OLLIE, IOWA -- Cherie Byrum and Eric Ulrichs with USDA Rural Development were in Ollie Thursday to recognize the board and management at Ollie Community Retirement Corporation for providing quality housing services to residents in Ollie since 1979. 

The complex, which consists of 12 one- and two-bedroom units, opened in late 1979 and provides housing for families.  The complex is located at 200 West South Street in Ollie.

"It's with great pleasure that we recognize the Ollie Community Retirement Corporation board for consistently doing an outstanding job with this complex in Ollie," said Bill Menner, USDA Rural Development State Director in Iowa. "The board is dedicated to ensuring all building requirements and residents' overall safety and security needs are being met."

USDA Rural Development currently provides financing for 500 multi-family housing projects in rural Iowa. These facilities provide rural Iowans with access to more than 10,000 apartments. Rent in the apartments is based on income and rent assistance from the government is available depending on the income of the tenant.

USDA Rural Development is an equal opportunity lender with a variety of direct and guaranteed rural credit programs involving single and multi-family housing, community facilities, water and sewer development and business and industry programs.

During the past year USDA Rural Development helped a record number of Iowans receive funding for economic development projects and quality of life improvements. The agency's investment in Iowa helped create or retain more than 2,000 jobs, aided 2,800 families in buying their own homes and assisted more than 140 communities in improving community facilities and upgrading local infrastructure.

USDA Rural Development's mission is to deliver quality programs in a way that will support increasing economic opportunity and improve the quality of life of rural residents. Rural Development's portfolio includes assistance for homeownership, business development, and critical community and technology infrastructure.

Contact USDA Rural Development
Residents in southeast Iowa are served by the USDA Rural Development office in Mt. Pleasant. For more information about housing programs through USDA Rural Development, please call (319) 986-5800. 

The Mt. Pleasant office serves residents Keokuk, Washington, Muscatine, Louisa, Jefferson, Henry, Des Moines, Van Buren and Lee Counties. USDA Rural Development staff will gladly meet with potential homeowners locally in any of these counties.

USDA Rural Development has 11 offices across the state to serve the 1.9 million Iowans living in rural communities.  Office locations include a State Office in Des Moines, along with Area Offices in Albia, Atlantic, Humboldt, Indianola, Iowa Falls, Le Mars, Mount Pleasant, Storm Lake, Tipton and Waverly.

Further information on programs available through USDA Rural Development is available by visiting the agency's web site at www.rurdev.usda.gov/ia.