NEWS RELEASE WASHINGTON, D.C.

Tim McNeilly (202) 690-0498

RURAL DEVELOPMENT SELECTS NATIONAL SITE MANAGERS OF THE YEAR FOR 2004

     WASHINGTON, June 7, 2005--USDA Rural Development today announced the National Multi-Family Housing Site Managers of the Year Award recipients for 2004. The winners were selected from 40 nominations representing 20 states and were made based upon tenant satisfaction with the manager, curb appeal of the property, accurate and complete recordkeeping and actions of the manager consistently above and beyond what is required.

     The awards were presented in each of three categories: elderly, family, and farm labor housing. The first two categories are for managers of section 515 Rural Rental Housing. The third category is for section 514/516 Farm Labor Housing, which provides housing for farmworkers.

     Following are the winners:

Elderly Site Manager of the Year - Patricia Masters, Lakewood Apartments, Lake City, Florida

Family Site Manager of the Year - Stan Stier and Amy Kyser, Port Crescent II Apartments, Bad Axe, Michigan

Farm Labor Housing Site Manager of the Year - Angela Mitchell, Elizabeth Cornish Landing, Bridgeville, Delaware

     Assisting with the selection were representatives from Council for Affordable and Rural Housing (CARH), Housing Assistance Council, National Affordable Housing Management Association and National Council of State Housing Agencies.

     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, Rural Development has invested over $50 billion since the beginning of the Bush Administration to provide equity and technical assistance to finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure. As a result, over 800,000 jobs have been created or saved through these investments. Further information on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office or by visiting USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.

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