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Success Stories

Smith Island, Maryland

Investing in Wastewater Infrastructure is Key to Preserving Smith Island, Maryland

For the people living on Smith Island, the water matters. But it’s about more than the beautiful views of the Chesapeake Bay from the picturesque island ten miles from the mainland. The multi‐generational residents depend on the surrounding Chesapeake Bay for their livelihoods. For many, crabbing, oystering, and ecotourism are what puts dollars in their bank accounts, and food on their tables. In rural communities…
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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: 133 Stories
Richard Smith stands on the porch of his new home in Elkins, West Virginia.

West Virginia Man Achieves Dream of Homeownership with Assistance From USDA

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]
HomeownershipHomeownership Month 2023Housing
Group photo of new borrowers and Piedmont Habitat for Humanity team

Packaging Purchases AND Production to Put More Virginia Families into New Homes

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]
HomeownershipHomeownership Month 2023HousingUnderserved
Michael Mitchell outside his home in Aberdeen.

Working together for homeownership

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]
GrantsHome RepairHomeownershipHousing
Barbara and her pet cat.

A Welcoming Home

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]
Home RepairHomeownershipHousing
Smiling woman, Latanya Moultry, holding a wreath after closing on her new home.

Despite Hardships, Widowed Mother of 3 Attains Homeownership

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]
HomeownershipHousingUnderserved
Rural Development and Thunder Valley visiting outside the Montessori School

Routine Servicing Leads to New Projects

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]
Community FacilitiesEconomic DevelopmentHomeownershipHousingTribalWastewaterWater
A new manufactured home with a long ramp in Iowa

Making Home Happen

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]
African AmericanHomeownershipRural Development
Artist John Welch standing in front of his colorful art in an exhibit.

Artist Finds a Way to Continue Painting

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]
HomeownershipHousing
Vikki Shoulders with family outside her new home

I was paying for something I knew I would never own

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]
HomeownershipHousingTribal
door to a home, sidewalk, patio, pillar

Kate’s Story: Homeownership and Love

While the clear blue skies and tidy farm fields on the prairie may seem limitless in Wright County, Iowa, access to housing there can be challenging to see. To find a suitable place to live, Kate Foote confronted a limited supply of affordable homes and ever-changing market… [Read More]
HomeownershipHousing

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