Rural self-help housing technical assist

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Housing Service has awarded a $422,400 Project Grant under the Rural Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance program (CFDA 10.420) to Southside Outreach Group, Inc., a non-profit organization, from July 2024 to August 2025. The grant will support Southside Outreach Group in providing technical assistance services to very low- and low-income individuals and families in rural areas to help them build their own homes through the self-help method. This includes providing construction expertise, homebuyer education, financial counseling, and community outreach to facilitate affordable rural homeownership. Southside Outreach Group also serves as a sub-awardee on federal grants, using $3 million in low-income housing tax credits to develop 32 affordable rental units, and receives funding to deliver housing counseling services through a subaward from the Virginia Housing Development Authority and the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Housing Counseling program.