The Housing Group Fund, small-scale local builders, remodeled the house, and SMUD turned it into a energy efficient model demonstration project.It’s a tiny piece of the $3.9 billion federal Neighborhood Stabilization Plan that sent $32 million to Sacramento County earlier this year.

The Sacramento Housing and Redevelopment Agency contributed $86,000 from the allocation to bring back a house nearly destroyed on its way to foreclosure. Said Diana Tate at a ribbon cutting marking the accomplishment Thursday: “It’s been a long time coming.”

In another moving scene, husband Ken said they’d looked at houses for a year.  ”We finally finished the race,” he said.

Here’s a look at the ribbon cutting held in their front yard: