skip to main content
skip to newscasts

Friday, March 29, 2024

Public News Service Logo
facebook instagram linkedin reddit youtube twitter
view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

The latest on the Key Bridge collapse, New York puts forth legislation to get clean energy projects on the grid and Wisconsin and other states join a federal summer food program to help feed kids across the country.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Republicans float conspiracy theories on the collapse of Baltimore's Key Bridge, South Carolina's congressional elections will use a map ruled unconstitutional, and the Senate schedules an impeachment trial for Homeland Secretary Mayorkas.

view newscast page
play newscast audioPlay

Historic wildfires could create housing and health issues for rural Texans, a Kentucky program helps prison parolees start a new life, and descendants of Nicodemus, Kansas celebrate the Black settlers who journeyed across the 1870s plains seeking self-governance.

Affordable Housing Group Challenges TX Developers to Build More Sustainably

play audio
Play

Friday, December 30, 2011   

SAN JUAN, Texas – For 20 years, a small housing program has been helping migrant workers and other limited-income families escape the ramshackle colonias of south Texas, building about 50 affordable homes a year. With its self-help philosophy, Proyecto Azteca offers zero-interest mortgages to residents willing to invest hundreds of hours of "sweat equity" as they learn construction and home-ownership skills.

In January, the group begins breaking new ground with its latest project. The 32 homes in Edcouch, Texas, will adhere to the U.S. Green Building Council's Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) program standards. It's a neighborhood that should be a model of sustainability for any developer, according to Proyecto Azteca Executive Director Ann Williams Cass.

"If a little nonprofit like Proyecto Azteca can build a sustainable home – silver LEED-certifiable – and still make it affordable, all building contractors should be able to follow suit."

Built with insulated concrete forms, the homes will include solar water heaters, rainwater-harvesting systems, Energy Star appliances, foam insulation - and they'll be designed to withstand the Valley's extreme weather.

Cass says residents will be required to contribute 550 work hours during the construction of their homes. They will also take classes in home budgeting, home repair, organic gardening and sustainable living.

"We all should be more concerned about how we're utilizing resources and what kind of a carbon footprint we leave."

She says funding comes primarily from U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development grants, as well as private foundations.

In an effort to elevate families out of notoriously unhealthy conditions found in colonia neighborhoods, Cass says the new community will feature playgrounds, trails, streetlights, a park, and a community center.

"Sixty-one percent of the children who live in colonias are morbidly obese. Part of that problem is because they don't have sidewalks, they don't have garbage collection, they don't have a park or a place where they can go and exercise."

She expects the neighborhood to be complete in about 18 months, adding that Proyecto Azteca will incorporate similar features into its future projects.



get more stories like this via email

more stories
A report from the Tennessee HealthCare Campaign recommended the federal government needs to strengthen 340B drug pricing and other federal negotiation mechanisms to make needed medicines more readily available and less expensive for hospitals to purchase and administer. (Spotmatikphoto/AdobeStock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

A recent report examined how some rural Tennessee hospitals have managed to stay afloat despite financial challenges. The report includes interviews …


Social Issues

play sound

Earlier this month, a new Arizona Public Service rate hike went into effect and one senior advocacy group said those on a fixed income may struggle …

Social Issues

play sound

Michigan recently implemented a significant juvenile justice reform package following recommendations from a task force made up of prosecutors…


Nearly 13 million Americans receive health coverage through unique plans under both Medicare and Medicaid. They are known as Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plans. (Adobe Stock)

Health and Wellness

play sound

Medicare and Medicaid are key sources of health coverage for many Americans and some people qualify for assistance under both programs. With lagging …

Social Issues

play sound

New research shows more than six in 10 abortions in the U.S. last year were medically induced, and U.S. Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto - D-NV - is …

Social Issues

play sound

Missouri lawmakers are concerned with protecting people from the potential risks of the increasing accessibility of AI-generated images and videos…

Social Issues

play sound

A 2023 study from the University of Nebraska Medical Center concluded the number of Nebraskans with a mental health or substance abuse disorder has pr…

 

Phone: 303.448.9105 Toll Free: 888.891.9416 Fax: 208.247.1830 Your trusted member- and audience-supported news source since 1996 Copyright © 2021