Arkansas Needs Rural Homes, Too

More Arkansans make the move out of the city and into the country--creating a larger need for rural housing. Last year, Arkansas obligated more than $105 million in rural home loans from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, building homes for 1,402 families. The USDA has several programs helping people to finance their own homes in rural areas or towns, like Self-Help program, where future homeowners, like Robin Fehnel, help build the house themselves. Before last year, Fehnel and her family were living on food stamps and Section 8 housing. Now, owning her own home has brought on a series of firsts. "We have a doorbell, the little things, we`ve never had before," Fehnel said. Last year, she helped contractors build her home in Greenbrier. She installed the insulation, he tiled the floors, they both painted the walls. "In years past, there has been construction, several houses built, but those houses are beginning to deteriorate," said Lawrence McCullough, USDA Rural Development. Like the Fehnels, not everyone wants to live in the big city-- "We found that it`s easier to raise kids in rural areas. I remember my childhood playing with frogs in the woods and I wanted my children to have the same experiences," Fehnel said. Between 1990 and 2000, Arkansas` rural population grew by over 16%. "It creates jobs, better work conditions, better communities, the spirit of towns," said McCullough. Making the benefits of just housing, into the benefits of a home. "This is where our grandkids are going to come home to, this is where our kids come home to every Sunday," said Fehnel.