Friday, Jan 28 2011 3:33PM
Some funding for rural California communities will be used to increase housing assistance resources.
California's director of the U.S. Department of Agriculture's Rural Development Department has been touring the state to discuss how small business owners and rural communities can stimulate job growth and find capital to support new ventures, according to the Santa Ynez Valley News.
The Golden State has dealt with massive foreclosures and job losses since the beginning of the recession, preventing many areas from completing rural community development projects that are extremely necessary for those parts of the state, reported the newspaper. That is why Glenda Humiston, the state director of the Rural Development Department, is meeting with California residents to discuss the ways local initiatives can be paid for as well as the changing job market.
According to the paper, Humiston said she expects to see a number of community projects kick off this summer, since the USDA recently gave California a $1.3-billion grant toward rural development projects. The Rural Development Department hosted 43 forums across the state last year to discuss the needs of rural areas, including expanding and improving infrastructure and simplifying the regulations and permitting processes, the article said.
Additional housing assistance programs are desperately needed in rural California, reported the San Francisco Chronicle, which said those areas are seeing a spike in homeless youth who have no access to shelters.