BROWNSVILLE, EL PASO, EL CENIZO AND NEW CANEY RECEIVE $1.2 MILLION IN GRANTS FROM HUD FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING AND ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
$16.8 million in Rural Housing and Economic Development grants awarded nationwide

FORT WORTH - Housing and Urban Development Secretary Alphonso Jackson today awarded $1.2 million to rural housing programs in Brownsville, El Paso, El Cenizo and New Caney, Texas, to stimulate economic development,
create jobs and produce more affordable housing. The funding is part of $16.8 million in grants provided nationwide through HUD's Rural Housing and Economic Development Program. Information about the four Texas grantees
follows.

In addition to the HUD grants announced today, these rural communities are expected to leverage more than $1.8 million from other public and private sources to promote economic development and employment.

"These grants will go a long way toward producing more affordable housing in rural communities across our country," said Jackson. "HUD funding, and the private investment these grants will generate, will offer more than just an affordable home to working families in rural areas. These grants will trigger economic development and breathe new life into rural neighborhoods that are desperate to grow."

Rural Housing and Economic Development (RHED) grants help pay for land acquisition, new home construction, housing demolition, infrastructure improvements and construction training. Other possible uses include
homeownership and financial counseling; financial assistance to homeowners, businesses and developers; creating microenterprises and small business incubators; and establishing lines of credit or revolving loan pools to benefit the local business community.

Qualified applicants are local rural nonprofit organizations, community development corporations, federally recognized Indian tribes, State housing finance agencies and/or local economic development agencies. RHED grants have provided nearly $190 million, creating more than 12,000 jobs, assisting nearly 8,200 businesses and producing nearly 20,000 affordable homes.

El Paso Collaborative for Community and Economic Development in El Paso, Texas, will use its $300,000 RHED grant to create eight housing units and eight individual development accounts. Partners for this project are the El Paso Affordable Housing Credit Union Service Organization and Lower Valley Housing Corporation. Leveraging for this project is $960,000.
Contact Person: Delia Chavez
1359 Lomaland #516
El Paso, TX
Telephone Number: (915) 629-6702

La Gloria Development Corporation in El Cenizo, Texas, will use its $300,000 RHED grant to construct 10
affordable housing units. Partners for this project are the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, Inc. The proposed leveraging for this project is $423,145.
Contact Person: Gabriela Sandoval
615 Cadena
El Cenizo, TX 78046
Telephone Number: (956) 791-3034

Motivation Education and Training, Inc. in New Caney, Texas, will use its $300,000 RHED grant to renovate 10 homes and provide financial literacy education to 50 farm workers. Partners include Southwest Texas Junior College, and the National Farmworker Jobs Program. The proposed leveraging for this project is $150,000.
Contact Person: Francisco Esparza
P.O. Box 1838
New Caney, TX 77357
Telephone Number: (281) 689-5544

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