Article 1. Findings And Declarations of California Health And Safety Code >> Division 31. >> Part 2. >> Chapter 7.5. >> Article 1.

The Legislature finds and declares that the attainment of the national and state goal of providing every American family with a decent home and a suitable living environment is complicated by a lack of information and technical assistance regarding housing planning, design, rehabilitation, construction, and financing; alternative housing options for owners and renters; building codes and standards and housing codes; site acquisition and development; and building materials and methods and their costs and availability. The Legislature further finds and declares that the attainment of the national and state housing goal can be achieved, in part, through the fullest practicable utilization of the resources and capabilities of private enterprise and of individual and group self-help techniques. A significant number of persons and families of low or moderate income are capable of building or rehabilitating their own homes, in whole or in part, with considerable savings to themselves and benefits to the public.

The purposes of this chapter are the following:
  (1) To encourage and foster the utilization of the resources and capabilities of private enterprise and of individual and group self-help techniques in the rehabilitation and replacement of deteriorated and dilapidated housing and in the construction of additional housing in both urban and rural areas.
  (2) To stimulate housing rehabilitation and construction so as to increase the supply of decent, affordable housing.
  (3) To demonstrate that improved housing conditions, ownership, and maintenance are within the financial capabilities of persons and families of low or moderate income through the reduced costs of owner-building, owner-rehabilitation and other self-help-oriented alternatives. Nothing in this chapter shall be construed as preventing participation of renters in such housing alternatives.

The Legislature finds and declares that self-help housing generates self-reliance and a sense of community for participants, and that it is an important and proven source of housing for many low- and moderate-income California residents. The Legislature further finds and declares that the California Self-Help Housing Program has been very successful in its goal of stimulating the production and rehabilitation of housing with the use of several self-help housing techniques, and that the program should be expanded to assist more low- and moderate-income residents throughout this state. In addition to the purposes specified in Section 50691, the purposes of this chapter include all of the following:
  (1) Expansion of the production of decent and affordable housing for low- and moderate-income people through the use of self-help methods of rehabilitation and construction.
  (2) Expansion of homeownership opportunities for those to whom it would otherwise not be available without the cost savings achieved by the self-help method.
  (3) Encouragement of self-reliance, pride of ownership, and sense of community for those who participate.