Every rural community knows someone who wants to move back home but can’t find a place to live.
A local manufacturer has job openings but can’t recruit employees because there isn’t enough housing. Young teachers decline positions because they can’t find a home within their budget. Healthcare workers commute long distances because quality housing is unavailable.
While we often call this a housing crisis, the truth is that it’s much bigger than that.
Housing is the foundation upon which thriving rural communities are built.
Without attainable housing:
- Businesses struggle to grow.
- Schools lose enrollment.
- Healthcare providers can’t recruit staff.
- Main Streets lose customers.
- Communities lose population.
For more than fifteen years, Rural Forward’s leadership worked alongside communities across Kansas searching for solutions. We pursued housing rehabilitation, moderate-income housing, land banks, developer recruitment, apartment projects, weatherization programs, and incentives for new construction.
Each effort made a difference.
None solved the system.
That’s why Rural Forward exists.
Rather than focusing solely on building homes, we’re building a community-driven housing system that develops the future workforce while increasing the supply of attainable housing.
By partnering with rural high school industrial arts programs, students gain valuable career skills while communities gain high-quality, energy-efficient homes. Local contractors complete the homes, proceeds are reinvested into the next project, and communities create a sustainable model they can own for years to come.
Rural prosperity begins with housing, but it doesn’t end there.
It leads to stronger businesses, healthier communities, better schools, and more opportunities for families to choose rural life.
At Rural Forward, we’re not just building houses.
We’re building stronger rural communities.
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