Congressman Rubén Hinojosa Announces Grant Award For Affordable Housing in San Juan

Washington, D.C. – May 7, 2010 – (RealEstateRama) — U.S. Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (TX-15) announced that part of a national grant for $10 Million was recently awarded to develop eleven units of affordable housing in San Juan, Texas. The funding comes from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s Self-Help Homeownership Opportunity Program (SHOP) along with the Housing Assistance Council (HAC). Through those entities, a recoverable grant was awarded to Proyecto Azteca which will oversee the program in Texas.

“These federal programs are working with state and local entities to create better living conditions for people in the Rio Grande Valley”, said Hinojosa. “My office has and will continue to work to provide opportunities for the residents of District 15”.

The way the program works, is that each homebuying family in this year’s SHOP program will contribute nearly 800 hours of construction labor. This labor reduces the cost of the units, which makes them affordable to low-income participants who live in rural areas.

“Financial literacy goes hand in hand with being a successful homeowner”, said Hinojosa. “We are not only helping families afford a home, we are working to help them stay in their homes by teaching them how to budget their expenses”.

The $10 Million dollars will be used throughout the country to develop 657 dwellings. In San Juan, Proyecto Azteca will oversee the construction of eleven units and provide training homeownership and budgeting for the participating families.