EAST ALDINE – In November, Judge Lina Hidalgo was honored to welcome Vice President Kamala Harris and members of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus (CHC), who were visiting as part of the CHC’s On The Road initiative.
The moderated panel took place at the Hardy Senior Center in East Aldine.
Judge Hidalgo had the opportunity to spotlight the work Harris County is doing to support Hispanic communities, with support from the Biden-Harris Administration and the American Rescue Plan. These investments in all communities, including our Hispanic community include:
• $22 million for healthcare access investments, including $6 million for targeted focus on prevention of chronic diseases like diabetes and heart disease that disproportionately impact the Hispanic community.
• $6.4 million for immigration legal services, to help immigrants access legal representation on matters ranging from naturalization to defense against eviction.
• $114 million to make more single and multifamily affordable housing available, to help address our affordable housing crisis.
• $40 million for wastewater investments in East Aldine, a majority-Hispanic community, in areas with high rates of septic system failure.
• $8 million to address food insecurity, including creating new community assets to support the Finca Tres Robles urban farm in the East End.
• $23 million for mental health investments, including new capabilities like offering counseling through the new UH medical school in the East End.
• $20 million for lead abatement and screening, which often impacts majority-Hispanic communities.
• $141 million to make our community safer, including new initiatives like the Tele-deputy initiative to reduce law enforcement response times.
• $31.6 million total into apprenticeships and workforce development in fast-growing fields like construction and IT. The majority of the students who have participated in apprenticeship pilot programs so far are students of color.
• $26 million in Early REACH dedicated to innovative child care programming, serving a majority of Hispanic/Latino families. For the first time ever, this investment removes immigration status-based barriers to accessing child care.
• And more! A video of the discussion with the Vice President is available. Judge Hidalgo said that “In Harris County, and with the assistance of the Biden-Harris Administration, we will continue investing in our community.”