STRENGTHENING COMMUNITIES

STRENGTHENING COLONIAS ...

HUD's Office of University Partnerships (OUP), established in 1994,
encourages colleges and universities to make a difference in their
communities.

Two OUP grant programs that have had an impact in underserved
communities like the colonias are the Community Outreach Partnership
Centers (COPC) Program, which provides 3-year grants of up to $400,000,
and the Hispanic Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC)
Program, which funds 3-year grants up to $600,000 to help universities
address community development needs.

In this tenth anniversary year of the Office of University Partnerships,

OUP celebrates three examples of grantees that have made a difference in
colonia communities. These Texas institutions have all used COPC or HSIAC
funding to leverage real change in the lives of colonia residents.

In Fiscal Year 2003, OUP awarded colonia-related
grants totaling almost $1.8 million.

The University of California at Riverside and the
University of Texas at El Paso received COPC funding
totaling $1.1 million, and San Diego State University
received a HSIAC grant totaling $600,000.

16 DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES.


INCREASING HOMEOWNERSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

INCREASING HOMEOWNERSHIP . . .

2sino-Farmworke:

Youthbuild
students to construct Florida
City Villages. Most of the

ew home.

opment have bi
jased by farmwor!

HUD’s Housing Counseling Program helps

people improve their housing conditions and
successfully meet the responsibilities of tenancy
and homeownership. These services are especially
critical in colonias, where there is a severe lack of
decent housing. The unique and complicated nature
of title and property ownership in colonias and the
lack of banking experience of many residents make
homebuyers and homeowners in these communities
particularly vulnerable to inflated appraisals,
unreasonably high interest rates, unaffordable
repayment terms, and other predatory practices that
can lead to a loss of equity, increased debt, default,
and eventually foreclosure.

Since Fiscal Year 2002, HUD has set aside a portion of
housing counseling grants to help local agencies with
special skills in counseling low- and moderate-income
families work in the colonias.

West Tennessee Legal Services, Inc. (WTLS) is one such
housing counseling grantee helping colonia residents
fight back in the legal arena. Armed with $220,000

in housing counseling funding, WTLS and its five
affiliated legal services agencies in Texas, New Mexico,
Arizona, and California are tackling the complex
property and land issues that are a fact of life in many
colonias. Texas Rural Legal Aid, New Mexico Legal Aid,
Southern Arizona Legal Aid, California Rural Legal

10 DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES


“Rural places face extra
challenges in providing
affordable homes, clean
reliable water, and good
jobs for their residents. It
can be difficult for them
even to find out what
resources are available.
The Rural Gateway uses
modern technology to
distribute good old-
fashioned expertise.”

—Moises Loza
HAC Executive Director

RURAL GATEWAY FACILITATES CHANGE

The Housing Assistance Council (HAC) is using a
$770,383 award from HUD’s Office of Community
Planning and Development to implement a new “Rural
Housing and Economic Development Gateway” that
will help rural communities—including the colonias
and communities with high migrant or farmworker
populations—improve their local housing and
economic conditions. HAC, which has been helping
local organizations build affordable homes in rural
America since 1971, is working with two partners,

each with more than 30 years of nationwide rural
development experience. The Rural Community
Assistance Program addresses rural water, wastewater,
and solid waste disposal issues, and the National
Congress for Community Economic Development
works with local community development corporations
to produce affordable housing and create jobs.

The Rural Gateway will develop the capacity of local
nonprofit leaders to help their own communities. It
will connect rural organizations with information,
technical assistance, training, and investment capital
to help them develop, rebuild, and preserve affordable
housing, local economies, and essential infrastructure.
The Gateway will also engage private sector
organizations to establish economic development
initiatives in rural areas. To contact the Rural Gateway,
call 1-877-RURAL-26 (toll free) or go to www.ruralhome.
org/gateway.

20 DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES.


OVERVIEW

HUD’S COMMITMENT...

HUD is dedicated to improving the lives of people in rural, underserved
communities across America. As you read this report, you will notice two
important themes:

TM One is HUD’s commitment to poor communities along the U.S.-Mexico
border and other areas where migrants and farmworkers reside.

TM The other is the results these communities are achieving by using HUD
funding to plant the seeds of change.

The success stories in this booklet demonstrate the results that are possible
when local and federal partners develop a vision, define a plan, and

deliver on that plan. By listening to local people, HUD has found practical
ways to bring federal funding into communities with critical needs. These
communities have applied their creativity and commitment to develop a
vision, leverage HUD funds, and get results. These partnerships are making
a difference in the daily lives of people who otherwise endure poor quality
housing, housing discrimination, predatory lending, dangerous unpaved
roads, polluted drinking water, and more.

This report highlights our goals and what we've achieved. Resources are
identified throughout the booklet and on page 32, so that you can follow up.

We hope this information will be useful to communities along the
Southwest Border, among migrants and farmworkers, and to other federal
agencies committed to changing lives.



HUD SEEKS FAITH-BASED PARTNERS

Faith-based and other grassroots groups are renewing America’s
communities every day. They provide important services and offer
invaluable help to those who need it most. That is why HUD is actively
trying to help “level the playing field” so that faith-based and other
community organizations can participate in the Department's programs.

Through the Center for Faith-Based and Community Initiatives (CFBCI),
HUD makes it easier for smaller organizations, both religious and
non-religious, to help HUD achieve its mission. CFBCI has conducted
free grant writing workshops to teach faith-based and community
organizations how to secure federal funding and how to write effective
federal grant proposals. HUD specialists working with colonia and
farmworker communities have been cross-trained so that they can offer
additional sessions as the need arises.

