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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
The Smith Family showing off their new home.

A Place to Call Home

New Orleans natives, Kerry and Trellis Smith, had long dreamed of purchasing a home but because of limited resources, low inventory, and the rising costs of houses in North Texas, this dream seemed out of reach. After a very exhaustive search and applying for loans with other… [Read More]
Texas
Housing
TX_SFH_ErickstadHome_June2020_Photo2.jpg

New Beginnings

Preparing to search for and purchase your first home can be a confusing and exhausting time, but for the Erickstad's that process proved to be very rewarding for their young family of six. Mrs. Erickstad is someone who has always loved serving others and who is not afraid… [Read More]
Texas
Housing
When owning a home seemed impossible, Sandra and Michael achieved homeownership for their family through their own sweat equity.

Achieving Homeownership Helps Rural Family Reduce Expenses

Sandra and Michael thought homeownership was beyond their reach. They never imagined it was not only possible but that they could reduce their housing expenses by buying a home. They were living in a manufactured house with their three children and their dog. The home was built… [Read More]
Oregon
HomeownershipHousing
Cindy proudly holds the SOLD sign.

Cindy's Journey to Her Home

Having lived in the small, rural Otoe County community all her life, Cindy Jewell knew that buying a home was something that she wanted to do but she was concerned that her financial situation would be challenging for a conventional loan. Cindy has worked as a hair dresser in… [Read More]
Nebraska
Housing

Rosemary is all smiles!

She had just tuned 19 but Rosemary Zamora knew she was at a crossroads in her life. It was July 2017 and just weeks before she had given birth to her son, Andrew. As the result of being a high-risk pregnancy, Rosemary was forced to drop out of high school a few months short of… [Read More]
Florida and Virgin Islands
Housing

Never Give Up!

Mr. Joel Mendez Santiago heard about Homes in Partnership through a close friend and decided to take a chance. Previously, Mr. Mendez tried with several failed attempts to get a home loan and due of his credit history  and collections it became a road block. Mr. Mendez… [Read More]
Florida and Virgin Islands
Housing
Henry Smith, wearing his World War II uniform coat because he had just had pictures taken in it, plays the lawn game Cornhole at Milnwood Village Apartments in Farmville.

A Hero in Farmville

On January 14 this year Henry Smith stepped off of a plane and onto Belgian soil for the first time in more than 70 years. Right away the setting was familiar to him. “It’s going to snow,” he said to his family as the chill in the air and low-hanging clouds echoed conditions he… [Read More]
Virginia
HousingMulti-Family
Jill Burcham, pastor at Push Ministries in Galax, applied for and received a USDA Rural Development direct home loan in 2015. She now helps her Push Ministries clients navigate the same process to become homeowners themselves.

A P.U.S.H. for Homeownership in Galax

Jill Burcham has spent the last nine years building P.U.S.H. Ministries, an organization in Galax that today helps nearly 800 people per month put food on tables, learn life skills, transition from prison and climb out of addiction. This year, in an attempt to further help her… [Read More]
Virginia
HomeownershipHousing
Donnell Family

A White House, not “the White House”, With a Beautiful Yard

The Joe & Danielle Donnell family have been living in their new home, a white house with a porch and a beautiful back yard with a running creek next to it, for nearly nine months now.   “We feel blessed to have a place where our family can grow together,” said Joe… [Read More]
South Dakota
Housing
Members of Virginia Housing Development Authority, Surber Development LLC, and USDA Rural Development Virginia gather to cut ribbon at Lily Ridge Apartments ribbon cutting ceremony.

Affordable Housing Celebrated

USDA Rural Development national office employees applauded the completion of Lily Ridge Apartments in Ruckersville at a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house in early November. The ceremony celebrated the development of affordable rental homes that can house nearly 50 families… [Read More]
Virginia
HousingMulti-Family

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