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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
Brian Ranger's Home

Welcome to Tennessee!!

Nothing says welcome to Tennessee better than owning a new home. When Brian Ranger decided it was time to leave California and move to Tennessee, he hoped that this would be his opportunity at homeownership. Now, nearly 4 ½ years after successfully buying a Tennessee home, Mr.… [Read More]
Tennessee
Homeownership 2024
Homeowner stands out front of new home purchased with help from the USDA Single Family Housing Direct Loan program.

Local “Angels” Help Rural Ohio Homebuyer’s Dream Take Flight

Living in a big city like Cleveland, Toni K. dreamed of having a rural home closer to her daughter and family. But because Toni relies primarily on her Social Security retirement income, she was understandably concerned about buying a home. As Toni was considering her options,… [Read More]
Ohio
Homeownership
Mary Ann and Eric Forrester on the back deck of their new home purchased with help from USDA Rural Development

Opening the Door to a Healthier Future Through Home Ownership

Mary Ann Forrester is living proof that “life is what happens to you while you're busy making other plans.” The familiar lyric from John Lennon’s “Beautiful Boy (Darling Boy)” offers a perfect picture of her path to home ownership and fierce commitment to her son’s health and… [Read More]
Virginia
Homeownership
Chelsea Langevin purchased her new home with the help of a USDA Rural Development Section 502 Housing Direct Loan.

Partnership Makes Homebuying Easier for West Virginia Homeowner

It was 2023 and Chelsea Langevin was in the market for a new home. It wasn’t Chelsea’s first time buying a home, but it would be her first time doing it on her own. Chelsea knew she needed some help weighing her options and helping her through the homebuying process. That’s when… [Read More]
West Virginia
HomeownershipHousing
Man holding two bottles of wine in front of Black Mesa Winery sign

New Mexico Winery Harnesses Sun’s Power to Make Wine and Cider

As you drive north of Santa Fe, New Mexico, through Velarde, it might be easy to miss the small vineyard nestled in the middle of Black Mesa. If you stop in, though, you will have the opportunity to taste wine flavored with local choke cherries, prickly pear fruit from the… [Read More]
New Mexico
REAPSolar Energy
Ohio state director presents certificate to Jefferson Local School District Superintendent.

Connectivity Key to Well-Being and Prosperity in Rural Community

On a tranquil spring evening in Ohio’s northeastern Ashtabula County, community members filed into the Jefferson High School library for its monthly board of education meeting. The evening was a celebration as the board recognized “Students of the Month,” athletes who… [Read More]
Ohio
EducationHealth CareMental Health
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]
Minnesota
DisasterHome RepairHousing
Kate Goyette of Sweet Bear Farm in Corinth, VT, shows off a steamaway boiler unit

A Modern Tale of Scale, Written by REAP

“We are not the first to sugar here,” says Kate Goyette of Sweet Bear Farm in Corinth, “but we do it differently than they did.” She nods at a rusted boiling arch on an ancient stone foundation, saplings and soil consuming the twisted metal in a relentless march of decades that… [Read More]
Vermont and New Hampshire
EnergyREAP
Castleton Library in Castleton, Vermont

Castleton Library Goes Vertical to Serve the Entire Community

The Castleton Free Library (CFL) in Castleton, Vermont is a beloved historic institution that serves its community far beyond the conventional role of book repository. By collaborating with other libraries throughout the region, the staff takes a proactive approach to expanding… [Read More]
Vermont and New Hampshire
Community Facilities

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