Latest Investments Mark the Network’s Two-Year Anniversary
MORGANTOWN, W.Va., April 29, 2024 – U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Rural Development West Virginia State Director Ryan Thorn today announced that USDA is funding new projects in rural communities participating in the Rural Partners Network (RPN). Many of these projects would not have been possible without the collaboration between community networks and on-the-ground, federal government staff through RPN.
“Through our two community networks, the Rural Partners Network is removing barriers and creating new opportunities for rural West Virginia communities from the bottom up and middle out,” said Thorn. "Ensuring that our stakeholders have the tools they need to not just survive but thrive is what the Rural Partners Network is all about. The funding I announced today will improve living conditions and increase access to primary care and mental health services to individuals across five central West Virginia counties.”
Rural Development is funding two projects in West Virginia totaling $1,166,907:
- Camden-On-Gauley Medical Center in Webster County will use a $416,907 Distance Learning and Telemedicine Grant to equip two hub/end-user sites and 12 end-user sites throughout the counties of Webster, Nicholas, Lewis and Fayette in West Virginia with telehealth equipment for primary care and mental health service. Medical professionals at Camden Family Health in Summersville and Camden-on-Gauley will deliver primary care and mental health services to the 14 locations benefiting 13,867 individuals.
- Tremont Park Apartments will use a $750,000 Multi-Family Housing Loan Guarantee to assist in the transfer, assumption and rehabilitation of Tremont Park Apartments, a multi-family housing complex in Bluewell, West Virginia. The project consists of 12 one-bedroom and 24 two-bedroom units. All units will go through significant rehabilitation and improve the living conditions for all current and future tenants.
This announcement marks two years since the Biden Administration launched the network to ensure people in historically underserved communities receive their fair share of funding from federal agencies. Since its launch, USDA has provided more than $1 billion to support approximately 4,700 economic development projects in RPN communities.
The funding being announced today is part of a larger announcement made by USDA Deputy Secretary Xochitl Torres Small. USDA is awarding approximately $144 million in loans and grants to support 56 projects in Alaska, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, North Carolina, Wisconsin and Puerto Rico. One project also will benefit communities in South Carolina. The communities will use this funding to modernize water and wastewater infrastructure, install clean energy technologies, rehab affordable homes and more.
“In just two years, the Rural Partners Network has shown that incredible progress is possible when people inside and outside government from all walks of life work together to solve problems and better serve rural people,” said Agriculture Deputy Secretary Torres Small. “These latest investments underscore the impact of unprecedented resources the Biden-Harris Administration has made available so rural and Tribal people can pursue great opportunities no matter where they live.”
Background: Rural Partners Network
Launched in April 2022 and expanded in November 2022, the Rural Partners Network is now active in 36 community networks in 10 states and Puerto Rico. In West Virginia, the Southern West Virginia Community Network, hosted by the WV Community Development Hub, and the Pioneer Community Network, hosted by Glenville State University, encompass twenty counties and are home to more than 448,000 people.
Community networks receive support from full-time USDA staff who live and work locally. These staff members provide technical assistance based on each community’s needs, helping them navigate federal programs, build relationships and prepare successful applications for funding. In addition to USDA staff, there are staff at about 20 other federal agencies dedicated to RPN and making resources across the government easier to access for people in rural communities.
RPN communities also benefit from coordination through other federal efforts such as the Interagency Working Group on Coal and Power Plant Communities and Economic Revitalization and President Biden’s Justice40 Initiative. The Rural Prosperity Interagency Policy Council, co-led by the White House Domestic Policy Council and USDA, advises the RPN program and shares lessons learned through RPN for policy consideration.
For more information on RPN, visit Rural.gov.
Under the Biden Administration, Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities, create jobs and improve the quality of life for millions of Americans in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural, tribal and high-poverty areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov/wv.
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