News Release

Information by State  Print version

To qualify for funding, at least 25 percent of the institution's full-time undergraduate student population must be Hispanic. In addition, all applicants must offer two- or four-year degrees that are fully accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. HUD's grants will help these institutions undertake a wide variety of activities, particularly those that benefit lower income residents. These activities may include:

• Acquiring property;
• Demolishing blighted structures;
• Rehabilitating homes, including cleaning up lead-based paint hazards and making modifications that improve accessibility;
• Improving public facilities such as water and sewer systems;
• Providing downpayment and closing cost assistance to low- and moderate-income homebuyers;
• Offering assistance to small businesses, including minority-owned enterprises;
• Assisting community-based development organizations to carry out neighborhood revitalization; and
• Supporting public services such as job training, child care, fair housing, and housing counseling.

The Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC) Program is one of several initiatives administered by HUD's Office of University Partnerships (OUP). Established in 1994, OUP is a catalyst for partnering colleges and universities with their communities in an effort to address local problems. For more information about HUD's partnership with institutions of higher learning, visit HUD's website.

###

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to sustaining homeownership; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and supporting the homeless, elderly, people with disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes economic and community development and enforces the nation's fair housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov.

Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC) Program Summaries

CALIFORNIA

University Corporation at Monterey Bay
$599,298

The University Corporation at Monterey Bay, associated with California State University, Monterey Bay (CSUMB), intends to use its Hispanic-Serving Institutions Assisting Communities (HSIAC) grant to transform a building that has not been used in 30 years into a vibrant cultural showcase. The cornerstone of the project is the renovation of the Republic Café into the Asian Cultural Center and Museum. CSUMB will launch the first economic-based building in Chinatown in 50 years by stabilizing and remodeling the first floor of the Republic Café to useable space that meets environment, building, and permit requirements; create an Asian Cultural Center and identify and gather (virtual and tangible) cultural artifacts that tell the story of the impact of immigrants on the development of the Salinas Valley; and provide employment opportunities for unemployed persons in construction and museum operation. A minimum of 20 percent of the work force in the construction and operation will be low- or very-low-income (Section 3) individuals. For more information, contact Seth Pollack at 831-582-3914.

Woodbury University
$600,000

Woodbury University intends to use its HSIAC grant for their "Design Assistance for Water- and Energy-Wise Communities" project, which will unify local governments, community stakeholders, and higher education faculty and students to address urgent water and energy problems that are undermining the quality of life in low- and middle-income communities. The proposed project will impact thousands of low- and moderate-income residents who live in the City of Burbank, California, and Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, through innovative solutions to water and energy conservation and public education events. It will also disseminate the project's documentation as a model that will reach thousands of the nation's future architects. The goal of this project is to pair Woodbury University students with local community partners in Burbank, California, and Rio Arriba County, New Mexico, to address pressing community development needs for water and energy conservation in the built environment. For more information, contact Peter Arnold at 818-767-0888, extension 335.

COLORADO

Adams State College
$599,935

Adams State College intends to use its grant to launch the Home Owner preparedness, including all People, for one Environment (HOPE) program. HOPE is a community-based collaborative project designed to increase economic and housing affordability to youth, provide job training for people with disabilities, and organizing the community around environmental opportunities. HOPE entails three separate, but related programs: the "Financial Development" program is aimed at providing youth with financial skills in order to better their chances of obtaining higher education and homeownership. The "Ability" program works with disabled individuals who want to learn life, job and business skills. The "Eco-org" project supports green industry, job development, and community organizing around environmental issues. All activities involve education and training related to economic and community asset development. For more information, contact Mary Hoffman at 719-587-7372.

ILLINOIS

Elgin Community College
$600,000

Elgin Community College (ECC) will provide services in four targeted low-income communities during the 3-year period, within the municipalities of Carpentersville, Elgin, South Elgin and Streamwood, and at four businesses with low- or moderate-income workers located in Elgin, South Elgin, and St. Charles in Illinois. The HSIAC project, ECC Community Economic Assistance Outreach Program, will consist of: conducting outreach within targeted communities to identify and recruit individuals who are unemployed or underemployed; providing training to incumbent workers who qualify as low- to moderate-income individuals; providing training in specific industries (including green technologies/green jobs); and providing follow-up to help ensure that workers seek gainful employment or advance their careers. For more information, contact Susan VanWeelden at 847-214-7820.

PUERTO RICO

Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico
$599,398

The Conservatory of Music of Puerto Rico intends to fund its "Creative Economy: Santurce Economic Development Initiative." This is a partnership between the Conservatory, public agencies, nonprofit community organizations, and another Hispanic-Serving Institution of Higher Education to expand the role of the Conservatory in addressing community needs in the San Juan barrio of Santurce, where it is located, emphasizing three target low-income communities: Barrio Obrero, Villa Palmeras, and Tras Talleres. It will focus in developing business opportunities related to the booming urban music phenomenon, very characteristic of the broader Santurce community. The HSIAC Creative Economy initiative will provide financial education training and literacy to the target communities, and encourage referrals to allied business development service centers so its residents are able to develop viable businesses and microenterprises. In the process, it will outreach and recruit music performers, producers and others interested in developing careers in music and develop, stabilize, and expand their music-related microenterprises. To facilitate this, they will be offered specialized financial education, technical assistance, business and music trade training, and mentoring/coaching, so they can successfully develop viable business plans and gain access to micro-loan opportunities. For more information, contact Mara del Carmen Gill at 787-763-7005.

