PIKE COUNTY, Mo. — Jerry and Linda Lillard are getting a little help in fixing up their 116-year-old home.

The couple is part of the USDA Rural Development Self-Help Housing Program administered by NECAC. It provides participants with free building materials and one-on-one instruction in renovating their homes.

The Lillards replaced nine windows and three exterior doors, working with NECAC Self-Help Housing Construction Supervisor Howard Sommer.

“It’s been a blessing to us,” Lillard said. “It’s helped us cut down on our utility bill I hope.”

The house was built in 1907 and the couple has lived there since 2011. Lillard, 60, is a Navy veteran who has years of experience in auto mechanics and carpentry, but a disability means he isn’t able to do as much work anymore. Still, he and his wife were hands-on during the project.

“They were a very good couple to work with because they had some experience in construction and needed little training on how to do these replacements,” Sommer said. “The material was delivered on Aug. 16, and they started work right away and stayed with it every day even in some very hot conditions. They finished well ahead of their projected date. My thanks to them.”

Self-Help participants are being sought in Lincoln, Marion, Monroe, Montgomery, Pike, Ralls, Shelby and Warren counties. Applicants must own their homes and meet income guidelines. In June, NECAC was awarded an additional $365,700 over two years from USDA Rural Development to fund the program.

NECAC has been involved with Self-Help Housing since 1999. Under the original phase, participants built each other’s homes. Forty-eight houses were constructed over about 10 years in Shelby, Monroe, Randolph and Montgomery counties.

In 2017, NECAC was awarded a $159,000 USDA grant to begin Self-Help renovations at 26 owner-occupied homes in Marion, Monroe, Pike and Ralls counties. Two years later, the agency was awarded a $365,700 USDA grant to expand the program to 56 homes in Lincoln, Montgomery, Shelby and Warren counties.

For more information, or to make an application appointment, call NECAC at 573-324-6622.