42 U.S.C. § 1490c
Mutual and self-help housing
United States · Title 42 — THE PUBLIC HEALTH AND WELFARE · Status: effective
Cite this
- Citation
- 42 U.S.C. § 1490c, Mutual and self-help housing, United States, version 1 as recorded 2026-07-09, yourstate.us, https://yourstate.us/provision/477654
- Permanent ID
ys:prov:477654@1- SHA-256
b0ab717f4c0775c9360e4d8f77b023f5beb83206466d72bb67995684be53a466
The hash is SHA-256 of this version's text, with every run of whitespace collapsed to a single space and the ends trimmed. The ID always leads back here, and checking it says whether the text you cited is still the current version.
Full text
The purposes of this section are (1) to make financial assistance available on reasonable terms and conditions in rural areas and small towns to needy low-income individuals and their families who, with the benefit of technical assistance and overall guidance and supervision, participate in approved programs of mutual or self-help housing by acquiring and developing necessary land, acquiring building materials, providing their own labor, and working cooperatively with others for the provision of decent, safe, and sanitary dwellings for themselves, their families, and others in the area or town involved, and (2) to facilitate the efforts of both public and private nonprofit organizations providing assistance to such individuals to contribute their technical and supervisory skills toward more effective and comprehensive programs of mutual or self-help housing in rural areas and small towns wherever necessary.
In order to carry out the purposes of this section, the Secretary of Agriculture (in this section referred to as the “Secretary”) is authorized—
to make loans, on such terms and conditions and in such amounts as he deems necessary, to needy low-income individuals participating in programs of mutual or self-help housing approved by him, for the acquisition and development of land and for the purchase of such other building materials as may be necessary in order to enable them, by providing substantially all of their own labor, and by cooperating with others participating in such programs, to carry out to completion the construction of decent, safe, and sanitary dwellings for such individuals and their families, subject to the following limitations:
In determining whether to extend financial assistance under paragraph (1) or (2) of subsection (b), the Secretary shall take into consideration, among other factors, the suitability of the area within which construction will be carried out to the type of dwelling which can be provided under mutual or self-help housing programs, the extent to which the assistance will facilitate the provision of more decent, safe, and sanitary housing conditions than presently exist in the area, the extent to which the assistance will be utilized efficiently and expeditiously, the extent to which the assistance will effect an increase in the standard of living of low-income individuals participating in the mutual or self-help housing program, and whether the assistance will fulfill a need in the area which is not otherwise being met through other programs, including those carried out by other Federal, State, or local agencies.
As used in this section, the term “construction” includes the erection of new dwellings, and the rehabilitation, alteration, conversion, or improvement of existing structures.
The Secretary is authorized to establish appropriate criteria and procedures in order to determine the eligibility of applicants for the financial assistance provided under this section, including criteria and procedures with respect to the periodic review of any construction carried out with such financial assistance.
Amounts appropriated under this subsection, together with principal collections from loans made under appropriations in any previous fiscal years, shall be deposited in the Self-Help Housing Land Development Fund, which shall be available, to the extent approved in appropriation Acts, as a revolving fund for making loans under subsection (b)(1)(B); except that not more than $5,000,000 may be made available during fiscal year 1985. Instruments and property acquired by the Secretary in or as a result of making such loans shall be assets of the Self-Help Housing Land Development Fund.
The Secretary shall issue rules and regulations for the orderly processing and review of applications under this section and rules and regulations protecting the rights of grantees under this section in the event he determines to end grant assistance prior to the termination date of any grant agreement.
Legislative history
The public laws that enacted or amended this section. Tallies are for the whole bill as it passed each chamber — often an omnibus covering far more than this provision — not a vote on this section alone. The law that originally enacted this section predates the public laws loaded here, so only later amendments are listed.
- Joint resolution to extend the authority of the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development with respect to the insurance of loans and mortgages, to extend authorizations under laws relating to housing and urban development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Housing and Community Development Act of 1974House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Joint resolution to provide for a temporary extension of certain Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance and related authorities and of the national flood insurance program, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Joint resolution to provide for a temporary extension of certain Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance and related authorities and of the national flood insurance program, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Housing and Community Development Act of 1977House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- To provide for a temporary extension of certain Federal Housing Administration mortgage insurance and related authorities, of the national flood insurance program, of the crime insurance and riot reinsurance programs, of certain rural housing authorities, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1978House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for a temporary extension of certain Federal Housing Administration authorities, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for a temporary extension of certain Federal Housing Administration authorities, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Housing and Community Development Amendments of 1979House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution providing for a temporary extension of certain Federal Housing Administration authorities and for rural housing authorities.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Housing and Community Development Act of 1980House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1981House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the temporary extension of certain insurance programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the temporary extension of certain insurance programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the temporary extension of certain insurance programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Supplemental Appropriations Act, 1984House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Housing and Community Development Technical Amendments Act of 1984House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the temporary extension of certain programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the temporary extension of certain programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the temporary extension of certain programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the temporary extension of certain programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Consolidated Omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1985House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- FHA and GNMA Credit Commitment Assistance Act of 1986House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the temporary extension of certain programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- An original joint resolution to provide for the extension of certain programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the extension of certain programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the extension of certain programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the extension of certain programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the temporary extension of certain programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- A joint resolution to provide for the temporary extension of certain programs relating to housing and community development, and for other purposes.House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Housing and Community Development Act of 1987House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Defense Production Act Amendment of 1989House: no recorded tallySenate: no recorded tally
- Cranston-Gonzalez National Affordable Housing ActHouse: no recorded tallySenate: 93–6
- Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration, and Related Agencies Appropriations Act, 1992
- Housing and Community Development Act of 1992House: 377–37Senate: no recorded tally
- Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024