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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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Find Stories

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

Search Results: 145 Stories
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]
Colorado
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 loan… [Read More]
South Dakota
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]
Wyoming
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]
Tennessee
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]
New Jersey
Homeownership
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]
South Dakota
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]
Nebraska
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 for… [Read More]
South Dakota
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]
Nebraska
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]
Nebraska
Homeownership

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