, roofing and siding for the housing.

Labor contributed by volunteers also helps buyers who are unable to perform their sweat equity tasks due to disabilities. Frequently persons with disabilities are able to substitute tasks by performing administrative tasks.
The sweat equity and labor contributions by the homebuyers and volunteers significantly reduce the cost of the housing.

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HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities;
creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the
Internet and espanol.hud.gov.