Jose and Jessica De Paz are celebrating. Last month marked the one-year anniversary of being homeowners, an accomplishment they weren’t sure they’d be able to realize, but they did their research and attended a homeownership education course in May 2020. 

They were looking to purchase a home of their own. They wanted to move their family of seven out of an overcrowded two-bedroom mobile home. 

For many, owning your own home is the America Dream.  But the road to homeownership can be difficult to maneuver and include roadblocks and detours. Alexandria S., a widowed mother of four, is all too familiar with those bumps in the road and worked in partnership with the Community of Caring’s Aspen Mine Center and USDA Rural Development to make her homeownership journey go a little smoother.  

BISMARCK, N.D. -- According to the North Dakota Behavioral Health Division, nearly 20% of adults in North Dakota suffer from challenges associated with mental illnesses. The importance of prioritizing mental health and working to reduce the stigma associated with seeking professional help have received a lot of attention in recent years. In rural communities, the challenges to providing, delivering, and accessing that care are even greater than their more urban counterparts. 

Living in a rural community has its advantages; peace and quiet, a more reasonable cost of living, and friendly neighbors who pull for each other in times of need. Rural America seems to have community values that sometimes can feel lost in other places, and no one embodies those values like a volunteer firefighter. They are the brave men and women who go above and beyond to protect others at great personal risk, and they do their best with what limited resources a rural volunteer force can muster.  

Once Upon a Time, a student had to graduate high school before attending college.

Homeownership, for many, it’s the ultimate American dream. However, it can be difficult to achieve in a challenging economy, especially for those of limited means, but it is not impossible. In 2020, Jaimee Souksan made the dream come true for her family of three when she purchased a single-family home in Gordon, Nebraska with the help of USDA Rural Development.