POULSBO — After her husband left her with five children and she was forced to vacate military housing, Janese Shauer faced an uncertain future.

Instead of having a house with plenty of space, she and her kids moved into a three-bedroom apartment as she searched for affordable housing.

Thanks to the Kitsap County Consolidated Housing Authority’s self-help program, Shauer and nine other families are building their dreams at the Vetter Homestead — one board at a time.

“I was on the waiting list for three years, but it’s definitely been worth it,” Shauer said as she took a brief break from nailing in trusses on one of her neighbor’s homes.

Each week, Shauer and the other families involved are required to put at least 31 hours of labor into the homes, which are being built in 10-unit groups.

“It’s been hard, but I’m doing this for my kids to provide us a place to live,” Shauer said.

Before work on the project began in June, Friday nights were pizza night at the Shauer household, but those have been put on hold until their new home is ready, she said.

“We had hoped to be finished by Christmas, but I think the realistic goal is February or March,” Shauer said.

The housing authority has given all of the families tools to succeed, which has made a world of difference, she said.

“Things have been going great so far. I’ve had a lot of fun on this project,” Shauer said.

As he surveyed the more than 30 family members and other volunteers at the site Saturday, KCCHA construction supervisor Ralph Nettles said things have gone extremely well for the project so far.

“When the walls started going up, it helps raise their spirits,” Nettles said, adding that almost all of the foundations had been completed on the 30 homes in the first phase of the project. “This is the second one I’ve done. The city of Poulsbo has been great in helping us out.”

All of the families help build each other’s houses. As an added incentive no one is allowed to move in until all of the homes are completed, he said.

Saturdays are traditionally the busiest days on the site, even though families and volunteers often work seven days a week to bring their homes that much closer to completion, Nettles said.

Councilwoman Kimberlee Crowder, whose family participated in the Austurbruin self-help project, said she can’t speak highly enough about the program.

“It’s an opportunity for families who are willing to work hard to make their dreams of homeownership a reality,” Crowder said. “You have to be dedicated to be part of the program.”

Many families can’t afford a down payment on a home, but through the self-help program they are able to work toward their goal of homeownership, she said.

For two-parent families, completing the process is challenging, but for single parents, it’s even more difficult, she said.

“They have to work full-time, raise their kids and spend 31 hours a week on the project,” she said.

However, the end result of the program is affordable housing in the city, which remains a definite need, Crowder said.