DELAWARE - Nearly $1 million in federal funding will help build 24 energy-efficient homes for low-income families in rural Kent and Sussex counties, Delaware’s congressional delegation announced Wednesday.
U.S. Rep. Sarah McBride and U.S. Sens. Chris Coons and Lisa Blunt Rochester, all D-Del., are celebrating a $940,000 U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development grant awarded to the Milford Housing Development Corporation.
According to the Office of Sarah McBride, the funding comes through the USDA Rural Development 523 Mutual Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance Grant Program and will support the organization’s self-help housing program over the next two years.
The program allows families who may not otherwise be able to afford a home to help build their own houses alongside other participants, contributing what is known as "sweat equity" while gaining construction experience and financial education.
"This grant will help Milford Housing Development Corporation build 24 energy-efficient homes, continuing their work to make homeownership more attainable for working families in Kent and Sussex counties," McBride said in a statement.
The Milford Housing Development Corporation said the program helps create more than just affordable housing by building stronger community connections among participants.
"Individuals and families who might otherwise be unable to achieve homeownership invest their own 'sweat equity' by working together to build not only their own homes, but also those of their neighbors," said David Moore, president and CEO of Milford Housing Development Corporation.
The organization said participants also receive training to become informed homeowners while creating long-term benefits for their families and communities.
Coons and Blunt Rochester said the investment is part of a broader effort to increase affordable housing opportunities across Delaware, particularly in rural and low-income areas.
"Affordable housing is about more than building homes, it’s about creating opportunity," Coons said.
The congressional delegation said it will continue seeking federal resources to expand housing availability and address rising housing costs across the state.
