I’m surprised at the source of that quote, but yes.

For your friend, I’d say that if this is his first time building out a project, then don’t start from scratch. Partner with a team that has experience. I partnered with a group called Self-help Housing. They took care of all the permits and government relations for me. I just had to be on the ground, getting the mortgages, finding the families, applying for the grant, managing the ordering of what supplies when, managing the subcontractors, managing the families, and keeping separate books on each home for accounting purposes. It was a lot, but would have been impossible alone.