Rebuilding Together Receives Federal Grant in Support of Rural Housing

WASHINGTON, D.C., July 28, 2021 – Rebuilding Together, the leading national nonprofit providing essential home repairs and revitalizing communities, today announced the award of its second Rural Capacity Building program grant from the U.S. Department of the Housing and Urban Development (HUD).

The Rural Capacity Building program is part of $10 million in capacity-building grants awarded to five national non-profits to fund rural housing development organizations, community development corporations, community housing development organizations, local governments and Indian tribes to carry out affordable housing and community development activities in rural areas for low-income families and individuals in need.

The Rural Capacity Building program is a four-year initiative that will allow Rebuilding Together to continue its revitalization work in rural communities where there are limited funding opportunities, higher poverty levels and a high concentration of older homes in substandard condition. The program is broken into three components, offering technical assistance, training and education and capacity building for affiliates to better serve neighbors in need. Its purpose is to increase the capacity and abilities of rural affiliates to implement affordable housing activities that benefit low-to-moderate income households and  address local affordable housing challenges.

According to the National Rural Housing Coalition, a disproportionate amount of the nation’s occupied substandard housing is located in rural areas. Data from the U.S. Census Bureau revealed of the 116 million occupied homes in the United States, 25 million are in rural and small communities. Furthermore, more than 30 percent of the nation’s housing units that lack hot and cold water piping are in rural communities.

“Over 1.5 million rural homes nationwide are considered moderately or severely substandard,” said Caroline Blakely, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. “The Rural Housing Capacity Building program will aid Rebuilding Together affiliates in rehabilitating and strengthening rural communities.”

The program will launch this summer and benefit eight rural communities in Cottonwood County, Minn., Josephine County, Ore., Town of Mesquite, Nev., Green County, N.C., Levy County, Fla., Queen Anne’s County, Md., St. Martin Parish, La. and Dutchess County, N.Y.