Henry Cuellar

Washington, D.C. – The Office of Congressman Henry Cuellar joins the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to announce $1.6 million in grants to stimulate job growth and business opportunities in chronically underserved rural areas along the Texas-Mexico border region.

According to a press release from his secretary, Cuellar’s Hidalgo County Outreach Coordinator, Alexis Gallegos, attended the event along with HUD Region VI Administrator, Tammye Treviño.

HUD grants will provide direct investment and technical assistance to community development lending and investing institutions that focus on affordable housing, small business and community facilities to benefit the residents of colonias. HUD announced grants to the following organizations:

Grantee: Accion Texas (San Antonio, TX)
Amount: $800,000
Target Markets: 87 eligible colonias spanning 12 border counties in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona

Grantee: Affordable Homes of South Texas (McAllen, TX)
Amount: $600,000
Target Markets: Colonias located in Hidalgo, Willacy, Cameron, El Paso, and Webb counties.

Grantee: Community Resource Group, Inc. (Fayetteville, AR)
Amount: $200,000
Target Markets: Colonias along Texas-Mexico Border to include Starr, Hidalgo, Cameron, and Willacy counties.

For more information on the Border Initiatives Grant, visit http://portal.hud.gov/hudportal/HUD?src=/program_offices/comm_planning/economicdevelopment/programs/rhed/bcci.