THURMONT — A decent home and a suitable living environment for every American family was the preamble of the National Housing Act of 1949.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture recently observed the 60-year anniversary of the enactment at the Guardian Hose Co. in Thurmont.

Many government and private sector officials were on hand from across Maryland, Delaware and Washington to reminisce and share their experiences on how USDA got into the business of helping rural families obtain decent and safe housing.

“During the span of 60 years, the agency has assisted more than 39,000 individuals and families across rural Maryland and rural Delaware reach the dream of homeownership,” said Jack Tarburton, USDA Rural Development state director for Maryland and Delaware. “Homeownership has always been the foundation of the American dream and over time as our housing programs have changed, we have also changed as an agency, creating more partnerships with other housing organizations that have allowed us to assist more families.”

U.S. Rep. Roscoe Bartlett (R-Md.) joined Tarburton to highlight the impact the Housing Act is having on families and lenders like First Mortgage Services, which is a participant in USDA’s Single Family Housing Guaranteed Loan Program.

The mortgage company was recognized at the ceremony for assisting more families in Allegany and Garrett counties than any other participating lender.

Over the past three years, First Mortgage Services helped open the door to homeownership for 156 families. The USDA Rural Development Guaranteed Homeownership Program ena-bles banks and other mortgage companies to make loans to people they would not otherwise be able to serve. No down payment is required and the homebuyer can borrow up to 100 percent of the property’s appraised value. USDA helps everyone involved at no cost to the taxpayers unless something goes wrong with the loan.

“Partnerships with local small businesses, like First Mortgage Services, support economic development and improve the quality of life in rural communities including Thurmont, at no cost to taxpayers,” said Bartlett.

In 2009, Rural Development had a banner year; providing home loans to 1,333 families in rural Maryland and 424 home loans in rural Delaware.

More information on rural programs is available by calling the area office in Hagerstown at (301) 797-0500, Ext. 4 or by visiting www.rurdev.usda.gov.\