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Success Stories

A mother and three daughters pose around a dining room table. There are lace curtains and blue wall in the background and some dishes on the table in the foreground.

“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 their Downeast community, and Heather was glad to find a rental home to…
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Find Stories

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

Search Results: 48 Stories
Janie's home

Housing Repair Grants Uplifting Ohio Community

For nearly 60 years the Pickaway County Community Action Organization (PICCA) has worked to improve the quality of life for families and individuals in Circleville, Ohio, and the surrounding area.     By offering programs… [Read More]
Ohio
Home Repair
NJ resident Antonia Santos stands in front of repaired home.

A Restoration of Relief

In the neighborhood of Mount Holly, New Jersey, amidst leafy streets and usually friendly faces, resides Antonia Santos, a spirited retiree with a knack for do-it-yourself projects. Her story intertwines perseverance, a few helping hands, and a work ethic that can’t be disrupted… [Read More]
New Jersey
Home Repair
New roof that being installed through Rebuilding Together Thurston County.

USDA Grant Helps Single Mother Rebuild Home and Family's Future

In February 2022, Jessi and her 11-year-old daughter were struggling to maintain their 2006 doublewide manufactured home on an income of less than $20,000 a year.  The home, plagued by years of deferred maintenance and a leaking roof, had severe ceiling damage and… [Read More]
Washington
Home Repair
The front of a home in Michigan, North Dakota.

A Forever Home

MICHIGAN, N.D. – Hand-drawn and colored pictures from grandkids decorate the kitchen. Pictures of a life lived hang on the living room walls. Coco the dog keeps watch from outside the patio door. This is home for Rosemary Knoll, a resident of Michigan, ND (population: 250… [Read More]
North Dakota
Home Repair
The exterior of Susan Noesen's home following the tornado that struck Alexandria in May of 2022.

Disaster Repair Grant Helps Minnesota Resident Bounce Back After Devastating Tornado

If it weren’t for Susan Noesen’s sense of humor and optimistic outlook on life, dealing with her tragedy would have been much more difficult. Noesen, a resident of Alexandria, recalls the very day that the unthinkable happened: a tornado ripped through her town, temporarily… [Read More]
Minnesota
DisasterHome RepairHousing
finger turning off circuit breaker

Updated electrical panel improves safety for Leola homeowner

While modern homes have been equipped with circuit breaker-style electrical panels for decades, many older homes may still have screw-in fuse panels that were commonplace from the early-to-mid 20th century. Jeannie Feickert’s home in Leola was one such home… [Read More]
South Dakota
Home RepairHomeownership
Woman and man standing in front of their home in Montana.

Disaster Grant Helps Montana Homeowners Recover from Historic Flood

In May 2022, Tim and CJ Wyman thought all might be lost when the Yellowstone River crested its banks, flooding their modest Fromberg neighborhood.  This 100-year flood event wreaked havoc up and down their quiet street, and if not for a grant from USDA, they might have had… [Read More]
Montana
Home Repair
Brand new HVAC installed at the home of Ms. Donna Helton

God’s Blessing is Heating Up This Holiday Season

Heating and cooling is a luxury far too many of us take for granted. Imagine sitting in your kitchen day-after-day wearing two sweatshirts, two pairs of pants, and a stocking cap, just to keep warm. Well, this was a reality for Washburn resident, Ms. Donna Helton. Ms. Helton… [Read More]
Tennessee
Home Repair
Norris Family pictured with TN RD State Director & Crossville Housing Authority

Norris Family Fixer Upper

Gary and Debra Norris are your typical retirees. They spent almost 15 years renting houses in a local single family housing development so they could enjoy the amenities available in the Crossville, Tenn. area. After renting several houses over the years, they decided it was… [Read More]
Tennessee
Home RepairHomeownershipHousing
Picture of a yellow house in rural Nebraska

USDA Rural Development Proud to Support Veteran Marine

USDA Rural Development is proud to support United States Veteran Marine Roy Oliver through the Single Family Housing Repair Loans & Grants Program.  Mr. Oliver served in the Marines guarding supplies of ammunition.  Today, he is happily settled in Fairbury,… [Read More]
Nebraska
Home RepairHousing

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