A state official is encouraging area residents to take advantageof government programs that could assist them in purchasing a homeor in expanding or developing their business.

Nick Walters, state director of the U.S. Department ofAgriculture rural development, said in a visit to Brookhaven Fridaythat many people are not taking advantage of government programsthat could assist them.

“We still have great focus on guaranteed housing to help peoplebuy or finance a home,” he said. “You don’t hear the name USDArural development very often, but we help a lot of ruralpeople.”

Walters heads up the state rural development division of thefederal agency that is responsible for low income housing, ruralwater and sewer systems, rural business development, and communityfacilities. He was appointed to his position in March 2001 byPresident George W. Bush.

“Nick has changed things up in the agency since he’s beenthere,” said Ken Stribling, the agency’s public informationofficer. “He has put more emphasis on health care-related projects,such as assisting in the financing of renovations to the JeffersonDavis County hospital, and he has made school districts eligible toreceive money when they weren’t before.”

Walters said the agency works hard to boost development in ruraland small communities.

“We’re not the answer, but we’re part of the puzzle in makingrural Mississippi a better place to live,” he said.

One area, Walters said, that Lincoln Countians could benefitfrom the most is in the agency’s housing programs.

“We have actually not done as many in the Brookhaven area as wewould like to,” he said.

Most of the people who use their housing programs are lowincome, first time buyers, or have “small hiccups” on their creditreports, he said, and banks are leery of offering them a loan. TheUSDA will back a loan for successful applicants that removes thedown payment and provides the bank a guarantee on 90 percent of theloan. The USDA backing is all many people need to finance ahome.

There are some restrictions, such as income caps, but they arevery reasonable, he said. According to Walters, most people believethey will not qualify for a USDA loan because of their income, andmany are incorrect.

“Traditionally, the loans were for low income families. Werealized there are many people out there who rent a home but wantto purchase a home. They have steady jobs but not a high enoughincome to finance a home,” he said. “The caps are pretty reasonablenow. For a single person, it’s $45,000 a year, and for a family offour it’s $65,000. That opens the program to a lot of people.”

The rural development division is also striving very hard topromote and entice small businesses into rural areas, he said.

“What’s going to grow small rural communities are the industriesthat employ 10 to 15 people,” Walters said. “If they’re waiting ona Nissan plant to show, they’ll be waiting a long time.”

The USDA has worked closely with agencies in this area to help”partner” and finance several industries, he said. He specificallymentioned Lee’s Pigskin’s in New Hebron, which received a 0 percentloan, and Foster’s Millworks in Monticello.

The USDA puts more than $230 million a year into the state’seconomy through grants and loans, Walters said.

“We’re only appropriated $130-140 million a year. Because we’reaggressive and know how to work the system, we can get $75-100million more each year,” he said. “We do that by pursuing funds notused by other states, and that puts us over the $200 millionmark.”

Those extra funds relate to extra opportunities forMississippians to get housing or propel their business interestsforward, he said.