
I’d like to extend my deepest gratitude to this department, especially to Trudy Teter and her housing team. I would not have received a loan from USDA if it weren’t for them. I sincerely hope USDA continues this loan program and extends it, as I know there are thousands of people like me who could never afford a home without government assistance.
I originally applied in Oregon on February 14, 2018. Back then, it took a year just to be processed, and home prices were out of my reach. I literally couldn’t find a piece of property in the state. I then applied in Washington and spent eight months on a waiting list before being processed.
I tried to rent an apartment, but being on disability, I was making $1,246 a month. You need to make three times the rent to qualify for a studio, so renting was never an option. The low-income apartment waiting list in Portland was five years. I ended up buying $2,000 worth of camping supplies and lived in a tent. It’s a lot tougher than you’d think to be homeless. I promised myself I would never again live under a bridge or a blue tarp. At first, I went to county parks, thinking I could camp there for maybe $5 or $8 a night, but camping was $200 a week or $250 without a reservation. After eight weeks, I simply couldn’t afford it anymore.
It was costing me $1,000 a month before I even ate any food.
I have a disability that doesn’t handle stress well, and being homeless was the worst experience I’ve had. I was lucky enough to eventually borrow money to buy an RV, which was so much nicer. I still slept in rest areas and had to keep moving, but I was able to eventually rent a trailer park space—for more than my USDA mortgage payment.
Low-income people like me don’t have many options. Unless I was in a relationship and had more income, I would never qualify for conventional financing. Because my RV was 21 years old, no one would rent me a space until I begged the right manager, who finally took pity on me.
Without this program, I would be just another statistic. If I hadn’t had the hope of a home over the last few years, I would have given up.
I haven’t had a drink in 25 years, and I never tried fentanyl, but I had a front-row seat to what chronic homelessness does to people and communities. It’s ugly. I lived in rest areas, used public bathrooms, and frequented places like Walmart, Home Depot, and fast-food restaurants just to get by. I constantly worried about my RV getting a flat tire, breaking down, the hot water heater failing, or the lines freezing.
I failed miserably at being homeless. It’s easy to feel “less than” while living like that.
But today, at 59, I finally own my own property and mow my own lawn. I have neighbors and a mailbox. I finally have a little dignity.
I want to hug every person ever involved in USDA’s home loan program, from its inception to today. I would have given up if not for this program, and I’m nobody special—just a regular person. I was a U.S. Marine when I was younger, and I have an honorable discharge. I just happen to be disabled and would never qualify for any other program than this one.
Thank you so much. This loan program gave me enough hope to make it to today. I sleep warm and dry with my dog. There are a hundred things a day I no longer have to worry about because I’m not living in public.
You have no idea how much my life has changed for the better—all thanks to the USDA loan program. I literally had no other options. I would be living in a rest area right now or no longer with us.
That’s the difference USDA made in my life. I would not have one without this program.
Sincerely,
Brian Bundy & Maddie
Editor’s Note:
In response to Brian Bundy’s heartfelt letter, Trudy Teter, Single Family Housing Director for Washington State, expressed her appreciation for her housing team’s efforts, stating, “I love the work that we do, and this is why I came to the agency. There are so many people like Brian whom we need to help, and we need to do everything we can to give people like him a fighting chance.”