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Monday, July 28, 2003

HUD Delivers Inaugural Training at Innovative Women's Center in New Mexico Colonia

It may have been a hot July day in Anthony, New Mexico, but HUD trainers and participants in a recent workshop were cool inside the "rammed earth" walls of the Women's Intercultural Center.

The newly constructed Women's Intercultural Center in Anthony, New Mexico, houses one of HUD's exemplary faith-based partners.

A woman learns alternative construction skills while building the Women's Intercultural Center.

New Mexico FHEO Director Jon Roybal delivers training on Title VII of the 1968 Civil Rights Act in the Center's new Gathering Room. The training was the first ever held at the Center.

The topic was fighting predatory practices, as staff from HUD's New Mexico Office and the Office of Departmental Operations and Coordination, Southwest Border Region Initiatives, trained a Spanish-speaking audience.

The location was equally inspiring, since the beautiful 7000 square foot Center was recently constructed by Center-trained women and other colonia residents. The construction project taught residents about home weatherization, solar energy, and building with alternative materials - such as the recycled tires and rammed earth used in the facility - while providing 30 jobs to the community.

Colonias are rural communities located within 150 miles of the US-Mexican Border that often lack the basic infrastructure most Americans take for granted, such as running water, electricity and paved roads. The Women's Intercultural Center, serving the Anthony colonia since 1993, is an example of a faith-based organization that partners with HUD to serve the needs of colonia residents.

In fact, Center founder Sister Kathleen Erickson has recently been nominated for the McAuley Institute's Courage in Community Award, for being "the angel that was brought to the community to provide a vibrant, evolving space for women to regain their self esteem and provide better lives for their families."