Residents raise concerns over renewal of Hidalgo Community Service Agency action plan – Progress Times

On Monday, the Hidalgo County Community Service Agency conducted a survey in communities across the county to determine citizen concerns and improve its programs for low-income households.

As the Urban County Block Grant Program approaches a new annual cycle, the County is prepared to recreate a consolidated plan and strategy for the next three to five years and establish a 2024 action plan to better serve the at-risk population.

According to the preliminary summary of the 2024 Action Plan, “The Action Plan describes the activities that will be carried out with funds from the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), the HOME Investment Partnership Program (HOME), and the Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG) to achieve the objectives set out in the County of Hidalgo’s Consolidated Plan and Strategy (CON-PLAN).”

Federal law requires a needs analysis process to develop an action plan for renewal of the Community Services Block Grant. The analysis consists of five phases: assessment, planning, recommendation, achievement of results, and evaluation.

For the first stop, the Community Service Agency (CSA), in collaboration with Absolute Business Consulting (ABC), gathered Third District citizens for a forum at the Third District Training Building.

Input is required

“We receive what’s called a Community Services Block Grant, and that makes our agency a Community Action Agency,” said Executive Director Jaime Longoria. “We get to decide how to spend and allocate those funds to help the vulnerable populations of Hidalgo County.”

As the CSA reevaluates its Con Plan for 2023-2027 and develops an annual action plan, the county is required to seek input from low-income families, who make up 27.4% of Hidalgo County’s population, according to the U.S. Census.

“To address poverty in these areas, it is so important that we find locally-focused solutions to local problems,” Longoria said. “We will work together to develop a set of answers, a list of reasons why people live in poverty. We will develop tailored solutions as part of a strategic plan that sets the direction for the next three years.”

After an hour of open dialogue, residents agreed on the problems facing their community and discussed the decisions they believed the district should implement.

Eyes on the Colonies

Residents of the surrounding Colonies expressed concerns about funding for dental and vision insurance, emergency services, continuing education, English classes for Spanish speakers, home repairs after a week of heavy rain, problems with utility bills, and assistance to undocumented immigrants.

“We need public lighting,” said Irma Torres, who colony Las Comadres explained that there is a need for lights on the streets. “It is so dark.”

Third District residents vote on which issues they consider most important during a meeting on Monday, June 24, 2024. Photo by Maria Ruiz.

Maria Antonia Lopez, who lived in an old colonysaid her house flooded due to poor drainage and she had to fill the foundation with soil, which cost her money.

“It’s a problem,” Lopez said, also speaking on behalf of her neighbors who had the same problem. “It’s been a month since I paid $100, and now I have the problem again.”

These concerns include that access to these resources may be difficult for low-income families and that they may be inaccessible to non-citizens in the Valley.

Frances Quintanilla, a member of La Union Del Pueblo (LUPE), said most low-income families and individuals are ineligible due to a lack of citizenship. LUPE works to provide social services and education to vulnerable communities.

“It makes us sad because our hands are tied, but we can’t,” said Quintanilla. “There is always the problem that they don’t qualify.”

Low-income families not only suffer from insecurity regarding their jobs, health insurance or housing, but mental health is also a major problem.

“We see it every day,” Quintanilla said.

Outreach does not reach all

This feedback also highlighted a lack of public relations at CSA – the lack of physical public relations in an age where everything is dominated by digitalization.

“What about communities that don’t have phones or computers – who helps them?” asked Lydia Cerda from Palmview. “Who does something for them?”

As of June 26, the CSA portal for utility assistance will be temporarily closed due to a high volume of applications – a process from which non-technical citizens are excluded.

The group of over half a dozen residents spoke about the lack of peer-to-peer community outreach, which left others in the dark about social programs.

Longoria told the Progress Times that public outreach remains a problem, noting that previous assessments have highlighted obstacles in informing the public.

“The issue of families not knowing how to find their way, how to find us or other social services, comes up time and time again. The issue came up three years ago. The issue came up six years ago. The issue came up nine years ago,” he said. “I know that’s one of the issues where we need to continue to work with our sister agencies and other social services agencies throughout Hidalgo County to better reach these vulnerable populations.”

Local resident Eva Chavez said community centers that offer program information should be located closer to Colonies — Answering a question about what residents would improve with a hypothetical $2 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development — an idea Longoria brought up at the end of the meeting.

“We’ve heard there’s a lack of community centers,” Longoria said. “If we’re not there day in and day out, it’s hard to build that relationship… We need to make more of an effort to get out there and get to know these communities.”

At the conclusion of the meeting, CSA and ABC gathered information to shed light on the issues that vulnerable residents in the county may face.

Is the funding sufficient?

Marco Lopez, a community organizer with LUPE who works hand-in-hand with low-income residents, said $2 million seemed too little for a single district’s list of problems.

“These were a lot of problems they (the residents) had. But with the $2 million, it doesn’t seem like they (the CSA) can help much. The list is huge,” Marco Lopez said, pointing to the need for help in a large amount, such as utility bills, insurance, home repairs and programs for undocumented residents. “One number will be smaller: you will help a lot of people and provide one service, or you will provide a lot of services and only be able to help a few people.”

The Hidalgo CSA executive director said funds are always needed for Urban County Development Block grants and programs that help people escape poverty.

“There is always a need for more,” Longoria said, noting that District Judge Richard Cortez is working to provide additional funding and advocate for an education program.

However, not all CSA programs receive sufficient funding.

“Our agency’s other program is called LIHEAP (Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program). It’s our utility assistance program,” Longoria said, before offering a harsh perspective on the limited resources for high-need assistance: Not everyone can get help.

“This program (LIHEAP) is out of money this year. You know, we’re six months into the year and we’re almost done,” he said.

Longoria said there is an ongoing need for funding and that the county hopes to find a solution with federal lawmakers.

However, the survey will help the CSA focus on five key issues across the four districts before formulating a plan and raising funds for residents in need.

Longoria said Pct. 3’s contribution was just one part of a new action plan.

“This is just the beginning of a big discussion,” he said.