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Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine may sound lovely, but for Heather Gagne recent years proved stressful. There were few housing options in the Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 122 Stories

It Takes a Village: Building Hope in Southern Oregon

A strong community must have affordable housing. The lack of affordable or available housing in Cave Junction, Oregon, has led to a housing crisis that has affected the people of this small, rural community within the Illinois Valley. Unpredictable wildfires and a major shift… [Read More]
Oregon
Community FacilitiesCOREHomeownership 2024Housing
Chelsea Langevin purchased her new home with the help of a USDA Rural Development Section 502 Housing Direct Loan.

Partnership Makes Homebuying Easier for West Virginia Homeowner

It was 2023 and Chelsea Langevin was in the market for a new home. It wasn’t Chelsea’s first time buying a home, but it would be her first time doing it on her own. Chelsea knew she needed some help weighing her options and helping her through the homebuying process. That’s when… [Read More]
West Virginia
HomeownershipHousing
The exterior of Susan Noesen's home following the tornado that struck Alexandria in May of 2022.

Disaster Repair Grant Helps Minnesota Resident Bounce Back After Devastating Tornado

If it weren’t for Susan Noesen’s sense of humor and optimistic outlook on life, dealing with her tragedy would have been much more difficult. Noesen, a resident of Alexandria, recalls the very day that the unthinkable happened: a tornado ripped through her town, temporarily… [Read More]
Minnesota
DisasterHome RepairHousing
The Union Valley Apartments participates in two U.S. Department of Agriculture USDA Rural Development RD Multifamily Housing programs that assists the property owners and residents, in Finleyville, PA, on Sept. 2, 2021.

Emergency Rental Assistance Proves Vital to Pennsylvania Tenants

Residents of Multi-Family Housing Complex Thankful For AidFor Carole Fosbaugh, the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Multi-Family Housing program has allowed her to age in place in rural Pennsylvania.“I would not have been able to afford to live here and couldn’t have… [Read More]
Pennsylvania
HomeownershipHousing
Crandell-Home

It’s Never too Late - The American Dream of Homeownership

John and Kathleen Crandell thought that owning their own home was just a dream. But this dream finally became a reality. This retired couple, ages 70 and 68, had always rented and lived on a fixed income from Social Security and a small pension. The idea of homeownership seemed… [Read More]
Texas
HomeownershipHousing
USDA with Norma and Neighbors helping Neighbors

Welcome Home: The Fire Didn't Beat Me.

Have you ever heard your heart in your ears? It’s that adrenaline rush that results from both good and bad events in our life. Often enough the events that trigger this feeling are good, your favorite team winning, that lucky break or unexpected promotion. There are also times… [Read More]
New Mexico
DisasterHousing
Quintana and USDA SFH Loan Specialist Victoria Martinez

Go for it, homeownership can work!!

Writing her own homeownership story, Karla Quintana and her two children have lived in Garfield County, CO since 2011.  After having to move out of a garage studio apartment, the family was able to move in with friends and rent the bottom half of their home. While owning a… [Read More]
Colorado
HomeownershipHousing
A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“This is Home” – A Family Finds Their Forever Home in Calais, Maine

One of the first rooms Heather Gagne and her daughters began redecorating in their new home is the dining room, shown in the top photo. They have been busy repainting and making other updates. Raising a family in coastal Machias, Maine… [Read More]
Maine
HomeownershipHousing
Roof

USDA’s Housing Preservation Grant and Rebuilding Together Houston’s Network of Partners Improve Safety and Resiliency of Crosby Homeowner

For more than 33 years, Ms. Jacqueline Smith has lived in her Crosby home that was built in 1960. As a single mother, she raised three children on her own when her husband left her many years ago. Ms. Smith describes herself as a good listener and an upbeat ‘people person’ who… [Read More]
Texas
Housing
A Move to Texas

A Move to Texas as 'House-Sitters' Results in First-Time Home Ownership

Bradley and Janna Lanphear, along with their four children, found themselves facing uncertainty when unforeseen circumstances forced them out of their long-time rental in Bend, Oregon. With rental prices skyrocketing in their area, the dream of homeownership seemed increasingly… [Read More]
Texas
Housing

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