Universidad del Turabo
$528,136

The Universidad del Turabo (UT) will implement "Moving Communities Towards Progress and Economic Development," an initiative that will facilitate job growth and improve the quality of life for those living in the target distressed communities. The initiative is designed to increase economic opportunities through job training, employment opportunities, capacity building, employment counseling, and intensive follow-up. Strategies and innovative programs such as those proposed in the UT project are imminent to the socioeconomic development of Puerto Rico. This will be possible by integrating public and private employers with the UT Community Career Center, thus capitalizing on the synergy to better serve those in need. The main activity proposed requires the rental/lease of a mobile unit that will be used to house economic development activities and services that complement the UT Community Career Center, but in new physical settings not currently available, thus broadening the reach of the Center's service area. This unit will house the permanent university partnership headquarters for microenterprise and employment development activities and services that will integrate UT faculty, students, public and private entities, including, but not limited to community and faith-based organizations, and the industrial sector partners in Puerto Rico. This will be possible given an agreement made with the Ana G. Mendez University System Centers established island wide. For more information, contact Betsy Vidal at 787-743-7979.

NEW MEXICO

Regents of New Mexico State University–Doña Ana Community College
$600,000

Doña Ana Community College, in conjunction with the Mesquite Neighborhood Learning Center, intends to initiate job and life skills training, as well as social services, to the Mesquite district to address the economic development of the community. The workforce training will include educational and vocational training. Educational training includes job readiness, computer classes, General Equivalency Diploma assistance, English as a Second Language, and college preparation. The vocational training includes first aid, CPR and home provider care, childcare, custodial services, home repair, and food services preparation. These services are in high demand in the local area. This training will prepare clients for employment and address barriers that prevent clients from obtaining and maintaining successful employment. Job placement will be available for participants that successfully complete the vocational trainings as well as for the clients that transition to credit classes at DACC. The life skills training will include health, counseling services, financial literacy, sewing/art and crafts, homeownership, and special topics. For more information, contact John Walker at 575-528-7220.

TEXAS

El Paso County Community College District
$600,000

El Paso County Community College (EPCC) District intends to construct a Community Literacy Center to be located adjacent to the Northwest Community Library at the EPCC Northwest (NW) Campus located in northwest El Paso County in Canutillo, Texas. The center will be a public facility and will serve all members of the community by providing comprehensive community-building initiatives. The area is semi-rural and experiencing substantial residential and commercial development. Most of the service area falls outside of the city limits and has limited social services available. In partnership with Canutillo Independent School District and the City of El Paso-El Paso Public Library, EPCC will use the center as an inclusive community-based effort to unite local residents, nonprofits, and grassroots organizations and education services and will be a catalyst for community development in a centralized, accessible location in one community-focused facility. For more information, contact Alfred Lawrence at 915-831-4463.

WASHINGTON

Heritage University
$599,975

Heritage University (HU) intends to use its HSIAC grant to directly impact the economic conditions of Yakima County and its large Hispanic population through the following three-pronged approach: provide Certified Tourism Ambassador (CTA) training for small businesses; development of an entrepreneur center; and offer predatory lending workshops. Heritage will use its faculty and business students to train local businesses from across Yakima County on tourism knowledge, etiquette, and customer service skills. After participants complete the session, they will become Certified Tourism Ambassadors (CTAs). This will provide them with distinction amongst customers and peers and encourage more employees of customer-serving businesses to gain this training. These sessions will be conducted in both English and Spanish. The objective is to provide all local businesses that may interact with tourists in any way with an understanding of excellent customer service. The entrepreneur center will be a comprehensive university-supported center serving the region and led by the HU Business Department. The center will make available the research tools needed to successfully start, manage, and effectively run a small business. A special focus will be access to information on financial resources. Finally, HU will develop a countywide program to encourage local residents and business owners to attend predatory lending educational workshops. They will provide community members first-hand information about avoiding predatory lending practices. Heritage students have also committed to help disseminate information and recruit families and local businesses for these workshops. For more information, contact Ricardo Valdez at 509-865-8674.

Columbia Basin College
$600,000

Columbia Basin College (CBC) will implement their proposed Façade Improvement, Revitalization and Support Training (FIRST) program. The proposed FIRST program will use the expertise of faculty and students, and in partnership with community organizations, address two urgent areas of community development needs - downtown economic revitalization and continuing education. CBC faculty and students will work collaboratively with the Pasco Downtown Development Association and the City of Pasco to develop a comprehensive marketing plan to increase the business traffic flow in the downtown business core. Efforts will include enhancing existing downtown events, creating promotional materials, establishing marketing strategies, and identifying new opportunities. Additionally, student design teams supervised by CBC faculty and local architecture firms will work with local downtown businesses to design and construct improved storefronts. CBC will collaborate with the PDDA, Tri Cities Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the Small Business Development Center, the City of Pasco, and downtown merchants to develop a customized curriculum of bilingual business seminars. Seminars designed for CBC FIRST participants will consist of six seminars offered quarterly. For more information, contact Brett Riley at 509-542-4763.