U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

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…
Read More

Find Stories

Use the filters below to find additional stories about how our programs have helped rural communities across the nation.

Search Results: 140 Stories
GROW South Dakota Staff

GROW South Dakota 2015 Bush Prize Winner

Recently, GROW South Dakota was named one of eight 2015 Bush Prize winners for Community Innovation.  GROW South Dakota knows that a little help can go a long way. Through an innovative program that provides financial and technical assistance, GROW South Dakota has sparked… [Read More]
HomeownershipHousing
Absolutely thrilled with Homeownership!

He Had the Desire To Be A Homeowner

Jay and Darmina Ullrich and their dogs Lady Bird, Annabell, and Miamae had lived in a small rental house in Wilber, Nebraska for about three years.  Jay had always wanted to be a homeowner and even though Darmina didn’t really feel the same and was a little skeptical, she… [Read More]
Homeownership
Willis Netzer

Homeownership is Surreal for New Mobridge, S.D. Homeowner

Willis Netzer was living in an apartment  complex that had come under new ownership recently.  He felt that the new owners, in their move to adopt more restrictive policies, were limiting some of his own personal freedoms; thus, he began his search to find a new place… [Read More]
HomeownershipHousing
Having fun in their kitchen

Homeownership Starts Young

Edrissa Jallow moved to the USA from Africa when he was 22 years old to work and to attend Western Nebraska Community College.  While attending college, he met Daniela Duarte and they were later married.  They rented a house and then were   notified of a rent… [Read More]
Homeownership
Home at Last

I Take Great Pride in Owning a Home

Kaitlyn Gehle and her son Jaxon had been living in a rental home for a year.  Kaitlyn dreamed of owning a home of her own and began working with a local realtor to find a house that she could afford and that Jaxon and she could turn into a home.  USDA Rural Development… [Read More]
Homeownership
woman standing beside new shower in bathroom

Investing in Safe, Affordable Housing on a South Dakota Reservation

Biological needs – sleep, food, water, air, shelter - form the base as they are of the greatest importance in maintaining life. Once a person has met the biological needs, the next concern is safety. In one of the poorest counties in the nation, Buffalo County, USDA Rural… [Read More]
GrantsHomeownershipTribalUnderserved

Lifetime Renter Achieves Homeownership

Rural Development has a multitude of programs that help communities expand upon their existing assets and assist in creating an infrastructure to help improve the lives of rural residents. For Linda Pickett, the opportunity to own a home has long seemed to be a distant reality.… [Read More]
HomeownershipHousing
rural development, rural development mississippi, homeownerhsip, neighborhood revitalization, yazoo city

Neighborhood Revitalization in Rural Mississippi

The Esther Stewart Buford Foundation (ESBF) is a local nonprofit and Community Development Housing Organization located in Yazoo City, Mississippi. They have partnered with Rural Development to administer Self-Help Housing grants from Rural Development for over 15 years. It came… [Read More]
HomeownershipHousing
Checking out their new front porch.

New Home for Family Made Possible

Tyler Vacha and his family made a major life decision when he accepted employment with the Center for Rural Affairs at Lyons, Nebraska. After relocating to the area from Des Moines, they began searching for homes in the Lyons area that would fit their family's needs. After… [Read More]
Homeownership
Photo of Zuni Housing Authority building and sign out front.

New Homes Dedicated at Zuni Pueblo New Mexico

USDA Rural Housing Service Administrator Tony Hernandez joined State Director Terry Brunner to dedicate three homes at Zuni Pueblo and three apartment complexes in Gallup as part of National Homeownership Month celebrations. “Throughout my travels, I’ve seen how rural… [Read More]
GrantsHomeownershipHousingTribal

Additional Success Stories