According to a release put out by theU.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development, the agency is planning to disburse grants to forty-five select states along with the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Western Pacific.

These grants have been designed to allow rural single and multifamily properties the ability to begin making improvements and repairs to units being occupied by low-income residents.

The U.S.D.A., acting under secretary Doug O’Brien, announced, “Providing safe, reliable housing to rural residents is key to maintaining stable communities and creating jobs,” and he added, “USDA has developed strategic partnerships with tribes, community organizations, and non-profit groups to improve the living conditions for thousands of rural residents.”

These funds have been allocated to not only make general repairs to the property, but to make improvements to the property’s infrastructure like the installation of plumbing, energy efficiency, and property access points so that it better accommodates individuals with disabilities.

The agency has announced that each grant is contingent upon each recipient meeting the individual terms of the grant agreement.

This funding is being sourced through the agency’s Rural Development’s Housing Preservation Grant program and is not being distributed directly to property owners. Instead, the grants are being issued to local intermediaries like federally recognized American Indian tribes, nonprofit or faith-based community organizations, as well as local governments and agencies.

Each organization that receives funding will then be responsible for distributing those funds to area multi-family rental property owners, cooperative developments, and single-family investment homeowners who, in turn, rent out specifically to local low-income tenants.

In addition to this funding, USDA officials are also calling on Congress to push through a comprehensive Food, Farm and Jobs Bill saying, “Farm Bill programs are important to the economic vitality of rural America, and a comprehensive new Food, Farm and Jobs Bill would further expand the rural economy.”

Does the USDA have the right idea in focusing on the rural multifamily market? We’d love to hear your opinion and comments.