The National Colonia Clearinghouse was established to collect and provide information addressing economic and social development issues affecting rural communities along the Texas-Mexico border known as "colonias."

The National Colonia Clearinghouse serves as a depository of information to assist federal, state and local entities, community-based organizations and practitioners in obtaining the most recent information on colonias.
 

The term colonia is given to a subdivision with substandard housing, roads, water and sewage. Colonias resulted when developers bought tracts of farm land and sold them unimproved to mostly poor, Mexican-Americans along the US-Mexico border region.

The Texas Water Development Board states that despite the conditions, 392,188 people reside in colonias in 23 counties in Texas (as of its last update, Dec. 1996). There are 1,495 colonias in Texas with the majority in the Lower Rio Grande Valley.

The COPC has estimated there are approximately 1,593 colonias across the Border Region, with a population of at least 500,000.

The Governor's Border Working Group (1993) produced a report that found most colonias are without:

• fire protection
• other emergency services
• garbage collection
• paved streets
• drainage
• street lights
• access to public transportation

Streets in colonias are often in poor conditions or are unpaved. Without drainage, streets become flooded, making it difficult or impossible to travel. School busses are unable to pick up students and people are unable to commute to work.

Substandard housing is common in colonias because many prospective owners do not qualify for private mortgage financing so they build their own houses one piece at a time or as money becomes available.

Consequently, credit for homes, lots, and home improvements is done under a system of private credit using "contract for deed" arrangements. These contracts transfer equity to the buyer only after the final payment is made. Therefore, even if a house meets government standards, these contracts cannot be used to secure a home construction or home improvement loan.

Some statistics on colonia residents compiled in "The Colonias Factbook" (Texas Department of Health, 1988) include:

• 65% have no health insurance
• 67% are over 18 and not a high school graduate
• 41% are unemployed (includes 16 years and not in school)
• 26% of households have inadequate heating
• 24% of homes are not connected to treated water
• 44% report that flooding is a problem
• 15% do not have enough to eat

The health condition of some colonias is a problem which may be due to lack of treated water and sewage. In fact, 6.1% and 9.6% of colonia residents have had TB and hepatitis, respectively.

Wells and septic tanks are not solutions to the water and sewage problem. These systems work well when used by one household. They are not as safe when used by several households. The Texas Water Development Board estimates that it would cost approximately $696 million to provide adequate water and wastewater services for colonias in the Lower Rio Grande Valley and El Paso county.

With all these problems, why do people live in colonias? The most common responses are:

• lower cost of land
• lack of affordable housing in nearby cities
• overall quality of life is better than where they used to live
• freedom
• lower building costs associated with homes

 
There are programs underway to improve conditions in colonias, including the Texas Water Development Board's Economically Distressed Areas Program, which fund infrastructure projects for colonias.

It has been noted that some residents of colonias experience feelings of isolation. In "Cinco Colonia Areas" (Texas A&M University, 1995), three forms of isolation associated with colonias are discussed. They include:

• Geographic: removed from typical urban services, distance
• System: inexperienced with the system of social services
• Language: different language and culture may make some feel different

Colonia businesses on the web

As part of it's ongoing mission to help boost colonia businesses, the COPC recently developed a homepage for one colonia business. Click here to view the Saguaro Cacti Craft Homepage from Progreso, Texas.