For nearly 60 years, Self-Help Enterprises has helped farmworker families in California’s Central Valley turn the dream of homeownership into a reality—one they build with their own hands.

Since 1965, Self-Help has used a unique model called mutual self-help housing. Groups of ten families commit to putting in 40 hours of labor each week, working together to build all ten homes. No one moves in until every home is complete. It’s a process that creates more than roofs and walls—it builds community, pride, and a deep sense of ownership. To date, more than 6,600 families have become homeowners through this model.

But in 2008, that model was put to the test in Lamont, a farming town southeast of Bakersfield where the need for affordable housing was urgent. Many families were living in overcrowded conditions or paying more than half their income in rent. The challenge? Lamont sits entirely in a floodplain. Building there meant buying land and elevating it above flood levels—a costly process that made traditional financing nearly impossible.

That’s where RDF came in.

“RDF understood the stakes,” said Self-Help President and CEO Tom Collishaw. “They recognized that homeownership is more than a roof over a family’s head — it’s a pathway to financial stability.”

With our support, Self-Help was able to move forward with the project, developing 35 single-family homes and a multi-family rental community that will provide safe, affordable housing for dozens of families.

And that’s just the beginning. Many families who started with Self-Help have used their home equity to launch businesses, send their children to college, and create a more stable future. Consider it the profound ripple effect of good community development.

It takes vision, perseverance, and the right partners to make that possible. In Lamont, RDF was proud to be one of them.