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For Immediate Release – September 5, 2003Contact - Harold Alford (785) 271-2701 |
Ground Broken on USDA Rural Development Housing Project In Great Bend
Great Bend, KS – USDA Rural Development State Director Chuck Banks today joined future homeowners and Great Bend community leaders in breaking ground for seven new houses to be built in this Barton County community. Housing Opportunities, Inc. (HOI), a non-profit agency located in Great Bend, is administering this project through USDA Rural Development’s ‘Mutual Self-Help Housing Program’.
During groundbreaking ceremonies, State Director Banks commented, “USDA Rural Development has a long history of providing critical assistance in improving rural housing opportunities in Kansas. President Bush has stressed the need for expanding the availability of affordable housing in our Nation, and the important link that personal homeownership represents to individual economic prosperity. President Bush has also indicated his support of USDA Rural Development’s Mutual Self-Help Housing Program”.
As a condition of this program, the future homeowners are required to personally supply 65% of the labor to construct their house. HOI, in partnership with USDA Rural Development, has assisted 32 Kansas families in building their homes since June of 2000. Statewide, with the assistance of three housing organizations, this USDA program has resulted in a total of 66 new homes and over 40 more residences planned. In addition to this Great Bend housing effort, the Agency has ongoing projects in Junction City and Valley Center.
USDA Rural Development’s mission is to deliver programs that support increasing economic opportunities and enhancing the quality of life for rural Americans. As a venture capital entity, USDA Rural Development provides equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure in rural America.
For additional information regarding USDA Rural Development programs, individuals may call the Agency’s state headquarters at 785-271-2702 or log onto the state’s Rural Development website at: www.rurdev.usda.gov/ks
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