Arizona Edition: Housing and Broadband Top Strategies in Rural Development

A shortage of housing means higher prices for home buyers and renters across the country and here in Arizona.
The challenge is equally as daunting for rural Arizona communities, where more people are likely to live on fixed incomes, new housing is harder to come by, and local jobs can be scarce or low paying.
Charlene Fernandez is a former state representative who has joined the Biden Administration as the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Arizona director for rural development.
Fernandez points to programs in Yuma County that have focused on increasing access to affordable housing, but says rural development has also helped communities in some more surprising ways.