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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: 140 Stories
Scharff Home

Miracles Do Happen

The road towards homeownership for the Scharff family wasn't easy.  However, with the help of USDA Rural Development, miracles do happen.  In 2015, Jessie Scharff returned home to take care of her mother, who's health had started to decline.  Sadly, her mother… [Read More]
Homeownership
Crystal Dahl in front of her new home.

Heavenly Homeownership Experience

Single mother of three girls Crystal Dahl was determined to make her dream of homeownership a reality. She and the girls were living in an apartment that lacked adequate space and comfort. Crystal began looking at several homes through a realtor and she finally found one she… [Read More]
Homeownership
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]
HomeownershipHousing
family happy to be home

A Mother and Three Children Find Stability in Their Home

After the Peters family moved from Rapid City, SD to Chadron, NE for a job opportunity, Alyssa decided that she needed a home of her own to provide some stability for her children Emma, 11, Matthew, 9, and Carter, 6, by giving them their own space.  Alyssa searched… [Read More]
Homeownership
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]
HomeownershipHousing
picture of girl in new home

Building Ladders of Opportunities Homeownership

Making homeownership an affordable reality for rural Coloradoans is an important goal at USDA Rural Development. By helping build equity and increase assets, homeownership provides a critical step on the way up the ladder of opportunity. Recently, Brittany Trujillo, purchased a… [Read More]
Homeownership
Hornedeagle Family

Charming and Cozy Describe Home of Aberdeen, S.D. Family

“Our overall feelings toward the home are inexplicable joy and relief.  It feels….like it was time and meant to be….home,” said new homeowner Jennifer Hornedeagle. The Hornedeagle family received a USDA Rural Development Section 502 Direct Single Family Housing packaged… [Read More]
HomeownershipHousing
Picture of Kayla Caines and her son

Desperate Mom Finds Help in Rural Development Programs

Her story with Rural Development began in June of 2008 when the company she had been working for went under.  The unemployed, recently divorced, single mother needed a job and place for her family to live.  By September, Kayla Caines managed to land a waitress job, but… [Read More]
HomeownershipMulti-Family

Dream of Homeownership Becomes Reality

Earlier this year, Nancy Griffin of Dyer County decided she no longer wanted to rent an apartment that was too small for her family. With the idea of wanting a bigger home, she set out to explore what financing options were available. Griffin’s realtor Thelma Stutts of First… [Read More]
Homeownership

Dreams Become Reality for Single Mom

Single Mother, Erin Watterson, had a dream to someday become a homeowner. Working in a lower wage profession, Erin realized the only way to make her dream come true was to move back home. Determined and hardworking, Erin and her son, Devon, moved back with her family for a few… [Read More]
Homeownership

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