CFBCI is committed to actively assisting organizations in the border
region and farmworker communities. In particular, CFBCI is seeking
at least 250 faith-based and community organizations interested in
becoming HUD-Approved Housing Counseling Agencies. For more
information on finding funding, people who can help you, and other
resources, visit: http://www.hud.gov/offices/fbci/about.cfm.

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 31


AND MIGRANT/FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES

Promotoras: A Local Link

The Colonias Program of Texas A&M University used a
COPC grant to answer a fundamental question: How
can you link colonias residents to available resources?

Researchers discovered that colonia residents do

not trust official written notices, and often feel
embarrassed about their limited education and
English language skills. The solution is to have trusted
community leaders hit the streets to talk face-to-face.

Armed with this knowledge, the Colonias Program Promotoras receive training in

recruited and trained trusted local residents Progreso Community Resource
Center.

known as promotoras, who get the word out about

programs related to housing, education, workforce

development, health, and other areas. Another

COPC grant supported the first six promotoras, who

worked within ten colonias near Laredo, Texas.

These promotoras have since provided critical links to other successful
Texas A&M projects, such as a micro-enterprise development initiative
launched in 2001 in the Laredo area.

Promotoras partnered with Dr. Cecilia Guisti from Texas A&M (and a 2002
HUD Urban Scholar) and with Texas Rural Aid to identify colonia residents
interested in starting a small business. The promotoras combined home
visits with training from local partners in the financial world to build the
skills of interested residents.

The promotoras initiative, the signature achievement of the Texas A&M
Colonias Program, has been replicated in 18 other colonias along the
1,248 mile Texas-Mexico border. Each year, 50 to 100 promotoras serve
within their colonias from Brownsville to El Paso.

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 17


HUD GRANTEES INCREASE FAIR HOUSING NETWORK

HUD provides grants to agencies that educate the public about their
housing rights through its Fair Housing Initiatives Program and to
agencies that enforce violations of fair housing laws through its Fair
Housing Assistance Program. In Fiscal Year 2003, HUD trained these
grantees in colonias/farmworker issues and increased networking and
communication among the agencies working in the border region.

HUD will continue its commitment to training by offering a workshop
n “outreach to underserved communities” during a major national
conference in 2004.

Over $1.3 million in Fair Housing Initiatives Program grants were
awarded for projects that serve rural and immigrant populations in
colonias or migrant farmworker areas. This money is being used to
inform and educate the public about the rights and obligations under
federal, state, and local fair housing laws in the colonia communities of
Arizona, California, and New Mexico, and for work that impacts migrant
and/or farmworkers in Idaho, Nebraska, Oregon, and Washington.

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 23


UT-PAN AM REACHES OUT IN RIO GRANDE VALLEY

The University of Texas-Pan American Community
Outreach Partnership Center addresses the need for
affordable housing in low-income, severely distressed
colonias and rural communities in the Rio Grande
Valley of South Texas. A comprehensive strategic
planning process, including town hall meetings

and bilingual surveys and seminars, gave COPC
first-hand knowledge of the housing conditions of
rural residents. Based on the needs identified, UTPA
formed a partnership with housing providers, and a

community advisory committee was established. A COPE mini-housing fair
distributes information on
homeownership.

The first outreach effort included disseminating
information at organized colonia meetings, town
hall meetings, and planned housing fairs. Next
was homeownership education for low-income
families through bilingual workshops, followed
by focus on increasing access to affordable
housing and rehab programs for families
traditionally isolated from available resources.

COPC’s efforts marked the first time in the history

of the Lower Rio Grande Valley that nonprofit
organizations involved in housing programs
combined their resources to launch a coordinated and
systematic attack on the problems of housing in rural
neighborhoods.

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 19


SOME ONLINE RESOURCES

& National Toolkit for Colonias and Farmworker Practitioners.
Information on funding sources and improving services
to farmworkers and colonias residents, plus links to local
information by state at www.hud.gov/colonias. You may also
contact HUD staff by telephoning 202-708-3086.

@ Espanol.hud.gov. HUD's Spanish language website has
comprehensive information on homebuying, rental
information, available HUD homes, loan counseling, and
financial resources.

TM Use of HUD Resources To Assist Colonias summarizes
exemplary practices on contract for deed conversion,
alternative building technologies, infrastructure, individual
development accounts, and Self-Help/One Stop service centers.
Find this resource at www.hud.gov/offices/cpd/lawsregs/
notices/2003/03-10.pdf.

Children of farmworkers enjoy

safe and affordable migrant ‘ — . F
farmworker housing in Yakima, on how to handle design and construction impediments in

Washington. manufactured housing, available in English and Spanish at
www.hud.gov/offices/hsg/sfh/mhs/mhshome.cfm.

@ HUD's Manufactured Housing Program. Consumer brochures

& Community Kiosks. Simply push a button to find HUD homes for sale,
apartments offering rental assistance, and information on housing counseling.
To find one of HUD’s 106 kiosks near you, visit www.hud.govilibrary/
bookshelf15/.

@ Rural Housing and Economic Development Gateway. An important resource on
rural housing and development issues. Reach English/Spanish-speaking rural
experts toll-free at 1-877-RURAL-26. Rural Gateway provides information to
organizations and links to other resources offering assistance at
www.ruralhome.org/gateway.

® www.grants.gov. Access over 900 individual grant programs that award
$350 billion in grants each year. This “electronic storefront” lets potential
applicants find funding opportunities at 26 federal agencies, then use a single
process to apply securely online.

