The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) wants rural residents to know the department has programs that can be their “keys to homeownership.”
Each June, USDA celebrates National Homeownership Month with events across the country to demonstrate USDA’s longstanding commitment to provide affordable housing opportunities for rural Americans.
At 11 a.m. June 20, local USDA representatives will plant a tree at a newly constructed home on West Point Drive, Warsaw, and present Melissa Huhn with a plaque at her home.
Huhn and her family have been living in the home for the last two months. She used the USDA Direct Single-Family Housing Program to have this home built for her and her family.
USDA Single Family Housing programs have served more than 4.4 million families in rural America since President Truman signed the Housing Act in 1949. Throughout June, USDA employees will celebrate National Homeownership Month with events across the Nation that demonstrate USDA’s commitment to provide access to affordable housing for rural Americans.
Rural Development has several programs that support rural homeownership, including:
• USDA partnerships with private-sector lenders to help rural families buy homes. Providing loan guarantees for lenders working with low- to moderate-income families is the key to opening up private-sector homeownership opportunities.
• Direct home loans for very-low- and low-income applicants. Some borrowers qualify for program benefits that effectively reduce the interest rate on their monthly mortgage payments to one percent.
• Repair loans and grants that help people improve access to their homes and remove health and safety hazards such as poor wiring or plumbing.
• Mutual Self-Help Housing Technical Assistance grants are available to nonprofit organizations to help very-low- and low-income families build their own rural homes.
To learn more about USDA’s home ownership and owner-occupied repair programs, contact the Knox USDA office at 574-772-3066, ext. 4.
USDA Rural Development provides loans and grants to help expand economic opportunities and create jobs in rural areas. This assistance supports infrastructure improvements; business development; housing; community facilities such as schools, public safety and health care; and high-speed internet access in rural areas. For more information, visit www.rd.usda.gov.
USDA is an equal opportunity provider, employer and lender.
