USDA Celebrates National Homeownership Month

USDA helped nearly 1,800 rural Arizona families get into a home of their own in 2018

WASHINGTON, June, 2019 – Acting Assistant to the Secretary for Rural Development Joel Baxley kicked off National Homeownership Month by highlighting USDA’s ongoing role to help residents of America’s small towns and cities purchase homes in rural areas.

“Homeownership provides a strong foundation for hard-working people to build household wealth and climb the ladder of prosperity,” Baxley said. “By helping rural Americans achieve the dream of homeownership, USDA is supporting benefits that extend far beyond the home, resulting in stronger, more prosperous rural communities.”

In Arizona the Single Family Housing Direct and Guaranteed Loan program made it possible for 1,768 families to realize the dream of homeownership. Arizona also helped 178 rural families repair their homes to mitigate health and safety hazards.

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 observance of National Homeownership Month, contact the USDA Rural Development Willcox Area Office at 520-384-3529 or their Green Valley Office at 520-648-1769.

In April 2017, President Donald J. Trump established the Interagency Task Force on Agriculture and Rural Prosperity to identify legislative, regulatory and policy changes that could promote agriculture and prosperity in rural communities. In January 2018, Secretary Perdue presented the Task Force’s findings to President Trump. These findings included 31 recommendations to align the federal government with state, local and tribal governments to take advantage of opportunities that exist in rural America.

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