On June 10, 2024, USDA State Director for Rural Development in Pennsylvania Bob Morgan participated in a self-help home build with rural housing advocates in Smithfield, Utah. The USDA political appointee visit, held in honor of National Homeownership Month, highlighted the challenges of securing homeownership and the opportunities in working with rural partners.
“It was fantastic to get our hands dirty helping build futures through homeownership,” Morgan said. “This event helped me appreciate the hard work done every day by our USDA staff and the intermediary organizations in rural communities that make the dream of homeownership possible.”
Morgan visited a home build site in Smithfield which is part of a Neighborhood Nonprofit Housing Corporation (NNHC) mutual self-help construction group. NNHC uses USDA grant dollars to help carry out self-help housing construction projects that benefit local families and individuals seeking homeownership. Following the build, Morgan participated in a roundtable discussion with USDA leaders, Mutual Self-Help Program grantees from other Utah areas, and rural housing advocates to consider best ways to serve rural Utah’s housing needs.
This month, USDA Rural Development is highlighting the many ways its housing programs have worked through the years to open the door to homeownership for safe and affordable places for people to live in across the nation. In Utah, since the year 2000, USDA has invested $6.5 billion in single-family housing programs, assisting more than 35,000 households.
Through several program options, USDA Rural Development offers qualifying individuals and families the opportunity to purchase or build a new single family home with no money down, to repair their existing home, or to refinance their current mortgage under certain qualifying circumstances. There are also programs to assist non-profit entities in their efforts to provide new homes or home repair to qualifying individuals and families.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit https://www.rd.usda.gov/pa
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