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NEWS RELEASE 1303
SW First American Place, Suite 100, Topeka,
KS 66604-4040 |
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – June 9, 2005
Contact - Harold Alford (785) 271-2701
USDA Rural Development Announces
Local Home Repair Programs
Iola , KS – USDA Rural Development State Director Chuck Banks visited Iola today to announce a new partnership between the City of Iola and the Agency to assist very low income homeowners in repairing or improving their homes through the participation in USDA Rural Development’s Section 504 Housing Repair and Rehabilitation Loan/Grant Program. Today’s announcement, made in conjunction with the Agency’s celebration of National Homeownership Month, highlighted the City of Iola and USDA Rural Development’s efforts to expand home repair assistance, along with increasing homebuyer education and financing opportunities.
“The importance of recognizing National Homeownership Month, as proclaimed by President Bush, extends from new homebuyers to those individuals who currently own and maintain their existing residence. Supporting and expanding homeownership efforts improves the quality of life for rural Kansans. R ural economic development is directly tied to increasing the availability of affordable housing in Kansas . USDA Rural Development is helping to meet this critical housing need, by assiting over 6,000 Kansans annually to secure either individual homeownership or multi-family residency.” remarked State Director Banks.
Today’s USDA National Homeownership Month presentation was made to Henry and Dale Honas of Gemini Funding Corporation, and Jim Nixon of Metz Banking Company at the Neosho County Community College .
USDA Rural Development’s Iola office delivers single family housing programs
in 13 counties across southeast Kansas , those counties are: Allen, Anderson
, Bourbon, Cherokee, Coffey, Crawford, Franklin , Labette, Montgomery , Neosho
, Osage, Wilson , and Woodson. The Iola office also delivers the Agency’s
numerous business and community development programs throughout east-central,
southeast and south-central Kansas .
To assist individuals interested in purchasing their own home, the Agency is
also participating in a homebuyer education workshop to be held on June 11 th
. The workshop will be held at the Agency’s Iola office, located in the
USDA Service Center at 202 W. Miller Road in Iola.
USDA Rural Development's mission is to deliver programs in a way that will support increasing economic opportunity and improve the quality of life of rural residents. As a venture capital entity, the Agency 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 all USDA Rural Development programs, including the June 11 th homebuyer education workshop, individuals may contact the Agency’s Iola office at 620-365-2901 or visit the Agency’s Kansas website at www.rurdev.usda.gov/ks
USDA Rural Development – Committed to the future of rural communities.
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