@article{Mikesell:334677, recid = {334677}, author = {Mikesell, James J. and Ghelfi, Linda M. and Salant, Priscilla and Wallace, George and Whitener, Leslie A.}, title = {Meeting the Housing Needs of Rural Residents: Results of the 1998 Survey of USDA's Single Family Direct Loan Housing Program}, address = {1999-12}, number = {2487-2023-674}, series = {Rural Development Research Report No. 91}, pages = {72}, year = {1999}, note = {This report also uses data from the 1995 American Housing Survey (AHS) to compare demographic, housing, and economic characteristics of Section 502 housing program participants with those of other low-income rural residents. The AHS is conducted biennially by the Bureau of the Census for the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. The AHS is designed to provide detailed information on housing structure, use, and plumbing characteristics; equipment and fuel use; housing and neighborhood quality; financial characteristics; and household attributes of current occupants. The national sample is based on about 55,000 units selected for interview in 1995. Data are weighted to reflect the U.S. population}, abstract = {USDA’s Section 502 Single Family Direct Loan Housing Program provides subsidized housing loans to low- and moderate-income rural residents who do not own adequate housing and cannot obtain a home mortgage from other sources. Typical recent borrowers from the program are under 40, have children, have low or modest incomes, have a home that is better than their previous residence, and are satisfied with their current home, neighborhood, and the Section 502 program. Most believed that, without assistance from the program, they would have been unable to afford a comparable home for at least 2 years and possibly never. These findings are based on a national survey of 3,027 recent Section 502 borrowers, conducted by the Economic Research Service at the request of USDA’s Rural Development mission area. The survey identified borrower characteristics and addressed issues of program effectiveness and performance. This report compares the survey’s findings with similar information for other low- to moderate-income rural residents and provides a separate analysis of program participation by elderly, single-parent, disabled, Hispanic, and black households. }, url = {http://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/334677}, doi = {https://doi.org/10.22004/ag.econ.334677}, }