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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 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: 16 Stories
A stunned mother and daughter watch flood waters overtake State Street and the Vermont Capitol lawn

RD Partners Up to Help VT Communities Impacted by Disaster

When natural disaster strikes, rural communities across America struggle to capitalize on state, federal and nonprofit funding. Local leaders are often unpaid volunteers already donating significant time to various municipal functions, so the extra hours, energy and expertise… [Read More]
Vermont and New Hampshire
Disaster
The central building at the Grant County Fair Grounds was significantly damaged by a presidentially-declared disaster in May 2022.

Grant County Fairgrounds Uses Disaster Relief Grant to Replace Storm-Damaged Building

For over 120 years, families have traveled to Herman, Minnesota, each summer to attend the Grant County Fair. Following a presidentially declared natural disaster two years ago, fairground officials turned to Rural Development to help restore one building to its former glory.In… [Read More]
Minnesota
Disaster
Carmen greets Alberto in her newly renovated home

El Desarrollo Rural de USDA Ayuda a Restaurar la Esperanza en Loiza, Puerto Rico

Carmen, una residente de mucho tiempo en la tranquila comunidad de Loiza, Puerto Rico, ha experimentado su parte de dificultades. En 1999, Carmen y su difunto esposo compraron su casa con un pequeño préstamo de su suegra. Durante años, la pareja disfrutó de su vida en Loiza.… [Read More]
Puerto Rico
DisasterHome Repair
Carmen greets Alberto in her newly renovated home

USDA Rural Development Helps Restore Hope in Loiza, Puerto Rico

Carmen, a longtime resident of the quiet community of Loiza, Puerto Rico, has experienced her share of hardships. In 1999, Carmen and her late husband purchased their home with a small loan from her mother-in-law. For years, the couple enjoyed their life in Loiza.“Everything is… [Read More]
Puerto Rico
DisasterHome Repair
Iris standing in front of her house in Loiza, Puerto Rico

De la lucha a la estabilidad: Restaurando una casa familiar en Loíza

En un terreno multigeneracional en la zona rural de Loíza, Puerto Rico, se erige un nuevo hogar para Iris. Iris es una de nueve hermanos que crecieron en la casa, originalmente construida en un terreno que fue legado por sus abuelos."Los abuelos le dieron un pedazo de tierra a… [Read More]
Puerto Rico
DisasterHome Repair
Iris standing in front of her house in Loiza, Puerto Rico

From struggle to stability: Restoring a family home in Loiza

On multigenerational land in rural Loíza, Puerto Rico, stands a new home for Iris. Iris is one of nine siblings who grew up in the house, originally built on land passed down from her grandparents. "The grandparents gave a piece of land to each of their children, and they… [Read More]
Puerto Rico
Disaster
A woman stands before a cream colored house set into a hillside, with a brick patio and white patio furniture arranged. There is a green lawn in the foreground and trees in the background in bright sunshine.

Maine Retiree Turns to Rural Development for Help Recovering from Flash Flood

After a dozen years in her Franklin County home, lifelong Mainer Lucille thought she knew what to expect during bad weather. Therefore, when torrential rains struck Western Maine on June 29, 2023, she wasn’t particularly alarmed at first. Her home is located partway up a hill… [Read More]
Maine
DisasterHome Repair
Ryan Tanney, a worship pastor at a church in Pine Grove, California, stands in front of several screens, which are used to manage a live broadcast of Sunday services.

Making connections: bringing California’s rural central Sierra Nevada communities closer with high-speed internet

Mary West-Hutchinson, a real estate broker in West Point, California, was tired of commuting. She’d leave the tall rural pines of her home community and drive 80 minutes to the more densely populated Lodi for work. In addition, she was taking college courses, working toward her… [Read More]
California
BroadbandDisasterHigh Speed Internet
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
USDA with Norma and Neighbors helping Neighbors

Welcome Home: The Fire Didn't Beat Me.

Have you ever heard your heart in your ears? It’s that adrenaline rush that results from both good and bad events in our life. Often enough the events that trigger this feeling are good, your favorite team winning, that lucky break or unexpected promotion. There are also times… [Read More]
New Mexico
DisasterHousing

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