Publications Archive

RCAC’s programs and services deliver solutions to complex community needs. Our local presence allows us to develop partnerships with communities to identify needs, set goals, and select the best options to meet those goals. RCAC and our partners provide the tools to create change and growth, but the communities chart their own course. Collaboration, plus community effort will equal community change. How can we help you?

RCAC’s Loan Fund is a financial resource for rural communities. The Loan Fund fills financing gaps and serves in unconventional markets. We offer loans for affordable housing development, environmental infrastructure, community facilities and small businesses in rural locations.

Decent housing, safe drinking water, education, financing, jobs, community facilities, leadership, families are the many facets to RCAC's work.

RCAC expands the knowledge base of the rural public through education and training. Our training expertise is in technical, financial, and administrative issues that affect rural communities. We take great pride in our professional trainer team's capacity and effectiveness. Our trainers maximize audience participation to keep trainings relevant and memorable.

RCAC's news and publications are a compilation of timely news, announcements and accomplishments produced for the rural development world.

Sub-standard housing and poverty are commonplace in low-income rural communities. Many of these communities also face daunting challenges to access safe, clean drinking water and to develop other vital infrastructure. These issues are often overlooked in policy because rural communities lack the resources, training or social networks that are found in urban areas. Learn how you can advocate for the under-served population in the West.

Founded in 1978, RCAC is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that partners with rural and Indigenous communities to achieve their vision and well being through technical assistance, training, financial resources and advocacy. For more than 45 years, our dedicated staff and active board, coupled with our key values: leadership, collaboration, commitment, quality and integrity, have helped effect positive change in rural communities across the West. Learn more about who we are and how we operate.

News & Publications

Thursday, Nov 19, 2020

Posted in: Network News

Network News November 2020

Even during the best of times, Hawaii Community Assets (HCA) faces an uphill battle to provide housing counseling for its service area. Jeff Gilbreath, HCA’s director of lending and development, said the cost of living in Hawaii is consistently among the highest in the world, making economic mobility for would-be homeowners seem out of reach.
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Wednesday, Oct 28, 2020

Posted in: Network News

Network News October 2020

Rural Community Assistance Corporation’s long running “workshop-in-a-box” (WIAB) has recently been a source of unexpected opportunities in rural Utah. Funded by U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development (USDA), RCAC created the workshops in 2012 in partnership with USDA and U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
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Tuesday, Sep 22, 2020

Posted in: Network News

Network News September 2020

Northern Circle Indian Housing Authority (NCIHA) provides affordable housing services, including housing counseling to Native American households in the rural Ukiah, California area. Dana Novoa, NCIHA’s sole housing counselor, travels as far as Butte County, a three-hour journey one way, to provide services for Tribal families.
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Wednesday, Sep 16, 2020

Posted in: Self-Help Builder News

Self-Help Builder September 2020

When I think of Mutual Self-Help Housing and programmatic impact, I often pause to consider what an amazing financing vehicle the U.S. Department of Agriculture 502 direct mortgage program is for rural America. It has been a staple for mortgage financing in rural communities for more than 60 years …
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Thursday, Aug 20, 2020

Posted in: Network News

Network News August 2020

Utilities in Lake County, California, have proven resilient in the face of adversity during the past several years. Wildfires have consistently posed the largest, but not the sole, threat. The summer of 2019 marked the first Public Safety Power Shutoffs (PSPS), creating a new set of challenges for small water systems.
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News & Publications

Network News November 2020

Network News October 2020

Network News September 2020

Self-Help Builder September 2020

Network News August 2020