Rebuilding Together Receives HUD Grant to Support Rural Housing

Did you know over 1.5 million rural homes nationwide are considered moderately or severely substandard?

Today we’re excited to announce the award of our second Rural Capacity Building program grant from the U.S. Department of 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 four-year initiative will allow us to continue our 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.

Rebuilding Together Kent County, a recipient of the first Rural Capacity Building grant, located in Chestertown, Md., has experienced tremendous organizational and programmatic growth as a direct result of the program funding. Since receiving funding in 2018, the affiliate has hired an executive director, strengthened and increased board membership and diversified their funding sources. Furthermore, their operating budget has increased by more than 400 percent, allowing them to meet the growing need of essential home repairs in their community.

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.

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.