U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

Official websites use .gov
A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States.

Https

Secure .gov websites use HTTPS
A lock () or https:// means you’ve safely connected to the .gov website. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites.

USDA Under Secretary Mensah Visits Georgia to Highlight Funding for Training and Education in Green Building Techniques

Name
Deborah Callahan
City
TIFTON
Release Date

U.S. Department of Agriculture Under Secretary Lisa Mensah visited the state today to highlight USDA support to the University of Georgia Research Foundation to help train small businesses in green building techniques that could expand the supply of energy-efficient homes in the state. 

“The funding comes from USDA’s Rural Business Development Grant program (RBDG) and is one of many that were recently awarded nationwide to help emerging rural small businesses,” Mensah said.  “The University of Georgia Research Foundation will use its $72,000 grant to lay the groundwork to train workers in the craft of building energy-efficient homes and thereby expand the supply of such homes in Georgia.”

As these new, energy-efficient homes come online, eligible rural residents seeking to become homeowners may also be able to finance the purchase of such a home by using a USDA Single Family Housing Direct Home Loan program. The loan program is available to help low- and very-low income rural residents become homeowners.  Since 1949, USDA has helped more than 3 million rural residents realize the American dream of homeownership.

During her stop in Tifton, Mensah was joined by Dr. Joe West, an assistant dean for the University of Georgia, and Georgia State Director Quinton N. Robinson.

President Obama’s historic investments in rural America have made our rural communities stronger. Under his leadership, these investments in housing, community facilities, businesses and infrastructure have empowered rural America to continue leading the way – strengthening America’s economy, small towns and rural communities.