32 DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES


OUT OF THE COURTROOM AND INTO THE NEIGHBORHOODS

“Our needs on the border
are great, but our wallets
are small. Thanks to the
free legal work, we are able
to put our limited monies
directly into projects in the
community.”

—Robert Calvillo
CDCST Executive Director

Texas C-BAR and HUD grants
build new homes like this in
South Texas,

Xavier Pena, a lawyer at Vinson & Elkins, L.L.P. in Houston,
grew up in the Rio Grande Valley of South Texas. Xavier has
found a rewarding opportunity to use his expertise as an
attorney to help the Community Development Corporation of
South Texas (CDCST) build affordable housing in poor South
Texas neighborhoods near his hometown.

Pena is helping CDCST work with local government entities
to implement a tax increment financing plan that will
encourage development in low income neighborhoods.

The program that put Pena and CDCST together is Texas
Community Building with Attorney Resources (Texas C-BAR),
a HUD Rural Housing and Economic Development (RHED)
grantee.

Texas C-BAR is a statewide transactional pro bono project
that provides opportunities for attorneys to work with
community-based nonprofits building low-income housing
and pursuing other forms of community development.
Thanks to a $450,000 RHED grant, Texas C-BAR is able

to provide attorney and nonprofit outreach and develop
additional online resources for nonprofit organizations in
rural areas and along the Texas-Mexico border.

And CDCST is not the only one who benefits from the
relationship, As a Texas C-BAR volunteer, Pena can use

his legal skills to really make a difference in people’s lives:
“Since | am originally from South Texas, it is especially
gratifying to be able to work with an organization that helps
a community that | grew up in.”

14 DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES


HUD’S STRATEGIC VISION AND FUNDING

COLONIA/FARMWORKER INITIATIVES .. .

HUD began its coordinated focus on the Southwest Border, colonias, and
migrant/farmworker communities in 1996. In 2001, a Department-wide
Southwest Border, Colonias, and Migrant/Farmworker Task Force developed
a unified plan with specific actions assigned to HUD’s different program
offices. Implementation managers from these program offices have been
turning the plan into action.

A small team is dedicated full-time to coordination of this effort. This
Southwest Border, Colonias, and Migrant/Farmworker Initiatives (SWBR)
work group—with staff assigned in HUD headquarters and field offices in
states with colonias and high farmworker populations—is part of an office
that reports directly to HUD’s Deputy Secretary.

HUD has also begun developing partnerships with other federal agencies
to address the complex needs along the border and among migrant
farmworkers.

HUD’S SWBR TASK FORCE IMPLEMENTATION MANAGERS

Administration

Community Planning and Development
Departmental Operations and Coordination
Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity
Faith-Based and Community Initiatives
Field Policy and Management

General Counsel

Government National Mortgage Association
Healthy Homes and Lead Hazard Control
Housing

Policy Development and Research

Public and Indian Housing



OF FAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

Rural and migrant farmworker communities in

the Pacific Northwest face common housing,
environmental, educational and employment
problems, so HUD’s final conference, Harvesting
Hope for Our Communities was a tri-state affair for
Washington, Oregon, and Idaho.

The conference took place in Yakima, 120 miles east of
Seattle in the heart of central Washington’s agricultural
area. Yakima has a population of 85,000. Approximately
30 percent of the community — including hundreds mia emcee

of migrant and seasonal farmworkers — works in the conference develops
leadership among women
migrant workers.

A “Lideres Campesinas”

agricultural business.

Like the Salinas conference, Harvesting Hope brought
together a mix of government, private, and nonprofit
organizations—as well as area growers—to develop
practical strategies. It drew participants not only from
the three-state area, but also from Colorado, Virginia,

“The contributions of migrant/farmworkers to the American ‘bread basket’ are
significant, yet their plight for decent affordable housing and equal rights is far
greater... Migrant/farmworkers may stoop to do their job, but at the end of the day
they stand tall, proud, and with dignity.”

—Jose Padilla

Executive Director

California Rural Legal Assistance

At the Cultivating Our Communities Farmworker Conference

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 29


26

ADDITIONAL INTERAGENCY PARTNERSHIPS
Using GIS to Monitor Colonia Development

This HUD-initiated project demonstrates how state-of-the-art technology

can turn research data into practical information. Data from the affordable
Geographic Information System (GIS)—a computer mapping technology—are
improving housing and community development programs in colonias along
the 2,000-mile border. Five federal agencies in the United States and Mexico,
along with dozens of state and local governments and nonprofit organizations,
are partners in this unique urban planning and colonias monitoring project.

In eight “sister cities” (Eagle Pass, Texas, and Piedras Negras, Mexico; El
Paso, Texas, and Ciudad Juarez, Mexico; Douglas, Arizona, and Agua Prieta
Mexico; and Nogales, Arizona, and Nogales, Mexico), U.S. and Mexican
groups incorporate GIS technology into their daily operations. Helping local
governments maintain and analyze the data has developed strong local
partnerships that improve living conditions for more than 1.5 million people
along both sides of the border.

Integrating Expertise in the San Joaquin Valley

The Central San Joaquin Valley of California, one of the world’s most productive
agricultural regions, is also home to some of the poorest Californians, including
many farmworkers. Rapid population growth, lack of affordable housing, and
demographic shifts bring the Valley unique and critical challenges.

