From Alpine Avalanche in West Texas...

West Texas counties get rural housing funds

Special to the Avalanche

WASHINGTON — Fourteen counties in the 23rd Congressional District — including Brewster, Jeff Davis, Culberson, Pecos, Reeves and Terrell in Far West Texas — received a combined $30 million in direct and guaranteed loans for rural housing.

The funding, administered by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, comes from the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, also known as the stimulus.

Money going to the following counties includes:

County Total amount # of loans Jobs created or saved

Bexar $16,213,704 120 201

Brewster $568,623 5 7

Crockett $71,050 1 1

Culberson $202,132 2 3

Dimmit $224,450 2 3

El Paso $3,770,268 37 47

Jeff Davis $111,224 1 1

Maverick $5,928,141 47 76

Medina $899,480 8 11

Pecos $1,135,696 13 14

Reeves $62,244 1 1

Terrell $169,938 2 2

Uvalde $805,543 9 11

Zavala $88,500 1 1

Total $30,250,993 241 365

“While the economic downturn affected all of us, rural residents were hit particularly hard,” said U.S. Rep. Ciro D. Rodriguez, whose 23rd District includes a substantial rural population. “This program is a life-saver for so many rural residents who have been unable to purchase their own homes. Once again, we are seeing that the Recovery Act is working to put people back on their feet, create and save jobs and stimulate our economy.”

Agriculture Deputy Secretary Kathleen Merrigan said more than 84,000 rural families have already become homeowners as a result of the Recovery Act. The number of loans nearly doubled from FY 2008 to FY 2009, due in part to stimulus dollars.

The USDA Rural Development uses Recovery Act funding to offer guaranteed and direct single-family housing loans to eligible rural residents.

Down payments are not required for direct and guaranteed loans, and payments for direct loans are based on a borrower’s income. USDA uses strict underwriting standards to assess each borrower’s credit, income and cash flow. As a result, this single-family-housing loan program has a low delinquency and default rate.

Funding for direct home loans is still available. For information on how to apply for USDA homeownership or rental housing assistance, contact any Rural Development state or area office. A list of these offices is available at www.rurdev.usda.gov.