March 09, 2022

Congressman Castro Secures More than $10.5 Million in Federal Funding for Community Projects in San Antonio

WASHINGTON — Today, Congressman Joaquin Castro (TX-20) announced that his office has secured more than $10,500,000 in federal funding for projects in San Antonio that will improve health care, expand workforce development, increase affordable housing, strengthen student and family services, and support transit, environmental revitalization, and economic development needs throughout the city. The funding is included in H.R. 2471, the bipartisan, bicameral omnibus appropriations bill that is expected to pass the House today and the Senate this week.

“Over the last year, my office has been working closely with local partners to identify and advocate for projects in San Antonio that need federal funding to deliver the greatest impact for our city. I’m excited to announce that the FY2022 appropriations package will fund eleven much-needed local community projects,” said Congressman Castro. “As we rebound from the pandemic, this funding will support good-paying jobs and expand our Infrastructure of Opportunity now and for years to come.”

Congressman Castro successfully advocated for the inclusion of ten community projects in the Fiscal Year 2022 omnibus appropriations bill. These projects include:

  • $2,000,000 for the City of San Antonio to rehabilitate a mixture of single-family homes for families earning up to 120% Area Median Income (AMI) and small-scale rental units serving families up to 60% AMI. The program will include minimum rehabilitation design standards to bring aging housing stock up to code and upgrade all systems.
  • $1,000,000 for Project QUEST’s Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Access (IDEA) in Workforce Initiative to promote upskilling and reskilling for historically underserved populations by providing the direct delivery of services and wraparound support services for education, training, and/or certifications leading to in-demand and living-wage career pathways.
  • $1,000,000 for the San Antonio Housing Authority to use Smart Mesh technology to provide and expand Wi-Fi services to their 52 public housing properties and 24 Beacon properties.
  • $894,881 for VIA Metropolitan Transit’s Wayfinding Technology Project, which will allow all VIA customers to use their smartphones to find out about bus arrival times and enable blind and low-vision bus riders to use their smartphones to find bus stops and learn of arrival times by using an algorithm to translate visual signage into audio.
  • $875,000 for St. Mary’s University to renovate the Family Life Center (FLC), a mental health clinic and classroom serving the Westside of San Antonio, while also training counselors and therapists for professional practice. The renovation will update technology infrastructure for tele-therapy, classrooms, patient therapy rooms and faculty offices, patient areas, security, and building access.
  • $500,000 for Communities in Schools of San Antonio to expand into high-need San Antonio ISD schools and provide wrap around services using a "whole-child" approach to ensure students and families receive consistent support as they rebuild from the pandemic.
  • $500,000 for San Antonio Water System to procure and install backup power generators for water pumping stations that feed the City of San Antonio and the surrounding areas of Bexar County.
  • $300,000 for University Health (Bexar County Hospital District) to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment of population healthcare trends and needs post COVID-19, focusing on the immediate and long term needs of the community, and different public health care models to deliver care, prepare for future pandemics, and natural and man-made disasters.
  • $1,000,000 for the University of Texas at San Antonio to conduct a project at Port San Antonio to benefit small and medium manufacturers that are vital to the defense industrial base.
  • $95,000 for the Alamo Colleges District to fund equipment in two labs to enhance instruction at the newly constructed WETC (Westside Education and Training Center).

In addition to the ten community projects identified above, Congressman Castro worked with the White House and members of Texas’s Congressional delegation to secure $2,340,000 for the Westside Creeks Ecosystem Restoration Project to transform 11 miles of Alazán, Apache, Martinez, and San Pedro Creeks by restoring the aquatic ecosystems with native grasses, wildflowers, and trees. The project will improve environmental and water quality conditions in densely populated urban areas, promoting comprehensive watershed management, advancing neighborhood transportation safety, providing access to outdoor recreation activities in the Westside core, and reconnecting residents to urban creekway systems through an outdoor living classroom for students.