AltaCair aims to help underserved colonia residents, not the underserved – Rio Grande Guardian

MCALLEN, Texas – Rashmi Chandran, executive director of the AltaCair Foundation, says her group plans to focus on underserved colonia residents, not those who lack assistance.

On Rio Grande Guardian In the podcast, Chandran said the “very helpful” research from UT-Rio Grande Valley helped AltaCair identify the colonias that needed the most help.

“Living in cities like Edinburgh, McAllen, we don’t feel like there’s going to be areas (nearby) where the houses are made of plywood, but the research actually revealed that there are really bad areas that no one can go into. So those are the areas we want to go into,” Chandran said.

Chandran acknowledged that other nonprofits have done a lot of good work in the Rio Grande Valley colonies.

“It just so happens that when there’s a service center in one place, it’s just that ten-mile radius that’s served all around. But there are other areas in the perimeter that aren’t served. So we want people to expand their services there. So our mission is to reach those who aren’t served.”

During the podcast, the reporter recalled an AltaCair “cluster meeting” where Eduardo Olivarez, Hidalgo County’s public health director, said the biggest obstacle to health is substandard living conditions. Olivarez painted a stark picture of homes in some colonias that consist only of tarps, pallets and plywood.

“Especially when there is weather turbulence. Like now, the preparations we are making for Hurricane Beryl. Imagine these places. What will they do with one sandbag? They live in such fragile conditions,” Chandran said.

“What are they going to do? They don’t even have a vehicle they can just get in and run away if things get worse. These roads are so bad you can’t probably even drive properly on them.”

Referring to the proliferation of colonias, Chandra said, “There are so many things that are unresolved that exist right around us, maybe just a block or two away. And we are not aware of it.”

In the podcast, Chandran spoke about the important partners AltaCair works with, such as the Hidalgo County Prosperity Task Force and the Food Bank of the Rio Grande Valley.

“The Food Bank has been a great partner in understanding that sometimes it’s not about bringing people to us. It’s about us reaching them and then opening more satellite and mobile centers. (That) is also very helpful from a food perspective.”

Asked if she had any comments on the ending, Chandran said:

“Yeah. I think I’ll take any help. (And) if you’ve barely heard of us, we don’t know you and we want to get to know you. We want to get to know every unit in the four counties, not just one. Cameron, Hidalgo, Starr and Willacy. We want a connection between counties. Because what Starr can have, Hidalgo can use.

“Reach out through social media, through our website, through email, in any way you can, tell us about the gaps that we’re not working on, because that’s what we want to work on. So knowledge, data, connection, that’s what we’re asking for.

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