The Riverview self-housing project successfully completed

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On moving-in day at the Riverview Estates Project on Nov. 15, there was an easel at the front entrance to Kaleena Scargill’s new home holding a collage of photographs showing everything from the house’s floor plans to Scargill in work clothes wielding a hammer.  

Scargill was part of the second group of 12 families, out of the 24 in the project, who were handed the keys to the homes they had built themselves by project manager Bobby Ruvalcaba in a ceremony that was attended by local officials, friends, and family.  

This marks the completion of the project as they join the first 12 families who moved into their homes on Aug. 11.

“It has been a long, hard road,” Ruvalcaba told BenitoLink, “I really had no idea what to expect when we started, with all of those families and personalities. It was sometimes hard to keep them motivated, but I could not be prouder of the work these people did here.”

Scargill said she applied for the program on a whim, after applying and being rejected several times before. She told BenitoLink she had been preparing to move out of the state because it was difficult living on the income from her work as a special education teacher for the San Benito County Office of Education. 

Each family was expected to put in 40 hours of work per week, with the head of the household responsible for 16 of those hours. Balancing her job with those hours proved to be difficult for her.

“My husband had a stroke, so it was all on me,” she said. “It was hard, but it was doable with a lot of help from family and volunteers. But by working full-time and then working eight hours a day on Saturday and Sunday with extra time on the weekdays, I was missing out on a lot.”

Not being around for birthdays and special occasions because of the project’s commitments became almost overwhelming for her, and at one point, she felt like giving up.

“You feel like you’re putting in your all every day, mentally and physically, and then there’s always another something else to do,” she said. “It’s very tedious and I have a whole new respect for people who are in the trades and who do construction. This is very hard work.”

The Riverview Estates Project began on Jan. 8, 2022, when the first families, chosen by lottery for the project out of 741 applicants nationwide, picked up hammers and saws—in some cases for the first time ever—and began building their own houses under the auspices of the Community Services Development Corporation. 

The second group began their part of the project on May 11, 2022, and matched the 20-month completion time set by the first group. Scargill said seeing the first group of families moving into their homes gave her the strength to continue.

“It was like there’s a light at the end of the tunnel,” she said. “For a while, it felt like we were never gonna finish. But to see them all moving in, decorating, and setting their houses up and their kids outside playing was a huge motivator.”

As Scargill’s 10-year-old son, Kingston, proudly showed off his new room, 11-year-old  Zenon characterized Riverview as “a lively neighborhood with lots of friends that I know from school.” Scargill agreed, saying that one of the most beneficial parts of this project was working with people who were going to be her new neighbors.

“You really get to know everybody, and you build a sense of community,” she said. “We’re all fast friends now, and I know I can go to them if I need something and vice versa. That has been one of the most beautiful parts of this project.”

The entire development was finished in just under two years, which was a bit longer than anticipated, according to Community Services Development Corporation Executive Director Sonny Flores.

“We had many challenges, starting off with COVID,” he said. “We ended up with the extremely wet rainy season that slowed things down. We also had staffing challenges and supply chain issues, but over time we just kept pushing through.”

As with the first group, along with their keys, the new homeowners received a check for $500 for incidental expenses that came from a donation made through the Community Foundation for San Benito County and took part in a raffle for one of four Traeger Wood-Fired Grills donated by McKinnon Lumber.

Though the project was outside the city limits, District 1 Hollister City Council member Rick Perez attended the ceremony, telling BenitoLink that he was extremely happy for the families.

“It’s truly emotional to see the impact that it’s going to have on each and every family,” he said. “Having this environment and all the families with their children, this is going to make a difference for them for years to come.”  

Related BenitoLink articles:

Families begin building their own houses at Riverview Estates (01/11/22)

Riverview Estates taking shape (02/17/22)

Bobby Ruvalcaba leads self-housing project (04/19/22)

Hollister man comes full circle with self-housing program (05/24/22/)

Volunteers from Oregon lend a hand to self-housing families (06/15/2022)

12 Riverview Estates families just a few months from moving in (08/15/22)

Open House at Riverview Self-Housing lets families see their new homes  (10/22/22)

Storms delay Hollister self-housing project  (03/03/23)

Happy—and tired—families move into homes they built themselves (08/19/2023)

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