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Open letter dated March 4, 2011 from Kathy Tyler, MET Housing Services Director:

Dear Friends of Farmworkers:
Instead of a statewide Farmworker Housing Summit in Austin, this year MET is sponsoring a series of “mini-regional” summits to give participants a chance to tour farmworker housing facilities in several different parts of the state.

We’re happy to announce our Lower Rio Grande Valley Summit scheduled for March 24-25 in Weslaco, scheduled for the afternoon of Thursday March 24 and the morning of Friday March 25. We’re grateful to the Hidalgo County Housing Authority, our hosts of the gathering to be held at its community room at 1800 North Texas Blvd, Weslaco TX. We’ll get a chance to tour farm labor housing units and to visit a home recently rehabilitated by MET on behalf of its farmworker owner.

We would be honored if you can join us.

In addition to visiting single-family and multi-family examples of housing for farmworkers, a rich exchange of ideas is planned. We’ll hear about the growing demographics in the Rio Grande Valley and the changing agricultural economy. We’ll hear about an approved new farmworker housing facility in Edcouch. RGV Senator Lucio introduced an Ag Worker Housing Initiative in Senate Bill 825. We will discuss it and other federal and state funding and program proposals specific to the region and to the state.

We are hoping to gather many of the helpful, inspiring participation from the variety of stakeholders who have participated in past summits, including:

• The University of Texas-Pan American
• Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs
• USDA State & National Office
• Texas Workforce Commission
• Housing Assistance Council’s national and regional offices
• Texas Low Income Housing Information Service
• Texas Ag Employers
• Rural Housing Developers
• Farmworker Housing Managers
• Farmworker Advocates
• MET field offices
• Intermediary funding providers
• University of Texas

Thanks! I look forward to hearing from you.
Kathy

Click here for the REGISTRATION FORM.

Click here for the PRELIMINARY AGENDA.