Jacqueline Begay had applied a couple of times in the past for Rural Development’s 502 home loan program.

She dreamed of buying some land to place a manufactured house on it.  Ms. Begay wanted her own house because she and her son have been living with her family for the last 10 years. 

Gertrudis Fierro was very excited when the mortgage loan on her new house closed on February 18th 2022.

She said, “Owning my own house has so many pluses especially because I won’t have to pay rent,” something she’s been doing for the past four years.

USDA Rural Development’s 502 Direct Home Loan program has allowed Ms. Fierro to become a homeowner without having to pay a down payment.

“We were living in Cincinnati for over a decade,” says Emmy Clark, who, with help from a USDA Rural Development (RD) Single Family Housing Direct Home Loan, moved to Orleans County, Vermont, with her husband and three school-aged children last year.

“People out there are having a tough time buying a home—it’s very stressful,” reflects Wendy Levy, who bought a home in Bellows Falls, Vermont with help from a USDA direct home loan. “For me, buying a house wasn’t always perfect, but dealing with Alex and the USDA was the least stressful part of it.”

Peggy McCellan, a senior with limited income, living in Wayne County, West Virginia was faced with a serious situation in 2021. Ms. McCellan did not have a reliable source of water service to her home. In fact, for over a period of 8 months she found herself without any water service to her home at all!