Because economic development, housing, transportation, water resources,
health policy, and other Valley concerns are interrelated, President Bush
implemented a Federal Interagency Task Force on the Economic Development
of the Central San Joaquin Valley in February 2002. Three projects — the
Regional Jobs Initiatives, the Clean Air/Energy Efficiency Initiative, and the
Financial Education Initiative - combine the collective resources and expertise
of 17 agencies with local efforts to deliver targeted results. A report on
progress by the Task Force can be accessed at www.huduser.org.

VMIMUNITIES

DELIVERING


MODEL COLONIA:
CREATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR TOUGH PROBLEMS

The Model Colonia is representative of HUD’s efforts to involve
local residents and key partners in the process of making real
change happen.

Doria Ana County, the largest of the eleven New
Mexico border counties, has the highest number of
colonias in the state of New Mexico. And of those

37 Dofia Ana colonias, Vado/Del Cerro residents live

in some of the poorest conditions. Vado began as

a farming settlement in 1886, and Del Cerro was
established as an extension by farmworkers thereafter.
According to 1999 figures, 33 percent of the families

in Vado/Del Cerro live below the poverty level. In Mobile homes that do not
addition, 77 percent of the population over 25 are not / manufactured
high school graduates, so families tend to survive housing construction and safety

Ig graduates, m urviv standards are common in Vado
on low wage employment at nearby dairies or truck and Del Cerro.

stops. But Vado/Del Cerro also has a very active and
involved group of partners committed to community
improvement.

To show what county, state, federal, and nonprofit
partners can do together to improve the lives of
colonia residents, HUD has funded a comprehensive,
community-based planning process in Vado/Del Cerro.

Paving roads will allow school

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 3


SOME FACTS ABOUT COLONIAS

In simplest terms, “colonia” is a Spanish word
for a neighborhood or community.

These rural, economically distressed communities located within
150 miles of the U.S.-Mexican border lack the basic infrastructure
most Americans take for granted — decent, safe housing, running
water, electricity, and paved roads. Colonia residents struggle with
issues often associated with the developing third-world countries.

The Texas Attorney General's office estimates that there are
over 1,800 colonias in Texas. This is more than any of the
other border states — Arizona, New Mexico, or California.

The Border Low Income Housing Coalition estimates
that 97 percent of colonia residents are Hispanic.

Compared to the national poverty rate of 12 percent,

colonia residents are much poorer. The Housing Assistance
Council reports that 32 percent of border Hispanics in
“nonmetro” areas like the colonias are in poverty—

nearly triple the rate elsewhere in the country.

According to the Housing Assistance Council, the average
annual income in the colonias is only $7,000 to $11,000.

DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES.


PUBLIC HOUSING RESIDENTS BECOME HOMEOWNERS.

HUD continues its substantive outreach and technical assistance to
public housing agencies along the Southwest Border Region:

@ Homeownership Voucher Program. The Housing Choice Voucher
Program is the federal government's major program for
assisting very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled
to choose and lease or purchase safe, decent, and affordable
privately-owned rental housing. Homeownership vouchers are
a particular kind of voucher that assists first-time homeowners
with their monthly homeownership expenses. HUD negotiated a
2-year, $1 million cooperative agreement with the Neighborhood
Reinvestment Corporation to provide training and technical
assistance on the homeownership option to public housing
agencies (PHAs). PHAs whose jurisdictions include colonias or
migrant/farmworker communities are eligible for this technical
training and assistance.

@ Family Self-Sufficiency Program. Family Self-Sufficiency (FSS) is
a HUD program that encourages communities to help assisted
families get jobs that will lead to economic independence and
self-sufficiency. Through the FSS program, PHAs work with
local partners to develop a comprehensive program that gives
participating FSS family members the skills and experience they
need to get living wage jobs. HUD awarded $635,730 in FSS
Program Coordinator funding for Public Housing Authorities in
Arizona, California, New Mexico, and Texas jurisdictions that
include colonia communities.

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 15


MODEL COLONIA PARTNERS:

INVESTING IN CHANGE

Many organizations are helping HUD transform Vado/Del Cerro:

COMMUNITY LEADERS. Vado/Del
Cerro residents have taken ownership

of the project and are guiding priorities
for action. Centro Fuerza y Unidad, a
grassroots organization, has been the
driving force behind progress in Del
Cerro for over 10 years. It currently
receives HUD technical assistance so it
can obtain a nonprofit designation, which
will open new opportunities for funding.

DONA ANA COUNTY BOARD OF
COMMISSIONERS. The county

has designated the Vado/Del Cerro
Community as the initial Model Colonia
for the U.S. Department of Housing

and Urban Development Model
Colonia Initiative and has prioritized
infrastructure needs in the county’s
other 36 colonias. The county has also
created a new Community Outreach
Division within the Department of Health
and Human Services and a special
Coordinator to work specifically on
colonias.

NEW MEXICO STATE LEGISLATURE.
Southern New Mexico legislators

have pledged to assist with the model
colonia. In the 2004 legislative session,
legislators introduced multiple Model
Colonia bills, and $285,000 was secured.

VADO WATER MUTUAL DOMESTIC
ASSOCIATION. This nonprofit
organization has advocated for
infrastructure improvements in the
community of Vado since the 1960's.

LAS CRUCES-DONA ANA HOUSING
AUTHORITY. This public housing
authority has committed to use proceeds
from the sales of existing housing
authority units to purchase land for an
18-unit affordable housing pilot using
self-help/alternative materials. Model
colonia land has been purchased, and
the development process has begun.

