At 65, Joyce Caldwell is hitting the reset button. Since closing a USDA Single Family Housing Direct Loan to buy a home in Berlin, NH last February, her outlook on life has turned 180 degrees. “There's nothing like having your own home and your own security,” she says. “It's what it's all about, no matter your age.”

Honeyville Metal, LLC in Topeka, Indiana is a family-owned business that designs and fabricates innovative dust collection and grain handling equipment that supports a variety of industries across North America. The company has taken significant steps towards sustainability and cost savings with the help of a USDA Rural Development Rural Energy for America Program (REAP) grant. Thanks to this support, the company installed a 750-kW ground mounted solar array.

Final Environmental Assessment - August 2024

Joe Barb isn’t your typical citizen. He’s the type of guy that sees someone in need and doesn’t turn away. Instead, he offers support.

On a cold winter day during the COVID pandemic, Joe took his young son to the last barbershop in town that was still open. “I was talking to the barber, and I noticed a young person seeking refuge in the shop,” said Joe. “The barber said he just comes in to get warm.”

“Without this program, I would not be in my own home right now.”

For years, Amanda Weaver worked to help people get back on their feet through the support of USDA assistance programs. But when it came to buying a house, it was time for USDA to help Amanda instead.

Dylan LaRue knew immediately when he found the home meant for him. With an expansive living room and wide backyard, Dylan immediately envisioned the place as a haven—not only for himself but for his cats.

“It was filled with cherished memories waiting to be made,” he said.

Life has its ups and downs. We can make all the plans we want, but sometimes life throws a wrench in those plans. Things were looking up for Donna Carpegna in 1997. Donna was working with USDA Rural Development Area Specialist Wendell Alt to secure a Section 502 Direct Loan to build a home in Fort Ashby, West Virginia.

A few days after the St. Croix Valley Habitat for Humanity celebrated its 28th year of helping families access safe, affordable housing in Wisconsin, a local mother and healthcare worker, Taylor, and her two children joined volunteers on a snowy afternoon in March to break ground on their new home in Ellsworth.

Staff from USDA Rural Development were on hand for the occasion, including Jackie, Taylor’s assigned Loan Specialist at USDA Rural Development.  

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). Sitting down and speaking with Rosemary is like sitting with your own family as she warmly welcomes you into her home and shares smiles alongside the stories of her kids, grandkids, and her late husband.