South Texas communities chase federal dollars for their next big projects

EDINBURG — A U.S. Department of Agriculture Rural Development Texas Team forum Thursday connected local stakeholders with federal representatives who may be able to help them get their hands on federal funds.

The forum included presenters from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the U.S. Small Business Administration, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the USDA.

They talked about a litany of programs and funding opportunities, what those programs are supposed to accomplish and how to go about getting the funding. Those programs focused on everything from housing to healthcare.

“We try to do the best we can with the funds that we’re given and we try to stretch those dollars as best as we can to the people with the most needs, our communities with the most needs,” said James Redfield, the U.S. Department of Agriculture State Director of Rural Development in Texas.

Redfield told attendees that if they’re interested in pursuing funding they should apply early and be prepared, advising them to have their finances in good order if they want to be successful.

Resources, he said, are available to help prospective participants apply.

“A lot goes into this, and we just want to help you be as successful as you can,” he said.

Perhaps the main attraction of the forum wasn’t the presentation itself so much as the opportunity for locals to swap business cards and network with federal representatives who are experts in navigating application processes that are sometimes intimidating in scope. 

That was the case for representatives from Sullivan City who attended the event.

“There’s so many grants and so many loans available, but you have to tap into what the community needs and focus on that so you can go in the right direction,” Sullivan City Mayor Sylvia Castillo said. “Let’s say you want to focus on low-income housing. Which way do I go?”

Knowing the right people to talk to, Castillo said, is a big part of figuring out which way to go.

“It’s a matter of getting the contact numbers. Person A leads you to Person B, and they may say you actually need to speak to Person C,” she said.

Federal funding has been important in Sullivan City. The long-awaited $4.7 million El Faro Flood Mitigation Project, which is meant to upgrade one of the town’s busiest streets and alleviate flooding, received significant funding through the USDA.

It’s one of the bigger investments into Sullivan’s infrastructure in recent years, and City Manager Richard Ozuna says he hopes ideas and contacts made at Thursday’s forum pave the way for other development.

“We’re a small rural community,” he said. “There’s a lot of investors that are interested, so we’re trying to team them up with the property owners, and then with the Rural Development and USDA, team them up so they can apply for low-interest loans and develop a good housing project or a small business.”

According to Redfield, similar forums may be held across the region in the future.