GADSDEN INDEPENDENT SCHOOL
DISTRICT. GISD will be locating a new
elementary school in the Model Colonia.
Construction is slated to begin soon, and
the school will open in fall 2005.

ADDITIONAL PARTNERS such as
Las Cruces Affordable Housing Inc.
(a Community Housing Development
Organization), New Mexico Mortgage
Finance Authority, the Enterprise
Foundation, U.S. Department of
Agriculture Rural Development, and
the Housing Assistance Council are
contributing as well.

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT


ENSURING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN HOUSING

ENSURING EQUAL OPPORTUNITY IN HOUSING...

Fair Housing Fact-Finding in Colonias

HUD works in cooperation with builders, landlords,
tenants, and other stakeholders to ensure the rights

of equal housing opportunity and fair housing choice
without discrimination based on race, color, religion,

sex, national origin, disability or familial status. HUD has
launched a fact-finding, education, and outreach initiative
in the colonias to identify barriers to fair housing and to
promote public awareness of fair housing laws.

The study is compiling information from colonia-serving
organizations and residents of Arizona, New Mexico and
Texas colonias on land title reform, mortgage financing . .

. cys ge . A surveyor interviews a mother
schemes, and housing rehabilitation and reform. Getting who picks and packs tomatoes.
the facts will help people in the colonias know their
housing rights and exercise them without discrimination.

Taking Stock of Florida Farmworker Needs

An innovative needs assessment of farmworkers in
Manatee County, Florida, is a perfect example of what can
happen when local governments, nonprofit organizations,
and HUD work together to meet locally identified needs.

The County of Manatee and the Farmworker Alliance
(now known as the Latino Community Network of
Manatee County) realized that the 18,000 farmworkers
and family members who live in Manatee County were
woefully underserved by housing, health, and legal
service providers.

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 21


+).
ial U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development
Office of Departmental Operations and Coordination



HUD FY 03 FUNDING RELATED TO COLONIAS
AND MIGRANT/FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES"

Funding Mechanism Amount

Rural Housing and Economic Development Program $ 5,330,172
Youthbuild $ 3,100,000
McKinney-Vento? $13,832,107
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS $ 677,377
Special Needs Assistance Programs $ 250,000
Self-Help Housing Opportunities Programs $ 660,000
Housing Counseling $ 1,089,545
Fair Housing Initiatives Program $1,358,740
Colonia Fair Housing Monitoring Contract $ 400,000
Hispanic Serving Institutions Assisting Communities $ 600,000
Departmental Operations and Coordination Activities $ 169,983
Community Outreach Partnership Centers $1,192,397
New Mexico State University Economic Development Research $179,344
Accessible and Affordable Geographical Information Systems $ 200,000
Policy Development and Research Activities (Mapping Colonias, $ 384,000
Housing Assistance Center, Residential Financing in Colonias)

Family Self-Sufficiency Program? $ 635,730
Lead Hazard Control Grant Program $ 2,000,000
Community Development Block Grant (State Set-Aside) $ 14,059,600
TOTAL FUNDING $46,118,995

* Funding that either directly impacts colonias/farmworkers or impacts counties with designated
colonias or more than 10,000 migrant or farmworkers.

? HUD estimates a minimum of $13 million of the Homeless Assistance Awards will impact
colonias and communities with high concentrations of migrants/farmworkers.

8 Amount consists of New HCV FSS Program ($44,608), Renewal HCV FSS Programs ($444,134),
and Operating Subsidy for Public Housing FSS Program Coordinators ($146,988).

DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES.


PART OF HUD’S STRATEGIC VISION

With a well-placed leadership team, an agency-wide
task force, Secretarial endorsement of a specific action
plan, formally designated implementation managers,
outreach specialists, and interagency collaborations,
HUD’s model for action is delivering results.

The Department's strategic plan sets the framework
for these efforts. At the core of the process are the six
strategic goals, which enable HUD’s organizations to
work together effectively to accomplish the President's
priorities and to serve the needs of local communities. families managed by the
The following pages highlight some of the significant Umatilla Housing Authority.
accomplishments achieved in response to each of the
strategic goals.

HUD’S STRATEGIC GOALS

@ Increasing homeownership opportunities.
Promoting decent, affordable housing.
Strengthening communities.

Ensuring equal opportunity in housing.

Maintaining high standards of management
and accountability.

@ Promoting participation of faith-based and
community organizations.

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 7


PROMOTING PARTICIPATION OF FAITH-BASED AND COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS

PROMOTING PARTICIPATION ...

In 2003, HUD coordinated the final two conferences in its series of five
forums with farmworker and colonia practitioners.

Cultivating Our Communities: A Statewide Practitioner Conference in
Salinas, California, in April attracted 275 participants. In August, Harvesting
Hope for Our Community drew 200 participants from Washington, Oregon,
and Idaho to Yakima, Washington. Previous conferences were held in
Edinburgh, Texas; Las Cruces, New Mexico; and Miami, Florida.

Salinas is a small city with a large farmworker community about 60 miles
south of San Jose. Cultivating Our Communities drew a diverse crowd

of Federal, state and local governments, nonprofits, and faith-based and
community organizations that serve colonias and migrant farmworker
communities, and some farmworkers themselves. As HUD Regional
Director Richard Rainey welcomed the crowd, he noted, “California is the
nation’s leader in agriculture. We also need to be the nation’s leader in
affordable housing for the farmworkers who make that possible.”

Participants enjoyed workshops on fair housing, homeownership, and
grant programs. A pre-conference session taught participants how to

build and maintain good web sites, even if funds are scarce. Conference
partners included the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, the Economic
Opportunities Commission of San Luis Obispo County Inc., the Housing
Assistance Council, and the City of Salinas.

