Six local families on Tuesday started to build new homes through the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program.

Officials from U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development and Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana were on hand for the groundbreaking.

The new homes are being built in the Spring Creek Subdivision located off of Three Mile Drive.

The Mutual Self-Help Housing Program gives low-income families a chance to build their homes under the supervision of trained professionals, saving them thousands of dollars on labor.

That allows them not only to purchase an affordable home, but also gain knowledge about the care and maintenance of the property, build ties with neighbors and get a significant leg up in equity in their property.

With this new round of construction, the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program will have built more than 170 houses in the greater Kalispell area.

Home loans are financed through Rural Development’s 502 Direct Home Loan program.

Rural Development also provides technical assistance funding to Community Action Partnership of Northwest Montana to administer the program.