Client Success Stories
Stories from our clients that have participated in our Self-Help Housing Program
Learning
Benjamin Franklin once said, “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.” Universal Housing Development Corporation’s Self-Help Program is the embodiment of Mr. Franklin’s ideas about learning. In her own words, Brandy Gibbs stated, “I got to learn a whole bunch of stuff I didn’t know.” Ms. Gibbs was approved for a USDA Rural Development loan to participate in the Self-Help Program in 2024. She chose a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom house plan to build in London, AR on a lot that already had access to water and sewer. If involvement is the measure of a good student, Ms. Gibbs receives an A+, putting in hundreds of hours of sweat equity into building a home for herself and her daughter. “I am thankful for my cousin, boyfriend, and daughter who came in and helped,” Gibbs commented. After years of renting, Ms. Gibbs became a homeowner and started moving on October 1, 2025.
For young Matthew Vogt, there were two major factors regarding homeownership that drew him to the Self-Help Housing Program: affordability and safety. Mr. Vogt learned about the program from his stepmother and decided to pursue homeownership through Self-Help. He closed on the home loan in February 2024 and moved into his 2 bedroom, 2 bath house on Hayes Lane in London in August 2025. “The experience was great. I loved working with everyone. Whenever I talk to people about the program, they’re always surprised to learn that a mortgage for a brand-new house can be lower than rent,” Vogt commented. “I chose to participate in this program because it was so affordable and, since I would be there with the project from start to finish, I would know the house was in good and safe condition.” And now, Mr. Vogt owns his own home with wonderful proximity to town and beautiful scenery.
Life’s Little Speedbumps
No matter how hard we prepare in life, we always run into speedbumps we did not expect. Courtney Atchley’s story is no different. Divorce and single parenthood were two speedbumps she encountered in 2023. Also in 2023, she discovered that she was, in fact, a millennial Superwoman. She flew past those speedbumps life threw at her, and she decided it was time to be the best version of herself – and that included becoming a homeowner. In February 2023, she applied for the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program and was approved for a loan to build her 3-bedroom, 2 bath home in London, AR. Courtney and her ride-or-die family and friends poured over 300 hours of their own blood, sweat and tears into building. And there were plenty of speedbumps along this journey too – hold ups with subcontractors, licensures and paperwork stretched the project into 2025. But like any millennial girl with her emotional support energy drink and the love and support of her family and friends, Courtney continued to make her own way and in August of 2025, she was able to move into her home. “I wanted to do this program for many years. I wanted to build a home for me and my son with as little debt as possible and as much equity as possible. The self-help program allowed me to do that,” Courtney commented.