28 DELIVERING VMIMUNITIES


USDA AND HUD WORK CLOSELY ALONG SOUTHWEST BORDER

Maintaining high standards of management and
accountability means coordinating programs and
resources across federal agencies to maximize their
impact in communities. As an example, in June 2003,
HUD and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA)
signed a Memorandum of Agreement establishing a
cooperative effort to improve housing and economic
conditions along the Southwest Border. “It is vital that
we do more to encourage minority homeownership,
especially in the Colonias of the Southwest, where
hundreds of thousands live in substandard conditions,”

said Agriculture Secretary Ann M. Veneman. clinic receive a free lunch for ,
participating in a“point in time

. survey to establish Florida
Under the agreement, the two departments will Feenthe TR

coordinate the delivery of programs and services to
residents of the U.S.-Mexico border region, colonias,
and areas heavily populated by very low-income
migrant farmworkers. Cooperation through cross-
marketing of programs, cross-training of staff, joint
preparation of materials, and collaboration on pilot
projects are all possible through the Memorandum of
Agreement, signed during the National Rural Housing
Summit held by USDA Rural Development.

Other joint activities between USDA and HUD will include
exchanging information on housing, community, and economic
conditions, and working together on research projects involving
colonia and farmworker communities.

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 27


HUD funding is leveraging other federal and private
sector investors to demonstrate how a colonia can
be transformed into an economically and socially
viable community.

Anticipated outcomes of the Model Colonia are:

@ Acomprehensive plan that paves the way
for public and private investment, leading to
substantial improvement in living conditions.

B® Elimination of unplanned, colonias-style
growth. All new homes in the community
will be required to meet basic housing and
infrastructure standards.

@ Enhanced coordination among federal, state,
and local agencies.

Typical housing stock in the

colonia of Vado.

@ A model that can be replicated in other
colonias or farmworker communities.

The Model Colonia reflects HUD’s broadest goals.
It will help ensure equal opportunity in housing,
increase homeownership opportunities, and
promote decent, affordable housing. It promotes
the participation of faith-based and community
organizations, and will strengthen communities by
improving economic conditions.

DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES.


“BIZ CAMP” INTRODUCES STUDENTS TO BUSINESS WORLD

Like most middle school students, sisters Karen and
Kimberly Lopez in Rio Bravo, Texas, sometimes toy
with the idea of becoming doctors. Other days, they
imagine themselves as owners of an ice cream shop
and, when they feel brave enough, speculate about a
car sales business.

With the help of a unique summer business camp
offered through Texas A&M International University’s
Texas Center for Border Economics and Enterprise
Development, the girls are starting to explore

Biz Camp develops . : ap: ”
mi nena sca? entrepreneurship as an option. “Biz Camp,’ supported

entrepreneurial skills. by a HUD Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting
Communities Initiative, aims to increase economic

18

development in colonias through entrepreneurial
education in middle schools.

The program offers daily classes for sixth to eighth grade students in the
colonia communities of Rio Bravo and El Cenizo just outside Laredo.

Biz Camp teaches basics of personal finance, tools for managing money,
traits of entrepreneurs, recognition of needs to service markets, and basic
steps of starting a business.

At Biz Camp, students not only receive instruction but also hands-on
experience at checking stock prices. Kimberly, Karen, and their classmates
browse the Wall Street Journal daily and jot down their chosen company’s
dividends in a makeshift checkbook. “This way, | can see how much money
| made,’ said Karen. Kimberly is learning to save money. “I’m learning the
difference between a manager and an employee. Bosses work extra hours,
but are paid more,’ she observes.

DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES.


MAINTAINING HIGH STANDARDS OF MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

MAINTAINING HIGH STANDARDS ...

HUD is committed to improving the accountability of the Department to
the American people. As a part of this effort, HUD is partnering with other
federal agencies to improve customer service.

For example, in November 2003, HUD convened a Federal Interagency
Partnership for the Southwest Border and Farmworker Communities,
inviting federal agencies providing services to migrants, farmworkers,
and colonia residents to join the Department in coordinating services and
programs.

The partnership challenges participants to develop innovative joint ventures
and to supplement each other’s programs and services. The 14 members
pledged to establish a continuing dialogue on colonia/farmworker issues
and to coordinate and streamline delivery of programs and services to the
affected populations.

Several opportunities for collaboration have already
presented themselves. For example, the Department

of Justice Office of Civil Rights, the Small Business
Administration, the Department of Education

Office of Migrant Education, the Department of

Health and Human Service Offices of Minority and
Special Populations and International Health Affairs,
the Internal Revenue Service Office of Wage and
Investment, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation,
the Corporation for National Service, and the General
Services Administration “Computers for Learning”
Program are exploring with HUD how to display
services and resources jointly through avenues such as
HUD’s community kiosks.

24 DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES


WHAT’S INSIDE THIS REPORT...

