June 23, 2005

LINDSAY - Nathor See pointed to the inscription on what will soon be the front porch of her new home on Princeton Street.

Written in the concrete were two names: Valerie and Matthew.

"I'm building this house for my children," See, 23, said.

See and her husband, Seekham, 24, are one of 33 Lahu and Hmong families building their homes in a Lindsay neighborhood with the aid of Visalia-based Self-Help Enterprises.

They are doing much of the work themselves in place of a down payment.

Their home will have four bedrooms and two baths. They hope to move in before Thanksgiving.

"All the families that we serve are low-income and typically do not have the opportunity that local families have in providing them with safe and stable neighborhoods," said Self-Help program manager Liz Wynn. "We've improved their chances for success in life."

Self-Help Enterprises has helped more than 5,300 low-income families build homes in the Valley since 1965.

Nathor See, born in Thailand after her Lahu family fled Laos, immigrated to Visalia in 1989. She studied accounting at the College of the Sequoias. She, her husband and their two children rent a three-bedroom, one-bath house in Tulare.

"I can't wait to have Thanksgiving with my family in our own home," See said.

Around the corner, on Monte Vista Drive, Jack, John and Peter Chang are building a house for their Hmong parents, Yer Chang and Sy Thao.

"We owe it to our parents," said Jack Chang, 25, a meatcutter.

On Wednesday, two teams of families were painting roofs of two different houses. The men sat on top of their roofs installing the roof sheeting. The women were standing on ladders to paint the sides of the roof.

"These families get to work with their new neighbors building each other's houses," Wynn said. "It helps the families build a sense of community and pride and ownership of their own homes."

Further assistance from a youth fel-

See Homes/3C

How to help

For more information or to volunteer at Self-Help Enterprises, visit www.self helpenterprises.org or call 651-1000.

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