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Vision: |
Our children - Our FUTURO. They are the hope of the families, businesses and other united partners of the Middle RIo Grande. Our vision: To join hand within our ranks and across the region; To reap a harvest of healthy, happy families, ready for work; To build thriving businesses and livable neighborhoods; to embody the "can-do" frontier spirit needed for a bold and new and vibrant tomorrow.
FUTURO Communities, Inc., is a nonprofit organization formed to implement a five-County strategic plan developed as a result of an Empowerment Zone / Enterprise Community competition. FUTURO's major focus is on regional job creation and economic development through enhanced education, job training opportunities, workforce/skills development and business expansion. The overall vision being the development of strategies designed to create livable and vibrant communities. |
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REGIONAL STRATEGIC
PLAN PRIORITY GOALS:
Consolidated Planning:
- Expand regional transit system
- Improve regional leadership and image
Public Safety:
- Improve access to services
- Training for personnel and community
- Improve combination within communities
Amenities & Design:
- Restoration of region's historic buildings and sites
- Improve regional recreational facilities and activities
- Assured code enforcement
Sustainable Development:
- Creation of regional waste management plan
- Development of regional business services for improved economic development
Supporting Families:
- Improve coordination of services on a regional basis
- Development of regional volunteer programs
- Expand services to elderly and their families
- Enhance services for Mental Health/Mental Retardation Youth Development
- Increase regional recreational opportunities
- Reduce juvenile delinquency
Education:
- Enhance Educational Opportunities for K-12
(i.e., Distance Learning) - Improve post-secondary Educational Opportunities
- Assure community access to ABE and Continuing Education
- Access higher Educational Opportunities (scholarship endowment)
Affordable Housing:
- Rehabilitate housing and neighborhoods
- Construction of single and multifamily housing
- Build volunteer housing program (i.e., Mutual Self-Help)
- Access to home financing for families in need
Drug Abuse:
- Regional prevention efforts
- Enhance treatment and interdiction efforts
Health and Human Services:
- Access to wellness, prevention, and other health services for families
- Establish regional trauma center
Equal Opportunity:
- Full access to job training and business financing
- Promote region's tourism
- Attract and develop
new jobs
 Download a copy of the 2000
Regional Strategic Plan.
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Background: |
The designation of FUTURO Communities, Inc. as an Enterprise Community was made by the Clinton Administration, as part of its Community Empowerment Initiative in January, 1999 and was the only rural EC designation made in the State of Texas. The Empowerment Zone/Enterprise Community (EZ/EC) is a Presidential initiative designed to afford communities real opportunities for growth and revitalization. The rural portion of the program is administered through the Office of Community Development, part of USDA's Rural Development mission area.
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Local Strategies:
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The steering committee members and hundreds of residents and volunteers who labored to develop a strategic plan for the FUTURO Region did so with the goal of developing a comprehensive and holistic strategic map for revitalization; a plan that would integrate economic, physical, environmental, community and human development goals over a ten year period to create real opportunities for growth and revitalization in the Subzone communities of Dimmit County, Big Wells; Maverick County, Eagle Pass; Zavala County, Crystal City and Carrizo Springs; and Uvalde County, Uvalde. Over the course of the next 10 years, FUTURO intends to accomplish its goals through carefully designed and implemented benchmarks.
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