HUD’s commitment to rural, underserved communities:

M Overview .. 2... ee Page 1
M TheModel Colonia... ... 0... 0.00. eee eee Page 2
TM HUD’s Strategic Vision and Funding. .............005 Page 6

Success stories related to:

TM Increasing homeownership opportunities ............ Page 10
TM Promoting decent, affordable housing .............. Page 13
@ Strengthening communities... ...... 0... 000 eae Page 16
@ Ensuring equal opportunity inhousing..............% Page 21
@ Maintaining high standards of management

and accountability... 0... ee Page 24

@ Promoting participation of faith-based and
community organizations... 2... ee Page 28

Online Resources .. 2... 1 ee Page 32


FOR COLONIA RESIDENTS

Assistance and Community Legal Services are using this housing
counseling grant to address so called “contract for deed” property
arrangements. Under a contract for deed, the buyer is not given the title of
the land until it is paid for in full. Failure to make one payment can result in
loss of the property. WTLS and its affiliates have so far helped 646 clients
obtain clear title to their land, combat predatory lending, and escape unfair
rental practices.

In one case, Managing Attorney Anthony Young and law clerk Brenda
Sandoval of Arizona's Community Legal Services championed the rights

of a colonia resident in aYuma County RV park to live in the safe and
sanitary conditions most Americans take for granted. The sewer system

was improperly connected to the resident's trailer, and junk cars and tires
were scattered throughout the park. When the resident complained, the park
owner tried to evict him without legal notice. Community Legal Services
took the case to court, where the owner's eviction action was dismissed.
The court also ordered the park owner to properly connect the sewer and
remove any junk cars next to the resident's trailer space. Later, when the
resident decided to move out of the park and the owner tried to keep his
trailer, Community Legal Services successfully negotiated for the resident to
move with his trailer.

HUD is committed to increasing the number of agencies like WTLS that are
approved to provide housing counseling in the colonias and farmworker
communities. HUD’s Homeownership Centers — in Santa Ana, California;
Denver, Colorado; and Atlanta, Georgia — have each launched target
outreach initiatives. Special workshops focusing on how to become a
HUD-approved counseling agency and the requirements of the housing
counseling program have been held in California, Arizona, New Mexico,
Texas, and Florida.

1


PROMOTING DECENT, AFFORDABLE HOUSING

PROMOTING DECENT, AFFORDABLE HOUSING ...

The Money Smart Financial Education Curriculum, sponsored by the
Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation (FDIC), helps public housing
residents and entire colonia and migrant/farmworker communities outside
the financial mainstream strengthen their money skills, learn the value of
commercial banking, and begin moving to economic self-sufficiency.

This is part of a bigger HUD-FDIC collaboration that expanded access to
Money Smart training through 3,400 public housing authorities across the
country.

HUD specialists were certified as Money Smart trainers to provide financial
literacy training along the Southwest Border and in migrant/farmworker
communities. Together, HUD and FDIC staff held 35 outreach sessions in
Arizona, California, Florida, New Mexico, Oregon, Texas and Washington,
educating 448 people about using Money Smart with residents of the
Southwest Border, colonias, and farmworker communities.

Over 200 individuals now certified as Money Smart trainers in these areas
are delivering training to rural, underserved communities in these states. In
Florida, for example, HUD partnered with a Miami-based Federal Reserve
Bank to create a more basic financial education program adopted from
Money Smart. This program targets farmworkers in Collier and Palm Beach
Counties and is estimated to serve 250 farmworker families in 2004.

HUD understands that the more public housing residents and
colonia and farmworker communities know about credit and
banking services, the more likely they are to build real assets

in the form of savings, a down payment on a home, and other
benefits of good financial health.

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 13


LETTER FROMTHE SECRETARY

Dear Colleague:

Because | was born of humble means in Texas, |
understand the significant challenges and deep
poverty along the U.S.-Mexico border and in other
rural “pockets of poverty” where farmworkers live.
Residents in the colonias of the Southwest Border and
farmworker communities experience some of the worst
housing conditions in the United States. | am proud
that in Fiscal Year 2003, HUD committed $46.1 million
in funding to meet the desperate needs of these rural,
underserved populations. This is an increase of more
than $5.2 million over the Fiscal Year 2002 level.

Through HUD’s Southwest Border Region, Colonias
and Migrant/Farmworker Initiatives, the Department
coordinates the efforts of numerous HUD programs
that impact these distressed communities, targeting
existing resources to make a difference. As you read
this report, you will see some powerful examples

of how a variety of municipal and nonprofit
organizations have leveraged HUD investments to
meet locally determined needs in rural America.

! applaud all the communities and organizations that
are using HUD funding to help families climb the ladder
of self-sufficiency. | hope this report inspires new and
creative partnerships that will continue to better the
quality of life for colonia residents and farmworkers.

Alphonso Jackson
Secretary



A primary reason was the lack of data about the
significant needs of the Manatee County farmworkers
and their families. County Commissioner Patricia Glass
explains, “There is a terrible lack of understanding of
the problems. People need to understand...that this is
not a static population but a large population that is
increasing.”

Thanks to a $70,000 investment from HUD’s Office of
Departmental Operations and Coordination, the Latino
Community Network, county agencies, nonprofits, and
community stakeholders have launched an indepth
survey of the farmworkers that will leave no doubt

as to particular needs this population faces. Trained
surveyors completed over 100 of the 600 targeted
interviews in the first month alone.

Farmworkers in South Florida
harvest zucchini.

Gulfcoast South Area Health Education Center, Catholic
Charities Diocese of Venice, Head Start Coalition, the
School Board and Community Services Department

of Manatee County, and other partners are now using
concrete data to meet the needs of this significant
subpopulation.

Local elected officials have been supportive, and
local media attention has been very positive. As
Commissioner Glass sees it, the study demonstrates
“the depth of the contribution that hardworking
farmworkers bring to the economy.”

22 DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES


Southwest Border
Region, Colonias
and Migrant/
Farmworker
Initiatives,
Summer 2004.

