Michelle Williams City of Mt. Pleasant, TN Jamie Stitt TN Dept. ECD Bob Connelly USDA Rural Development

1. Rural Development
Working for Rural Communities

2. Our Mission
• Increase Economic Opportunity and
Improve the Quality of Life for people living in Rural Communities

3. Program Areas
Homes Community Business

4. Housing Programs
Innovative home ownership programs help families and individuals in rural
areas improve their economic security through affordable home loans, home
repair loans and homebuyer education opportunities.
• Single family home loans help people buy, build, or repair modest homes
in smaller communities.
• Single family home loan-guarantees help private lenders make more loans
and offer better terms in rural areas

5. Rental Housing Programs
We also work with private lenders to ensure financing is available for
developers and management companies to build or repair quality,
affordable rental homes or apartments in rural communities.

6. Community Programs
We provide rural areas with financial resources to construct or improve
essential services like reliable access to clean water, sewer, healthcare,
education, job training, first responder equipment and community facilities
Funding is also available for rural electric, telecommunications,
distance learning and telemedicine projects.

7. Community Programs
• Safe, reliable drinking water
• Waste disposal
• Healthcare
• Education
• Job training
• First responder equipment
• Community facilities
• Rural electric
• Rural Telephone
• Broadband
• Distance learning
• Telemedicine projects

8. • We help the private sector create jobs and diversify the local economy.
• Loan-guarantees helps rural businesses compete by working with private
lenders to increase the pool of investment capital available for start-up,
expansion and modernization.
• Loan and grant programs help local governments and non-profits build
business-infrastructure necessary to sustain the community’s economic health.
Business Programs

9. Rural businesses are eligible for grants to fund
• Energy Efficiency improvements
• Renewable energy production
Energy Programs

10. Key Priorities:
Excerpts from Under Secretary
Tonsager
• Regional collaboration: Encourage communities to work
together at the (multi-county) regional level to invest in
opportunities to improve rural economies
• Community building: Channel the positive resources we
have in rural America towards creating self-sustaining
communities
• Strategic partners: We need strong partnerships to best
serve rural regions

11. CD is central
• RD’s ultimate goal is building
stronger communities and
rural regions!
• CD plays a central role!