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Success Stories

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

Search Results: 10 Stories

A Heap of Hope When All was Lost

Susan Smith has lived through a lot over the years: hurricanes, a serious medical condition, a global pandemic. She had heard about the fire burning in Ashland, just south of her subsidized apartment in the small town of Phoenix, but wildfires had never gotten close enough to… [Read More]
Oregon
Henry Smith, wearing his World War II uniform coat because he had just had pictures taken in it, plays the lawn game Cornhole at Milnwood Village Apartments in Farmville.

A Hero in Farmville

On January 14 this year Henry Smith stepped off of a plane and onto Belgian soil for the first time in more than 70 years. Right away the setting was familiar to him. “It’s going to snow,” he said to his family as the chill in the air and low-hanging clouds echoed conditions he… [Read More]
Virginia
Members of Virginia Housing Development Authority, Surber Development LLC, and USDA Rural Development Virginia gather to cut ribbon at Lily Ridge Apartments ribbon cutting ceremony.

Affordable Housing Celebrated

USDA Rural Development national office employees applauded the completion of Lily Ridge Apartments in Ruckersville at a ribbon cutting ceremony and open house in early November. The ceremony celebrated the development of affordable rental homes that can house nearly 50 families… [Read More]
Virginia
Picture of Kayla Caines and her son

Desperate Mom Finds Help in Rural Development Programs

Her story with Rural Development began in June of 2008 when the company she had been working for went under.  The unemployed, recently divorced, single mother needed a job and place for her family to live.  By September, Kayla Caines managed to land a waitress job, but… [Read More]
Wyoming
Picture of Esterbrook Apartments

Esterbrook Apartments Facelift Nears Completion

By the time the Wyoming Housing Network, Inc. (WHN) purchased the Esterbrook Apartments in August 2010, the twenty-unit complex in Riverton, Wyoming was dire need of renovations. Even worse, the 33-year old complex was at risk of losing its rental support from USDA Rural… [Read More]
Wyoming

Hunger Takes No Vacation

Most students look forward to summer vacation with anticipation of relaxing and having fun, but many students don’t have that luxury because when the school year ends their next healthy meal isn’t guaranteed. In fact, more than 21 million students in the United States depend on… [Read More]
Virginia
Park View Villa

Parkview Villa Apartments Helps to Fulfill a Basic Human Need

Nationwide, U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development has partnered with the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) to increase food security, and reduce hunger by providing eligible low-income families access to healthy foods and nutrition education through its nutrition… [Read More]
South Dakota
Sharon Ridge Apartments

Partnership Helps the Construction of Multi-Family Housing Units

Sharon, Connecticut is located in the beautiful Northwest corner of the state in Litchfield County. The town currently has a population of 3,052 and continues to grow. There is a need in the community for safe, affordable rental housing to accommodate very low, to moderate… [Read More]
Connecticut
Picture of Cedar Creek Apartments

Revitalizing Affordable Housing in Jackson Hole

Built in 1983, the Brandychase Apartments were showing their age. The low-income housing complex had served the resort community of Jackson Hole for over thirty years and provided affordable living for seniors and other low-income families. Facing the need for a significant… [Read More]
Wyoming

USDA Transforms Historic Retail Store into Multi-Family Housing

Outline Of Need: Like many rural communities, Menominee has seen its economy change considerably over the decades.  Located in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula on the border with Wisconsin, a century ago Menominee was a major center for lumber production and later transitioned to… [Read More]
Michigan