Cover photo:

A family from the
West Alto Bonito
colonia in Texas
stands in the area
that was once their
kitchen, living room
and bedroom. The
rehabilitation to their
home will double
its size and include
indoor plumbing,
electricity and a
septic system.



Yakima, site of Harvesting
Hope for Our Communities, is
in the heart of Washington's
agricultural area.

California, Nevada, and Montana. As one participant

noted, “After 20 years in the business, | did not think |
could get excited, but | did and came away energized
and with new hope”

The event would not have been possible without the
support of HUD’s partners, the Community and Shelter
Assistance Corporation of Oregon, the Idaho Housing
and Finance Association, the Office of Rural and
Farmworker Housing, Northwest Regional Facilitators,
Federal National Mortgage Association (Fannie

Mae), and the State of Washington Department of
Community, Trade and Economic Development.

30 DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES.


OF MANAGEMENT AND ACCOUNTABILITY

FEDERAL INTERAGENCY PARTNERSHIP FOR
THE SOUTHWEST BORDER AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES

lH Corporation for National Service: www.nationalservice.org

@ Department of Agriculture

Rural Development: www.rurdev.usda.gov

Rural Housing Service: www.rurdev.usda.gov/rhs

Rural Utilities Service: www.usda.gov/rus/water/index.htm
@ Department of Commerce

Census Bureau: www.census.gov

@ Department of Education
Office of Migrant Education: www.ed.gov/programs/mep/index.html

@ Department of Health and Human Services
Border Health Office: www.hrsa.gov
Minority and Special Populations: www.bphe.hrsa.gov/migrant

@ Department of Housing and Urban Development: www.hud.gov,
espanol.hud.gov

@ Department of Justice
Special Counsel for Immigration Related Unfair Employment:
www.usdoj.gov/ert/activity.htm#osc

@ Department of Labor: http://www.dol.gov

@ Department of the Treasury
Community Development Financial Institutions: www.cdfifund.gov

® Environmental Protection Agency
Office of Pesticide Programs: www.epa.gov/pesticides/safety

lm Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation:
www.fdic.gov/consumers/consumer/moneysmart/index.html

@ General Services Administration: www.computers.fed.gov

North American Development Bank: www.nadbank.org

= Small Business Administration
Community Adjustment and Investment Program: www.sba.gov

U.S DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND URBAN DEVELOPMENT 25


MAKING BIG INVESTMENTS IN COLONIAS AND FARMWORKERS

In Fiscal Year 2003, HUD invested over $46.1 million in the colonias and in
migrant/farmworker communities through the Department's competitive
awards, formula grants, and other HUD programs. Major highlights include:

Approximately $5.3 million in Rural
Housing and Economic Development
grants to organizations inTexas, New
Mexico, and Arizona for projects in the
colonias and in migrant/farmworker
communities in Arkansas, New Mexico,
and Virginia.

Over $1.3 million in Fair Housing
Initiatives Program grants to
organizations working with colonias in
Arizona, California, and New Mexico and
for work that impacts migrant and/or
farmworkers in Idaho, Nebraska, Oregon,
and Washington.

Over $1 million in Housing Counseling
grants: $250,000 through competitive
grants to projects working with colonia
residents in Arizona, California, New
Mexico, andTexas and over $839,000

in funds to organizations providing
counseling that impacts colonias in these
border states and migrant/farmworker
communities in Colorado and Florida.

Over $3.1million in Youthbuild grants
to increase construction or rehabilitate
homes in colonias-designated counties
or in counties with migrant/farmworker
populations in Arizona, California,
Florida, andTexas.

Over $13.8 million in Continuum of
Care and Emergency Shelter Homeless
Assistance grants that will impact
colonias and communities with

high concentrations of migrants and
farmworkers in California, Florida, New
Mexico, Oregon, Texas, and Washington.

Investments of $14 million made
available in State Community
Development Block Grant Program
(CDBG) Colonia Set-Aside funds to Texas,
New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

A $2 million Lead Hazard Control Grant
to address housing-based lead hazards in
Cochise County, Arizona.



COCHISE COUNTY, ARIZONA, TARGETS HUD MONIES TO COLONIAS

The Housing Authority of Cochise County has received a $2 million
grant from HUD’s Lead Hazard Control Program to remediate lead
hazards in 108 privately owned housing units in colonias inTombstone
and Bisbee. The program will reduce the risk that lead paint will poison
the county's children by controlling existing lead hazards, providing
services to families of high-risk children, and building the county’s
capacity to prevent childhood lead poisoning. Because of Cochise
County’s Lead Hazard Control Grant, the Housing Authority is poised
to play an important role in Arizona's Strategic Plan for eliminating
childhood lead poisoning in Arizona by 2010.

Cochise County also received a $677,377 grant to implement the
Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA) Housing
Assistance Program (HHAP). Organizations that provide housing have
teamed with agencies that provide supportive services to focus on

the needs of persons living with HIV/AIDS in the colonias, especially
Hispanic farmworkers and chronically homeless people. The Housing
Authority of Cochise County will provide eligible families with tenant-
based rental assistance, housing information services, and emergency
housing assistance like short-term rent, mortgage, and utility payments.
This Special Project of National Significance will assist approximately
120 units of housing. A multidisciplinary team of partners including

the County Health Department, City of Douglas Housing Department,
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Southwest Fair Housing Council, and
Bisbee Coalition for the Homeless will strengthen the project by making
a variety of supportive services available.

12 DELIVERING RESULTS TO COLONIAS AND FARMWORKER COMMUNITIES