NEWS HEADLINES

USDA Reports Assisting 50,000 Rural Homeowners

By Donna Kimura

The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced that 50,000 rural families have become homeowners with the help of funding from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

 USDA Rural Development provides guaranteed and direct single-family home loans to eligible rural residents who are unable to secure a conventional loan.

The department is distributing Recovery Act funds through a variety of programs, including the Sec. 502 single-family housing loan program.

Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack also recently announced $58 million in funding for 102 community facilities projects through the bill, bringing the total funding for community facilities to nearly $179.6 million to date. These projects include child-care centers, hospitals, medical clinics, fire and rescue stations, and other public buildings.

For more information, visit www.usda.gov/recovery.