The coffee’s on in a refurbished house in rural Radisson, where the dream of homeownership is being experienced for the first time ever with the help of a USDA Single Family Housing direct loan.

After much dedication, a new homeowner who worked throughout most of her adult life as a mover, lifting and hauling other people’s furniture, was recently able to move into her own home for the first time.

Kim’s new home is located in Radisson. It’s a short drive east on Highway 70 from Stone Lake, where people come from all over on the first weekend of October each year for the very popular Stone Lake Cranberry Festival.

In the year after losing her dad who passed away, Kim found herself without a place to live. She ended up living in a tent she set up in a pole barn. It was a place where she could stay with her cat Max; and three dogs, Jack, Walter, and Lacey.

“It’s hard to cook in a pole barn,” she said, “but I’m not the kind of person to get rid of my animals.”

One of the dogs, Lacey, had been her dad’s. Now, she’s settled into their cozy house, which is surrounded with a grassy yard.

Kim recently showed her new home to USDA Rural Development Area Director and Tribal Coordinator Lisa Paulson and Loan Specialist Kelsey Kuehnhold. She shared how she’s been inspired by the random acts of kindness by residents of rural Radisson, including the neighbor who gave her a cat scoop when she couldn’t find hers in all the unpacking.

“I want to cry,” she said, choking up and clearly moved by the goodness of people that surround her.

Kim purchased her home with a USDA Single Family Housing direct loan with the Sawyer County Housing Authority as packager and Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership as intermediary.

The packager and intermediary work as a go-between, coordinating and communicating with applicants, gathering documents, and ensuring things are ready for approval with the home and applicant eligibility. 

“Because of this approach, we are able to work through loans in a quicker manner,” Kelsey said

She learned about the loan program from a neighbor who was already pursuing an application for USDA Rural Development housing assistance.

“Applying for assistance works, but you’ve got to keep at it,” Kim said.

Kim’s story is a motivating example of what can come out of a dream, and some good old-fashioned conversation with a neighbor, sometimes over a nice, hot cup of coffee.