Texas Border Business
EDINBURG, Texas – Area colonias will have an opportunity to share what life is like in low-income neighborhoods as part of a fact-finding community forum to help Hidalgo County mitigate the effects of poverty.
WHO: Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force
WHAT: Community forum to discuss the impact of poverty in colonias and other low income neighborhoods
WHEN: Thursday, December 1, 2022, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m.
WHERE: Hidalgo County Precinct 2 Community Resource Center, at 1429 S. Tower Road in Alamo
The initiative is part of what is known as the Prosperity Task Force, a group made up of community leaders and policymakers to address the unusually high rate of poverty in Hidalgo County. The Task Force is an initiative of Hidalgo County Judge Richard F. Cortez who has made addressing local poverty a priority of his administration.
“Hidalgo County has a poverty rate that could be as high as 40 percent, which is much higher than the statewide or national poverty rate,” Judge Cortez said. “Lowering this rate even slightly could impact thousands of our residents for the better. Research shows that adopting certain policies and making certain investments not only help those in need, but reduce costs to the community and government. That is the aim of this task force.”
Members of the Task Force will be present to listen, clarify and dialogue with the community on this critical issue. This engagement will assist the Task Force in setting goals and developing a strategy to help low income residents. Dr. Francisco Guajardo, Director of the Museum of South Texas History, will be facilitating the forum.
