Creating sustainable, affordable homes in Meadville, Pennsylvania

Self-Help and USDA 502 Loan Eligibility

What is Self-Help Housing and how does it connect to 502 Loans?

Self-Help Housing provides low and very-low-income families with support to cooperatively build each other’s homes together. Common Roots works with families to apply for a 502 Loan and build or rehabilitate a home. The 502 Loan is part of what makes the program affordable because it allows for low to no downpayment and interest as low as 1%.

Middle aged woman wearing a red shirt and dark pants. The woman is on a ladder in front of a green door. She is painting the top of the door frame.
Multiple people putting up the framing of a house. They are standing on each side and looking down at the bottom of the panels which are made of wood.
Not sure if you would qualify for a 502 loan?

The USDA Single Family Housing Eligibility Assessment Tool can help with a preliminary assessment. Usage of the tool does not guarantee eligibility. Final determination of eligibility must be made by Rural Development upon receipt of a complete application.

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Alex and Angela

“Our realtor had shown us dozens of houses, and we’d just about given up,” says Angela. That was until she attended a self-help housing seminar.

Read their story

Juliet

Growing up Juliet had a tough childhood in Maryland. Her family faced evictions, she fell into the wrong crowd and dropped out of school. After having her first son 14 years ago, Juliet knew that she never wanted her son to go though what she went through. After having her second child, she began to focus on laying a foundation of a better life for her children.

Juliet's Story

Yvette

Ms. Yvette has overcome divorce and many obstacles in her life to not only become a self-help homeowner through Florida Home Partnership (FHP), but to prove to single mothers like herself that it’s possible to achieve the American Dream of homeownership. Through dedication and hard work Yvette was able to provide her two daughters with a place of rest and ease, a place they were able to call home.

Read her story