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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 their 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: 45 Stories

Texas Rural Development Loves Repeat Customers

In September 2013, Ms. Anne Hall, 71 years of age, applied for a USDA Rural Development Section 504 loan and grant to install a handicap ramp to her home in Farmersville, Collin County, Texas. The grant was approved and construction commenced. A typical grant, a typical USDA RD… [Read More]
Home RepairHousing
Tribal elders Mary and Abbie Van Pelt were able to have their roof re-paired with help from a USDA grant.

Repairs Improve the Safety of Tribal Elders’ Homes

Every time the south winds blew through the Confederated Tribes of the Umatilla Indian Reservation (CTUIR), Mary and Abbie Van Pelt had problems with their roof. Each time, Abbie would climb on the roof to try and fix the issue. When CTUIR received a Housing Preservation Grant… [Read More]
Home RepairHousing
New furnace

No More Fireworks At This Home

Linda Karpen is a homeowner in Mitchell, Nebraska.  Shooting flames were coming out of her furnace, located in the crawlspace of the house, creating a severe danger. This made her extremely worrisome, wondering if the home would catch fire or that she may be without… [Read More]
Home Repair
Mike tests his thermostat for new cove heaters while Luke supervises.

Home Electrified & Heated for Comfortable Living

Michael Costa was having electrical issues in his 1912, 900 sq. ft., two bedroom bungalow home in Scottsbluff, Nebraska.  The electric outlets upstairs were not working.  Some electricity did work downstairs where he had his TV and kept his refrigerator… [Read More]
Home Repair
Photo: A mother with a fixed income was able to complete critical repairs to her house with help from a local nonprofit and a USDA grant.

Vital Repairs Help Mother, Daughter Remain in their Home

Maria no longer felt safe in her own home, where she lives with her daughter, Margarita, in rural Malheur County in eastern Oregon. Wind blew in through the cracks around the windows, and water leaked through the roof. But with her low monthly income, Maria could not afford… [Read More]
Home RepairHousing

Additional Success Stories