Success Stories

While Virginia’s Eastern Shore is known for its majestic sunsets, beaches and rural country living, a short drive off the main roads of Northampton County reveals a persistent poverty area dotted with aging homes that residents have little or no means to repair. Many properties… [Read More]

It was 2019, Richard Smith was unemployed and had just lost everything he owned in an apartment fire. To say Smith was down on his luck was an understatement but his two children provided him with the motivation to pick himself up and turn his luck around.  “It’s just me and my… [Read More]

Who doesn’t love breaking open a fortune cookie to find the hidden message inside? The vague prophesies are more fun than fact but intriguing, nonetheless. In Farmville, Va., Piedmont Habitat for Humanity is turning that concept on its head by putting two sturdily constructed… [Read More]

The saying ‘it takes a village’ can carry many meanings. For Aberdeen resident Michael Mitchell, it meant multiple organizations coming together to help homeowners like him find and purchase an affordable home. Through a partnership between USDA Rural Development (RD), Homes… [Read More]

Barbara Svatos is a proud member of the Wisner community. She helps run the scale for truck drivers hauling cattle in and out of a local feedlot. In this way, Barbara is part of the global food supply chain from her home in northeast Nebraska. USDA Rural Development’s Single… [Read More]

Latanya Moultry was devastated when her husband, Quinten, passed away suddenly at home after being diagnosed with COVID earlier that day in March 2021. She had been a loving wife and stay-at-home mom caring for her son with autism. Overnight, she became the head of the household… [Read More]

When communities look to expand facilities, often they’ll call on Rural Development to learn what loan and grant opportunities might provide support. Rural Development Community Facility Program Loan Specialists like Katie Hammer offer a valuable resource for those communities… [Read More]

The long white ramp leading up to the porch entrance of the home serves vital functions for homeowner John Bryson, Jr. For many years, John ran his own restaurant, but after a lifetime of hard work and medical issues, John had become disabled. Without a house of his own when a… [Read More]

A few years ago, artist John Welch was renting a small house in Helper, Utah. He describes it about the size of a cottage, although it met his needs. The best part was he had enough space in the basement to create art. John incorporates colors and patterns in his art to… [Read More]

Vikki Shoulders has lived on the Pine Ridge Indian Reservation her entire life. At 46, she always dreamed of owning her own home, but on the reservation, there weren’t many options. While renting offered many benefits, she knew she was paying for something she would never own… [Read More]