The northern addition of Lincoln before (left) and two years after the start of the Self-Help program.  The house in the left-side picture is seen in the bottom left of the right picture.

Lincoln Self-Help Housing Program

In 2000, CommunityWorks began to administer the Mutual Self-Help Housing program in Lincoln, North Dakota - a community five miles to the southeast of Bismarck.  This USDA-Rural Development program allowed qualifying households to work together in house groups to build their homes, which enabled them to earn approximately $13,400 in "sweat equity" for the home.

The first houses were started in 2001, which helped to open up two new subdivisions north of the city.  Since then, the subdivisions have been populated with both Self-Help homes and other contractor-built homes alike.  The Self-Help homes conformed to the average design, amenities, and sales price of other homes in the subdivision, allowing them to blend into their neighboring community.  The final homes were completed in 2005.

From 2001-2005, the program helped build 21 new homes in the community, which helped to leverage and attract over $5.25 million in residential and commercial development to the city.  This program also helped to contribute to the growth of the community, which increased from 1,730 residents in 2000 to 2,147 in 2004 (a population increase of 24%).