Grants Awarded for the Humanitarian Relief for Unaccompanied Children and Families
Written by admin, Jun 20, 2018, Comments Off
Courtesy Paul Townsend,
MCALLEN, TX – Today, after tireless efforts between Senator Juan “Chuy” Hinojosa, Congressman Henry Cuellar, Congressman John Cornyn, Governor Greg Abbott, and McAllen Mayor Jim Darling, the Homeland Security Grants Division (HSGD) of the Governor’s Office announced the awarding of grants to several local entities for Humanitarian Relief for Unaccompanied Children and Families.
Together, Catholic Charities of the Rio Grande Valley, the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley, and the City of McAllen were awarded over $350,000 in federal funds. These grant funds are to reimburse the entities for costs such as food, shelter transportation, and medical expenses incurred between 2014 and 2016 due to the large amount of unaccompanied minors crossing the U.S.-Mexico border into Texas.
In 2015, Senator Hinojosa, in coordination with Congressman Cuellar, added a measure into the state supplemental appropriations bill to reflect a provision in a federal appropriations bill that would allow the state to use Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds to reimburse the entities for their costs incurred to provide humanitarian relief. However, due to misinformation from FEMA, the release of the funds was delayed.
In 2017, Senator Hinojosa met with Governor Abbott’s staff who agreed to send a letter to FEMA requesting that previously awarded but unspent 2014 Homeland Security Grant Program (HSGP) funds be returned to the State of Texas to relieve the financial burden on our border communities from humanitarian relief efforts. FEMA approved the request and, following an application process, granted the funds.
