Message
from Tammye Treviño, Administrator
Bio
It is a great privilege to serve as
the Administrator of Rural Housing and Community Facilities programs at USDA
Rural Development. I have worked for over 25 years in community and
economic development in rural America, and I know the critical role USDA
housing and community facilities programs play in creating wealth, expanding
economic opportunity, and improving quality of life for rural residents.
President Obama strongly believes that all Americans
should have access to safe, decent, affordable housing. USDA housing
programs have a vital role to play in achieving the president vision in
rural communities across the country, where housing needs are significant
and where communities face unique challenges. I am committed to working
tirelessly to improve our programs and expand their reach so that more and
more Americans can benefit from housing opportunities provided through USDA.
One of my top
priorities as Administrator is to improve customer service delivery across
our programs. I want individuals, lenders, non-profits, community
organizations, and other groups to want to do business with USDA. You
should know that our door is always open and that we will be a respectful,
responsive partner.
But improved customer
service is not enough. I am committed to redoubling our efforts to reach
people who live in areas that have historically been underserved by USDA
Rural Development. A large part of this outreach effort will target
very-low income residents residents who have traditionally made up a small
portion of our borrowers, but who are in great need of assistance in finding
quality, affordable housing in their communities.
In an effort to reach
these potential borrowers, I recently launched the Single-Family Housing
Outreach Initiative. This program, funded through the American Recovery and
Reinvestment Act, will place about 30 loan specialists in persistent poverty
counties including the colonias along the U.S.-Mexico border
across the country where they will be tasked with originating new direct
home loans. This effort is the first step in reaching rural residents who
are most in need, and the experience we gain and the lessons we learn from
this initiative will improve our long-term efforts to reach these residents
consistently.
Our Community Facilities programs also have an important role to play in
improving the lives of rural Americans, financing a wide range of essential
community buildings. Community Facilities loans and grants expand access to
health care in rural communities by financing hospitals, medical clinics and
assisted living facilities. They support first responder efforts at fire,
rescue stations and police stations. And they finance the construction of
schools, day care centers, community centers, transportation infrastructure,
and much more. In an effort to improve access to information and
educational materials across rural communities, we are committed to spending
$100 million to finance libraries in rural communities by the end of the
2010 fiscal year.
Over the past year, I have had the great privilege of
traveling to all corners of the country to meet with people on the ground in
our nation rural communities. I have learned so much on these trips.
While I cannot make it to every community, I hope to hear from community
leaders, housing advocates, borrowers, lenders, and other interested
individuals about how we can expand and improve our programs. Please send
questions, comments and feedback to
rhs@wdc.usda.gov or call my office at (202) 690-1533.
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