HUD AWARDS $6.5 MILLION TO 11 HISPANIC-SERVING COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Anchor institutions create valuable partnerships to serve the surrounding communities - Otero Junior College, La Junta, Colorado, Awarded Funding

DENVER - U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan today awarded nearly $6.5 million to 11 Hispanic-Serving Institutions to help revitalize local neighborhoods, promote affordable housing and stimulate economic development in their communities. The funding announced today is provided through HUD's Hispanic-
Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC) Program. Otero Junior College (OJC) in La Junta, Colorado was awarded $599,987.

"These grants help to address the revitalization and economic development needs in the communities that surround our Hispanic-Serving Institutions," said Donovan. "Not only are we investing in communities but, we are helping to facilitate long term partnerships that will assist in addressing some of the most critical social and economic issues
that this country is facing."

"We are pleased to announce funding for Otero Junior College," said Regional Administrator Rick Garcia. "The HUD
grant will help create new jobs and provide economic opportunities."

Otero Junior College (OJC) intends to use its Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC) grant to create the Microenterprise Development Center, a one-stop facility that will serve Crowley County, a rural, economically depressed region in OJC’s service area. The center will help residents of this underserved area of southeastern Colorado achieve success in business start-up, continuation, and expansion through a series of
services, including one-on-one counseling, group workshops, and shared work space. There will also be a housing component to educate residents about fair housing and opportunities to build new housing or rehabilitate existing homes. This activity will include renovating a building in Crowley County, Colorado, to house the facility and the implementation of services designed to increase business and housing opportunities in the county.

The following Hispanic-Serving Institutions were awarded funding:

To be eligible to apply for funding, at least 25 percent of the institution's full-time undergraduate student
population must be Hispanic. In addition, all applicants must offer two- or four-year degrees and be fully accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. HUD's grants will help these institutions undertake a wide variety of activities, principally for persons of low- and moderate-income. These activities include:

• Acquiring property;
• Demolishing blighted structures;
• Rehabilitating homes, including cleaning up lead-based paint hazards and making modifications that
  improve accessibility;
• Improving public facilities;
• Offering assistance to small businesses, including minority-owned enterprises; and
• Supporting public services such as job training, child care, fair housing, and housing counseling.

Last year HUD provided $6 million to 10 Hispanic-Serving Institutions. The (HSIAC) Program is one of several
initiatives administered by HUD's Office of University Partnerships (OUP). Established in 1994, OUP is a catalyst
for partnering colleges and universities with their communities in an effort to address local problems. For more information about HUD's partnership with institutions of higher education, visit HUD’s website and OUP's website (www.oup.org/).

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet and espanol.hud.gov.