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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: 145 Stories
The LaRue Family sits on the steps of their new home

Oh Baby! Homeownership Dreams Do Come True

Little eleven-month-old Katie LaRue will never remember the struggles of her family to find the perfect home in rural Maine. She will grow up with her own room and a large yard to play in. For her Mom, Monique, Dad, Jesse, and her four siblings, they will always appreciate how… [Read More]
Maine
Homeownership
New Homeowner Kate McGowan with flowers

Homeownership is “Life Changing” for Cherryfield Woman

There is nothing quite like the glow of a proud new homeowner. For Kate McGowan, her new home in Cherryfield is everything she ever dreamed of. Kate, whose life’s journey has taken her from far Northern Maine where she was born, thousands of miles away to California, and back… [Read More]
Maine
Homeownership
Sherry Parker poses for a photo by the construction of her new home in Northern Calirfornia. Parker lost her home during the devastation of the Camp Fire in 2018. (USDA Courtesy Photo)

Rural Development helps family find home after Camp Fire

Sherry Parker was single mother to three children when devastation rained down. California’s Camp Fire, the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California’s history, and the most expensive natural disaster in the world in 2018 in terms of insured losses, devoured their… [Read More]
California
Homeownership
Amelia Smith is building her own home through the Mutual Self-Help Housing Program.

I Built a Future With My Own Hands

Amelia Smith is building her first home through the USDA Rural Development's Mutual Self-Help program in collaboration with Six County Association of Governments (SEAULG), which improves local government coordination of mutually beneficial programs where she lives in Sevier,… [Read More]
Utah
Homeownership
A picture of Amber and her family in front of the house they built

The Home that Friends Built

As a single mother of two, Amber W. works as a youth counselor, a YMCA fitness instructor, and a dance instructor for children and adults with disabilities in Helena, Mont.  Amber had long dreamed of becoming a homeowner and, in 2021, her vision came to fruition through a… [Read More]
Montana
Homeownership

Straw Bale Homes More Than a Dirt-Cheap Option

In Moab, Utah, Community Rebuilds literally takes dirt-cheap sustainable, highly energy-efficient materials to build affordable homes. With assistance from USDA Rural Development’s Mutual Self-Help program, individuals can apply to build a natural self-help home. After a… [Read More]
Utah
Homeownership
Photo of Corina Ponce and her son

USDA Helps Renovate Homeowner’s Safe Haven

Nearly three years ago, Corina Ponce had purchased a bank-owned home in Redfield, SD. She acquired the property knowing it had been vacant for a few years and needed major repairs. The time had come when she was ready to move forward with repairs to the home. One evening, she… [Read More]
South Dakota
Home RepairHomeownershipHousing

A Single Mother's Blessing

"It is truly a blessing to come home each day to our peaceful environment," said Amanda Gilliard. The goal of graduating from college and purchasing a home for her family has been realized. For the last seven years, Amanda has maintained full-time employment, complete a four-… [Read More]
Tennessee
Homeownership
inside homeowners home picture

More Than a Dream Come True for Aberdeen, South Dakota Homeowner

Tessa Dosch lives in Aberdeen, SD and had been living in a rental property for several years that was in poor condition.  It needed major repairs to the foundation, and it had old, drafty windows. Tessa had been longing to own a home of her own. One fall day, she had been… [Read More]
South Dakota
Homeownership
Ashley Schoefield's new home photo

Partnerships Work as Validated by a Happy New Homeowner

Ashley Schofield is a teacher in the Kadoka school system. Ashley had a dream of giving her young children a home of their own. She heard of a lot in town, but the house had been condemned. She contacted the city; the city demolished the house and her mother bought the lot so… [Read More]
South Dakota
Homeownership

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