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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: 45 Stories
The front of a home in Michigan, North Dakota.

A Forever Home

MICHIGAN, N.D. – Hand-drawn and colored pictures from grandkids decorate the kitchen. Pictures of a life lived hang on the living room walls. Coco the dog keeps watch from outside the patio door. This is home for Rosemary Knoll, a resident of Michigan, ND (population: 250… [Read More]
Home Repair
The exterior of Susan Noesen's home following the tornado that struck Alexandria in May of 2022.

Disaster Repair Grant Helps Minnesota Resident Bounce Back After Devastating Tornado

If it weren’t for Susan Noesen’s sense of humor and optimistic outlook on life, dealing with her tragedy would have been much more difficult. Noesen, a resident of Alexandria, recalls the very day that the unthinkable happened: a tornado ripped through her town, temporarily… [Read More]
DisasterHome RepairHousing
finger turning off circuit breaker

Updated electrical panel improves safety for Leola homeowner

While modern homes have been equipped with circuit breaker-style electrical panels for decades, many older homes may still have screw-in fuse panels that were commonplace from the early-to-mid 20th century. Jeannie Feickert’s home in Leola was one such home… [Read More]
Home RepairHomeownership
Woman and man standing in front of their home in Montana.

Disaster Grant Helps Montana Homeowners Recover from Historic Flood

In May 2022, Tim and CJ Wyman thought all might be lost when the Yellowstone River crested its banks, flooding their modest Fromberg neighborhood.  This 100-year flood event wreaked havoc up and down their quiet street, and if not for a grant from USDA, they might have had… [Read More]
Home Repair
Brand new HVAC installed at the home of Ms. Donna Helton

God’s Blessing is Heating Up This Holiday Season

Heating and cooling is a luxury far too many of us take for granted. Imagine sitting in your kitchen day-after-day wearing two sweatshirts, two pairs of pants, and a stocking cap, just to keep warm. Well, this was a reality for Washburn resident, Ms. Donna Helton. Ms. Helton… [Read More]
Home Repair
Norris Family pictured with TN RD State Director & Crossville Housing Authority

Norris Family Fixer Upper

Gary and Debra Norris are your typical retirees. They spent almost 15 years renting houses in a local single family housing development so they could enjoy the amenities available in the Crossville, Tenn. area. After renting several houses over the years, they decided it was… [Read More]
Home RepairHomeownershipHousing
Picture of a yellow house in rural Nebraska

USDA Rural Development Proud to Support Veteran Marine

USDA Rural Development is proud to support United States Veteran Marine Roy Oliver through the Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants Program.  Mr. Oliver served in the Marines guarding supplies of ammunition.  Today, he is happily settled in Fairbury,… [Read More]
Home RepairHousing
Rural Development Staff Stand with the Homeowner

Never Ones to Ask for Help, Couple Gets Needed Home Repairs through USDA Rural Development

Edmund and Mildred “Lorrie” Smith, at 80 years old found they urgently needed modifications to their bathroom as Edmund’s health worsened.  The couple, married for 62 years and the proud parents of three children, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren found… [Read More]
Home RepairHomeownership Month 2023
Bob and Mary Ann Volk outside their remodeled home in Herreid, SD.

Herreid Homes Have New Hope After Rehab

Bob and Mary Ann have lived in the same home for over 55 years. The couple raised their six children here and they all attended the same school in Herreid. But over the years the home has needed updates and eventually those updates were too difficult for Bob and Mary Ann to take… [Read More]
Home RepairHomeownershipHomeownership Month 2023HousingUnderserved
Jolene stands outside her home.

Home repair leads to forgotten memories

As the days get longer and warmer, the sound of hammers against rooftops are a common sound echoing across neighborhoods as homeowners replace old shingles weathered by time, harsh South Dakota winters, and the strong spring winds that blow across the prairie. But replacing a… [Read More]
Home RepairHomeownership 2024

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