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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
Gascoigne Family

Together, a Father and Daughter Make Homeownership a Reality

Father and Daughter, Charles and Heidi Gascoigne purchased a home together with the assistance of USDA Rural Development and their partners.  The Gascoigne’s have worked for two years to make homeownership a reality.  Even though they both have limited incomes and… [Read More]
South Dakota
Homeownership

USDA Assists Single Mother in Becoming a First-Time Homeowner

Sherilyn Cruz is a single mother raising three children on her own. She has been employed with the Department of Education as a teacher’s aide for over 13 years. And for the past 12 years she has been living with assistance from the Guam Housing & Urban Renewal Authority’s (… [Read More]
Hawaii and Western Pacific
Homeownership
This is a photo of Michelle Amrine with team members from Ohio Rural Development.

USDA, Habitat for Humanity partner in first-ever Ohio build

  In commemoration of USDA’s annual Homeownership Month, some industrious Ohio Rural Development team members spent a sunny day at a Habitat for Humanity building site, helping Marysville resident Michelle Amrine and her two children frame out a place to call their own.… [Read More]
Ohio
Homeownership
Enjoying the cool air from new air conditioner.

Will Someone Turn the Air On?

Alma Sweeney lives in Culbertson, NE. on a limited, fixed income. Her air conditioner unit was beyond repair and with the summer heat she wouldn’t be able to stay in her home. Air conditioning was necessary due to her health issues.USDA Rural Development helped by providing… [Read More]
Nebraska
Home RepairHomeownership
Haar Family

Family of Eleven Enjoys Much Needed Space and Affordability Through Homeownership

The Jason and Kabrina Haar family is a big family compared to most with a family of eleven. The couple, along with their nine children ranging in ages from 18 years old to 10 months had been living in a single-wide three-bedroom trailer house just outside of Herreid, SD. The… [Read More]
South Dakota
HomeownershipHousing
Kylie Beckman Photo

Greater Future Envisioned Becomes Reality for New Rural South Dakota Homeowner

Kylie Beckman had been renting a townhouse in Madison, SD.  Oftentimes, she found herself tossing around the idea of becoming a homeowner. One defining day, she woke up and decided that it was time to take steps toward that greater future she’d envisioned by pursuing… [Read More]
South Dakota
HomeownershipHousing
Hernandez Homeownership

Pursuing Dreams through Partnerships

Yaramis (Yara) Ramos Hernandez a single mother from Cuba who recently achieved U.S. Citizenship last December. Responsible for both her 9 year-old daughter and elderly mother, Yara reached out to Pinnacle Bank, long-time lending partner of USDA Rural Development, to learn more… [Read More]
Nebraska
HomeownershipHousingRural Development
The Echeverria Family outside their new home.

From Trailer House to New Home

Jose Mendez Echeverria, wife Eliana and two year old daughter Aitana resided in a trailer house for nine years in Crete, Neb.  They were ready to buy a home that had more space and comfort.  Crete has a lack of housing available creating an obstacle.  A friend of… [Read More]
Nebraska
Homeownership

Dreams Are Being Built in Benton County

Gail Arnold’s dream of constructing a new home on her family’s property is coming true, with a home loan through the USDA’s Rural Development Rural Housing 502 loan program.  “This is my dream come true and I am so appreciative!” Arnold said at the ground breaking with… [Read More]
Tennessee
HomeownershipHousing

Dreams Are Being Built in Lake County

Cora Wyatt‘s dream of constructing a new home on her own property is coming true with a home loan through a partnership between the USDA’s Rural Development Rural Housing 502 loan program and FAHE’s (Federation of Appalachian Housing Enterprises, Inc) Project Reinvest initiative… [Read More]
Tennessee
HomeownershipHousing

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