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

Search Results: 888 Stories
Sandy Bryant speaking at the Smyth Campus groundbreaking

Bridging the Care Gaps to Foster Wellness and Recovery in Rural Virginia

The story of Mount Rogers Community Services (MRCS) extends far beyond a single person or family. The ever-expanding narrative is more like a patchwork quilt of caring that covers six jurisdictions in Southwest Virginia. Each story is personal because Chief Executive Officer… [Read More]
Virginia
Health Care
Three people standing next to a sign that say S.P.O.T.

Rural Business Development Grant and Nonprofit Boost Local Businesses

Peñasco, a small mountain town in northern New Mexico, sits along the High Road to Taos, a scenic byway in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Despite its small size, Peñasco offers a surprising amount to the area. The town enjoys a variety of restaurants and businesses… [Read More]
New Mexico
Local FoodsSmall Business
Howard Lake officials believe their city will open the first net-zero library in Minnesota

City of Howard Lake to Open First Net-Zero Library in Minnesota

A project that has been years in the making for a small Minnesota town is wrapping up. By the end of the summer, the City of Howard Lake is expected to open the doors of their new, state-of-the-art public library. Howard Lake’s current library is the smallest library in the… [Read More]
Minnesota
Community Facilities
Handshake

A Partnership Made To Make Homeownership Possible for Native Communities

Native Community Development Financial Institution Relending Demonstration Program It’s very easy to get lost in where to start in the home buying process, between the application, documentation and the housing market it can be overwhelming. That’s when having support and… [Read More]
New Mexico
HousingTribal
Officials participate in the City of Virginia's groundbreaking ceremony for their new Public Safety Center

City of Virginia Breaks Ground on New Public Safety Building

The City of Virginia is undertaking a project that has been long in the making. With the help of USDA Rural Development, the city finally broke ground on the new Public Safety Center, a project that will be life changing for area residents. Law enforcement and fire departments… [Read More]
Minnesota
First Responders
Five people pose for a photo in a tire shop garage area

USDA Grant Helps Expand Tire Repair Service

Turning away customers is something no business owner ever wants to do, but that is exactly what employees at Traveler’s Service Station in Peñasco, New Mexico, had to do. Fortunately, the local nonprofit MAS Comunidad helped them purchase new equipment with funds from a USDA… [Read More]
New Mexico
GrantsSmall Business
Melanie Bauer Dukart and DIane Wiege pose in front of her home in Hazen, North Dakota.

A Helping Hand in Hazen

HAZEN, N.D. – Becoming a homeowner is one of many Americans’ major goals and crowning achievements. The advantages of investing in homeownership go well beyond building equity. Homeownership establishes stability and signifies a planting of roots in community. Homes are where… [Read More]
North Dakota
Housing

It Takes a Village: Building Hope in Southern Oregon

A strong community must have affordable housing. The lack of affordable or available housing in Cave Junction, Oregon, has led to a housing crisis that has affected the people of this small, rural community within the Illinois Valley. Unpredictable wildfires and a major shift… [Read More]
Oregon
Community FacilitiesCOREHomeownership 2024Housing
Man stands next to farm equipment

USDA Grant Helps Rancher Make Hay While the Sun Shines

Peñasco, New Mexico is the kind of place where everyone knows everyone, and a lot of people have multiple jobs in the community. It’s the kind of place where you might go into an automotive shop and end up talking to the local water association vice president. Ivan Roybal,… [Read More]
New Mexico
Small Business
Water Construction Project

Cherokee Hills Utility District Road to Success

It’s been a long road to success, but more than 330 customers of the Cherokee Hills Utility District, will soon have something to celebrate. Cherokee Hills Utility District, a small utility district in Southeast Tennessee, was facing serious water supply and shortage problems… [Read More]
Tennessee
Water

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