HUD ANNOUNCES $4.5 MILLION IN GRANTS TO 13 HIGHER LEARNING INSTITUTIONS SERVING THE HISPANIC COMMUNITY

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development today announced $4.5 million in grants to assist 13 colleges and universities around the country that boast a significant Hispanic student population.

Colleges and universities use the funding for rehabilitating neighborhood housing for low- and moderate-income people, purchasing local property for community development purposes and helping neighborhood residents buy homes. In addition, the grants help to develop recreation, day care or senior centers, promote neighborhood fair housing programs and support a variety of other community projects.

"These grants are investments in both people and places," explained HUD Secretary Mel Martinez. "Not only will these funds help lift up neighborhoods but they will help build the next generation of great Americans who will go forth to create new jobs and economic opportunities in their own communities."

Institutions receiving Hispanic Serving Institutions Assisting Communities grants are:

HUD's Hispanic Serving Institutions Assisting Communities program provides funding for nonprofit institutions of higher learning that have a significant Hispanic undergraduate enrollment. Successful applicants must have a Hispanic undergraduate student body of at least 25 percent, half of whom come from low-income families.

Details on the grants announced today follows:

Fiscal Year 2001 Hispanic Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Grants

ARIZONA

Cochise College will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $319,290 to assist the Douglas Food Bank and the Douglas Entrepreneurial Center complete renovations on buildings that currently house these two agencies' programs and services. Upon completion of the renovations, the Douglas Food Bank will operate several supportive services programs for low-income people in the community. These renovations will also enable AriSEWna, an employee-owned cooperative sewing company, to expand its base of operations and take on eight new owners. Faculty and students of the College will actively participate in delivering health and education services at the site. The funds will provide the resources to enable low-income individuals and families in Douglas to become self-sufficient.

CALIFORNIA

Los Angeles Mission College will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $400,000 to implement a workforce development program. The project is a partnership between the College's One-Stop Center, GAIN/CalWorks, the Employment Development Department, and the Valley Economic Development Center. It will focus on the vocational skills of low- and moderate-income workers in small and medium-sized businesses in the Northeast San Fernando Valley. The project has two purposes - upgrading the skills of workers so they can move into higher level positions and increasing businesses' productivity as a result of a more highly skilled workforce.

Los Angeles Trade-Technical College will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $400,000 to assist community partners in the Vernon-Central neighborhood strengthen the economic capacity of residents, businesses, and community organizations. This grant will enable Trade-Tech to provide business outreach and technical assistance to 100 Vernon-Central merchants and train 60 local high school students in information and communications technology. With this funding the College will be able to extend its educational services into the community, provide service-learning opportunities for its students, and help develop the jobs and income potential of residents and businesses of one of Los Angeles' most distressed neighborhoods.

FLORIDA

Miami-Dade Community College/InterAmerican Campus will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $288,908 to construct a Community/Youth Center in Jose Marti Park in Miami's Little Havana. This project is a collaborative effort with the City of Miami Parks and Recreation Department, and three community-based organizations: Aspira (Puerto Rican), Center for Information (Haitian) and Abriendo Puertas (Cuban). The City has committed almost $1.8 million for the project. This grant will fund a multi-purpose room and four classrooms. Students from the College's School of Education will assist the Center staff in providing a wide range of services.

The University of Miami will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $399,995 to further revitalization efforts in the West Coconut Grove neighborhood. Under the grant, university faculty and students will be working on housing and commercial rehabilitation, which will provide new homeownership and business development opportunities in the neighborhood. The grant is intended to be a catalyst for further revitalization activities.

NEW YORK

Bronx Community College will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $400,000 to develop a state-of-the-art Professional Care Givers Institute in a predominantly Dominican neighborhood in the Bronx. The project will be undertaken in partnership with the Northern Manhattan Improvement Corporation. The Institute will address the workforce development needs of both health care employees and employers. It will provide residents of the Washington Heights/Inwood community, many of whom are recent immigrants with limited English proficiency, with high quality training that will prepare them for entry-level caregiver positions that have career advancement potential. It will also address the health care industry's critical need for bilingual home health and personal care aides.

Lehman College will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $210,952 to provide job training and business assistance services to the north Bronx neighborhoods of Norwood, Bedford Park, and Kingsbridge Heights. Despite the presence of two large hospitals and numerous small businesses in the area, there are serious local concerns about the long-term viability of these businesses and their ability to provide employment opportunities for residents. In order to address this problem, the grant will enable the College and the Mosholu Preservation Corporation to conduct outreach to new and established merchants to help their businesses succeed. In addition, the College and the Mosholu Montefiore Community Center will train community youth workers to work with other youths in preventing violence and providing career counseling.

TEXAS

Del Mar College will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $400,000 to build a Center for Early Learning. Existence of the Center will enable low-income families, especially those enrolled in welfare-to-work programs, to obtain affordable, high quality childcare for children under 14. The goal of the project is to serve 450 children annually. Students at the College will assist in providing services to the children attending the Center.

San Jacinto College North will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $399,890 to build the Galena Park Community Resource and Training Center. The College will demolish an existing structure and construction of a modular building on the site, which is owned by the Galena Park Independent School District. In addition, the grant will fund the operation of the Center, which will be undertaken with a wide range of community partners including the School District, the Harris County Community Development Department, the North Channel Area Chamber of Commerce, LULAC, and the Community Hospital Fund. The Center will offer workforce training and job placement assistance, among other services.

Southwest Texas Junior College will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $400,000 to renovate an existing building and turn it into a job training center. The building, the Frank Chisum Technical Center, is located in Eagle Pass, Texas and owned by the local school district. Once the building is renovated, the College, the school district, the City of Eagle Pass, and the Middle Rio Grande Workforce Board will offer a combination of training programs and opportunities for low- and moderate-income residents. Training will focus on enabling people to become certified diesel mechanics. With the increase in cross-border ground transportation and the lessening of NAFTA restrictions, the City is an ideal location for such a training program. The program will enable local residents to become self-sufficient by working in the rapidly growing transportation industry.

Texas A&M International University will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $150,479 to increase business enterprise for colonias residents. The quality of life in colonias areas lags far behind the rest of the State of Texas. While past efforts have focused on improving the physical infrastructure, lack of attention to economic development issues has meant that colonias families continue to remain poor. The grant will enable the University to undertake the following activities to begin to address this problem: a diagnostic assessment of colonia economic development activity; business performance audits; business start-up and development workshops; individual counseling and technical assistance; and micro loan-linked management and technical assistance. The project includes 12 community partners representing public and private interests, as well as many faculty members and students.

The University of the Incarnate Word will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $399,948 to construct a community learning facility in the South Presa neighborhood. The 3,600 square foot facility will offer the following services: micro-enterprise assistance, computer literacy and job training, tutoring and mentoring, and an oral history compilation. These activities will build on university service learning projects already taking place in the neighborhood. The project will be undertaken in partnership with the Presa Community Center, Presa Real, a community development corporation, and the San Antonio Independent School District.

WASHINGTON

Yakima Valley Community College will receive a Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities Program Grant of $397,766 for the renovation of two building that will serve as Family Resource Centers. These buildings, located in Yakima and Grandview, will provide educational resources and community programs to empower parents as teachers and mentors for their own children. Families will also be provided with increased access to telecommunications technology and to literature, games, videos, and other teaching tools to enhance children's learning capacities. Community partners on this project include the Salvation Army, Grandview and Yakima Public School Districts, Yakima Valley Gear Up, the Yakima Department of Community Development, and the United Way.