Out of the Storm and Into the Light

Written by: Kevin Lambert, USDA Rural Development

As State Director for USDA Rural Development (RD) in Vermont and New Hampshire, Sarah Waring pulls double duty as a primary administrator overseeing the Agency's portfolio of loan, grant, and loan guarantee programs.

"Roughly 90 percent of Vermonters and 70 percent of Granite Staters live in towns with 5000 or fewer people," says Waring. "This means that most of our rural municipalities have volunteer leadership, and often do not have a deep bench of professional expertise to lean on. This structure can make it difficult to manage federal or state funding when building community projects.”

Though the Twin States are small in geography and population, their rural residents, businesses, and communities are asymmetrically active in engaging RD's people and programs, making for an eclectic and diverse set of annual applications spanning a wide range of potential projects. The significant challenges that most of rural America faces—housing, healthcare, childcare, aging infrastructure—are tough to address in small states, where many volunteer town leaders lack the time and capacity to move projects forward. Throw in recent federally declared frost and flood disasters in the region, COVID, and its inflationary supply-chain impacts, and the process of funneling white paper in the door and sending green paper out can get exceptionally messy.

“Though we have counties like every state, we lack county governments in the Twin States, which, in other areas of the country, act as the collective organizational bridge between funding agencies and the communities most in need of financial help,” said Waring. “Here, we have regional planning commissions and regional development corporations . These aren’t necessarily aligned geographically or organizationally or with other important regional institutions like schools and conservation districts. This lack of county structure impacts how FEMA operates here during a disaster versus Hawaii, for instance, which doesn't feature individual township governments."

Two places 5000 miles apart that were dealt brutal blows from 2023 climate change catastrophes required quite different approaches for disaster mitigation. FEMA learned this complex lesson during last year's crucible of flood and fire and essentially overhauled its relief protocol for disaster victims by implementing the Serious Needs Assistance program , which pays out $750 per eligible household before property inspection, not after. This essential change accelerates disaster victims' relief into hours and days, not weeks and months.

"Because USDA is comprehensive and holistic in our portfolio of investments, we can handle all kinds of projects, including technical assistance (TA) during disaster recovery," Waring explains. "But we have to do more soon because Mother Nature doesn't wait for us to catch up."

She's doing her best to push the pace by taking the TA model to creative new heights in the Green Mountain State. In April 2024, through a cooperative agreement with the Vermont League of Cities and Towns (VCLT) and the State of Vermont, she secured $1 million through the federal Disaster Assistance Fund (DAF) for rural communities to build financial, operational, and managerial expertise following the catastrophe. The pilot program encourages long-term economic recovery and resilience through one-on-one training and assistance with FEMA-related budget challenges, government finance and management curriculum and the development of best practices to be used in disaster response.

"Many municipal leaders and community organizers know about RD's ability to help with direct financing and investments," Waring says, "but fewer are aware that they don't have to go it alone. To get the TA message out in our region, we're especially emphasizing boots on the ground—knowing your neighbors and the projects and needs in local communities. Our connectivity to our communities and working lands informs locally guided decision-making and leadership, meaning we can often pilot something quickly with local leaders. Also, our local legislative process can be agile, so the pilots are worth modeling for other places that operate like ours. With the partnerships of the League of Cities and Towns, we hope to build expertise and skillsets for the future."

In a recent trip to Lyndonville, VT, Governor Phil Scott echoed Waring's rural capacity concerns in the face of disaster and as a de facto situation. "Towns are struggling with capacity," he said, "with a small number of municipal officials and volunteers who have been dealing with flooding, infrastructure, paperwork, and budget constraints for over a year. And they're tired. Even in a good year, without natural disasters, it can be difficult for them to stay ahead."

In good times and bad, RD reliably achieves transformational changes for small communities, making it easier for low-income rural residents to live safer, more rewarding, and more dignified lives. Take Woody Hollow Cooperative , a manufactured home community in Boscawen, NH, facing the reality of aging water infrastructure in 2020. The system plagued residents with constant leaks, ruptures, and poor surface drainage, creating fetid pools in summer and slippery ice in winter since the 1970s. With $800,000 in grant funding and a $156,000 loan (1.125% over 30 years) through RD's Water & Waste Disposal Loan & Grant program (WWDLG), and more help through a $500,000 Community Development Block Grant from the New Hampshire Community Development Finance Authority , Woody Hollow residents now enjoy reliable sanitation and a paved and graded community roadway free of puddles, potholes, and fissures. New neighbors have also settled into once-empty lots, as the recent upgrades served up a powerful new marketing tool for Cooperative leaders.

In May 2024—with one eye focused on aging infrastructure and the other fixed on the future influx of people and unpredictable weather—the 8,300 residents of Winooski proudly broke ground on a whole-street reconstruction project thanks to more than $20 million from RD's WWDLG and Community Facilities Direct Loan & Grant programs (CF). The reconstruction will include upgrades and improvements to utilities, stormwater, and wastewater management while streetscaping and landscaping will establish a public right-of-way and integration with the recently rebuilt Winooski School District Middle & High School.?The school project made possible with a $57.8 million CF loan , has transformed the facility from a leaking, hazardous, cramped space into an open, safe, 21st-century learning environment featuring a commissary, state-of-the-art theater, and healthcare center with dentistry services. With a tradition of welcoming new Americans, the Winooski Community sends kids from dozens of different cultures to be educated at this reimagined institution, where more than 20 languages are spoken among the only minority-majority student population in the state.

Waring's resolve and devotion to her jurisdiction are only heightened during the tough times when disaster, destruction, and the daunting administrative challenges that accompany them make it almost impossible for town leaders and RD staff to stay ahead.

"I'm confident that Vermont and New Hampshire will continue to lean into their innovative spirit and entrepreneurial ideas and abilities," she says. "I also know these two great states will continue to champion local control and leadership while learning how more regional governance can work to our advantage . And our focus and spotlight on the natural environment—whether through local food systems, outdoor recreation, or conservation—is among the brightest nationwide. I am so proud of our staff, our partners, and the help we provide for our neighbors. It is truly an honor to serve them."