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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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Find Stories

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

Search Results: 868 Stories
Man fixing car

Small Business Success: Glacier Collision Worx of Montana

Rick Crook, owner of Glacier Collision Worx, in Kalispell, Mont., realized his dream of owning his own autobody collision shop through a combination of financing including a Small Business Administration loan, a loan through TrailWest Bank and Montana West Economic Development's… [Read More]
Montana
Small Business
Woman in front of house

Single Mom Builds Montana Roots on Trust Land

Kristen S., a single mom and resident of Red Lodge, Montana, decided to build her home through the Helena Area Habitat for Humanity self-help housing program.  As part of a new initiative, Habitat for Humanity partnered with Red Lodge Area Community Foundation and Trust… [Read More]
Montana
Homeownership
First-time homebuyers find a home in rural Cape Cod

First-time homebuyers find a home in rural Cape Cod

Ghislain and Savannah Beauplant have navigated a highly competitive Cape Cod Massachusetts real estate market for almost two years, armed with patience and perseverance. The family cites their success to having the right people, providing support and knowledge, to bring them to… [Read More]
Massachusetts
Homeownership
West Holt Memorial Hospital Exterior

West Holt Memorial Hospital: A Rural American Success Story

Even before the pandemic, Holt County, Nebraska was facing a rural healthcare emergency. Home to just more than 10,000 people, the large county of 2,413 square miles, needed increased medical resources. West Holt Memorial Hospital applied and were approved for a direct loan… [Read More]
Nebraska
Community Facilities
Caucasian couple with light skin, dark hair, stand on porch of their new house with brown siding and tan brick.

USDA Guaranteed Home Loan Brings Couple Independence

Haylee and Hayden Nix were in the market to purchase their first home after renting a house from a relative. Haylee said, “We wanted a home to have our own space and build equity in a property that would benefit us in the future.”The Nix found the house plans and property… [Read More]
Utah
HomeownershipHousing
Smiling man standing on porch of his new house.

Gum Springs Resident Takes “Pride” in Being a Homeowner

Matthew Romig never really saw themselves as a homeowner, or if they did, the visions they had were of a small one- or two-bedroom house with little to no land. “I still wake up sometimes wondering where I am, really it's weird. I mean, I've lived all kinds of places,” Matthew… [Read More]
Virginia
HomeownershipHomeownership Month 2022
Homeowner Success: Young Family Establishes Roots in Peru

Homeowner Success: Young Family Establishes Roots in Peru

Last year, Adam Blondo was visiting with family about wanting to purchase a home, when they told him about the USDA Rural Development 502 Home Loan Program, and he applied. He and his wife Chambre wanted to establish roots in rural Nebraska.  Once approved, he began his… [Read More]
Nebraska
Homeownership
Jacqueline Begay's home under construction

The 502 Home Loan Program Make Dreams Come True

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… [Read More]
New Mexico
Homeownership
Gertudis Fierro home under construction

Single mom gets a home for her family

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… [Read More]
New Mexico
Homeownership

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