HACB Empowering Residents through HUD’s Choice Neighborhood Program: Mrs. Laura Villarreal achieves US Citizenship
(PRESS RELEASE) Brownsville, TX, April 18, 2018 – The Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville (HACB) along with the City of Brownsville was awarded a HUD Choice Neighborhood Planning Grant in June 2016 for the Buena Vida Neighborhood. The HACB Buena Vida Public Housing Development is the anchor of this project and it is located in the heart of the neighborhood which is the oldest community in Brownsville.
HACB has worked tirelessly to create new opportunities for the residents of the neighborhood. Along with the City, they have created Private Public Partnerships that have increased and improved the programs and projects for the families of Buena Vida. HACB understands that not only do they have the responsibility to develop affordable housing options, but more importantly connect their families to the tools and resources needed for them to become self-sufficient. A holistic approach to community development has become the strategic focus of HACB.
One of the programs born from the HUD Choice Neighborhood Planning Process was bringing citizenship classes to the neighborhood. In November of 2017, HACB entered into a Partnership with Proyecto Juan Diego (PJD) to address the need and interest voiced by our Buena Vida Community. Sister Phylis Peters is the Executive Director of PJD. They currently serve the community of Cameron County; however, they did not have a presence in the Buena Vida Community of Brownsville. Sister Phylis and Carla Mancha,CEO of HACB developed a partnership that is impacting families by bringing this program to the neighborhood. In addition, HACB and PJD are growing their partnership to address other needs of the community.
HACB is proud to announce that the first Buena Vida resident to complete the citizenship course and successfully qualify and be issued her US Citizenship status is Mrs. Laura Villarreal. Mrs. Villarreal became a Citizen of the United States of America on April 6th, 2018. She was born in Victoria, Tamaulipas, Mexico on November 15, 1949. She is married to Epigmenio Villarreal and is mother to two sons: Jaime Zuñiga and Luis Javier Villarreal and she has four grandchildren: Luis Javier, Rigoberto, Laura Patricia, and Samantha.
Mrs. Laura Villarreal is a resident of the Buena Vida Development and has lived there since 1990. Throughout the years, Mrs. Villarreal has worked persistently for a better quality of life not only for her family but for the residents of her community. She is a leader in her community and a great liaison between the families and the housing authority’s administration. She has held the position of President of the HACB Resident Advisory Board for the past five years and has been the President of the Buena Vida Resident Association for the past eight years. She exemplifies leadership in many ways but more importantly she leads by example.
Because of her perseverance and hard work Mrs. Villarreal is recipient of various accolades from the Buena Vida Community and due to her labor and passion to improve her neighborhood, City and HUD leadership know her by name. Her success is due, in part, to the different opportunities and initiatives that the Housing Authority of the City of Brownsville has offered and continues to offer to its families via the HUD Choice Neighborhood Program. She’s a strong proponent of the Choice Neighborhoods Initiative and is one of the Buena Vida Liaisons. Part of the success of the Buena Vida Choice Neighborhood Plan is due to her passion in helping the residents realize the benefits of initiatives such as these.
At the ceremony, San Antonio HUD Field Office Director Zuleika Morales-Romero presented Mrs. Villarreal with her US Citizenship Certificate. Ms. Morales-Romero has assisted the Brownsville community by supporting the efforts made by HACB but more importantly by providing guidance that has facilitated the progressive growth the agency has experienced.
The HACB Board of Commissioners are Chairman Patricio Sampayo, Vice Chairman John F. Cowen, Jr., Commissioner Noe Guerrero, Commissioner Michael Motyl, and Resident Commissioner Norma Zepeda. Chief Executive Officer is Carla Yvette Mancha.
