Print pageNeighborWorks America's Rural Initiative promotes, supports and enhances comprehensive community development through a mix of affordable housing, economic development, and other locally determined strategies that strengthen and revitalize rural communities. NeighborWorks' Rural Initiative is dedicated to creating vibrant rural communities by delivering a range of essential services. With approximately 20% of the nation’s population classified as rural, empowering rural serving organizations is a clear national imperative. When rural communities thrive, the whole country benefits.
Manufactured Housing
Manufactured housing represents a potential untapped, affordable housing solution in communities across the country. NeighborWorks America and Next Step, Inc. partnered together to develop "Manufactured Housing: A Resource for Engaging Nonprofit Boards and Community Stakeholders" to address this challenge and help organizations advance manufactured housing programs as well as two PowerPoint presentations that can help you talk about manufactured housing and its benefits to different audiences.
- Download the community planning and council boards presentation guide.
- Download the nonprofit boards presentation guide.
If you are still learning about manufactured housing and laying the foundation for introducing the idea to your organization, download Manufactured Housing: Blueprint for Affordability and Community Impact, which can serve as a primer for nearly all topics related to the use of manufactured housing as an affordable housing tool.
Reclaiming Appalachia: Investing in Community, Cooperation and Change
Rural communities across the U.S. face unique challenges as they strive to strengthen communities and improve lives. In partnership with network member Fahe, we met with our network organizations and partners Sept. 10-13, 2019, to discuss transformative solutions that address rural poverty. Our Reclaiming Appalachia rural conference was a peer-learning opportunity to share information and strategies, generate innovative ideas and approaches, and establish the valuable connections necessary to produce long-lasting, systemic change.
Turning the Tide on Persistent Rural Poverty
Persistent poverty is an enduring problem in rural America. Geographic isolation, lack of resources and economic opportunities, and disinvestment have led to high poverty rates for decades.
Watch clips from the 2018 webcast, "Turning the Tide on Persistent Rural Poverty." These clips showcase how our network and our partners identify the unique challenges facing residents in order to create opportunities that strengthen these communities.
Persistently poor counties are classified as having poverty rates of 20 percent or more in 1990, 2000, and 2010.
86 percent of all persistent poverty counties in the United States are rural.
Three of the nation’s most economically challenged rural regions are the Delta, Central Appalachia, and the Southwest border region.
What We Provide to Our Network
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Where to Find Help
If you are looking for help with rural home repairs or are having difficulty making your mortgage payments:- Reach out to the nearest NeighborWorks organization (see rural directory) or go to FindaForeclosureCounselor.org.
- Call the nearest USDA Rural Development area office and ask for a housing specialist.
- Contact a Community Action Agency in your area.
- Check in with your state Housing Finance Agency.
