“Here are a few numbers for

you, 1, 2, 16, 18 and 0. 18

the number of years my

mother was not only a

mother but a father as well.

16, how old I was when my

life changed. 2, the number

of times I tried to commit

suicide at the age of 13. 1,

the one memory I have of

my father being at home.

And 0, the number of times

the Boy‟s & Girls Club al-

lowed me to give up,” she

said.

After being repeatedly

nominated by supervisors

at the club ever since she

was a freshman at Robert

Vela High School, Mon-

temayor said that she fi-

nally won as a senior.

She thanks her supervi-

sor Krystal Escobar for

nominating her this year

and feels very happy to

have finally been given

the chance to tell her sto-

ry.

“I feel very blessed,”

said Montemayor. “I still

can‟t believe that all my

hard work finally paid off

and that I am able to share

my story with other kids like

me.”

Janice Montemayor, an 18-

year-old resident of La Po-

sada development at the Ed-

inburg Housing Authority

who has overcome many

obstacles throughout her

life was named the 2015

Youth of the Year by the

Boys & Girls Clubs of Ed-

inburg RGV and awarded

$3,000 in scholarships dur-

ing its Annual “Steak” In

Your Community event

held January 10, 2015.

The Youth of the Year ti-

tle—the highest honor a

member of the Boys &

Girls Club can receive—

recognizes a member‟s out-

standing contributions to

families, school, and

community and the over-

coming of personal chal-

lenges. Ms. Mon-

temayor‟s incredible in-

volvement and dedica-

tion to her peers made

her a well-deserving can-

didate for the award.

In her speech during the

event, the 18 year-old

shared the many ways

the Boys & Club helped her

overcome many struggles

she‟s faced in her short life

as well as her deep fear of

failure. Besides coming from a

very low-income family and

lacking a father-figure, Mon-

temayor shared how her in-

volvement prevented her from

dropping out and helped her

find herself after attempting to

commit suicide more than once

when she was just 13 years

old.

Janice Montemayor: La Posada Janice Montemayor: La Posada Janice Montemayor: La Posada

Resident Named 2015 Youth of The YearResident Named 2015 Youth of The YearResident Named 2015 Youth of The Year

EL REFLEJOEL REFLEJOEL REFLEJO J a n u a r y 2 0 1 5 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1

RODOLFO “RUDY” RODOLFO “RUDY” RODOLFO “RUDY”

RAMIREZRAMIREZRAMIREZ

Executive DirectorExecutive DirectorExecutive Director

A publication of the Edinburg Housing Authority.

BOARD OF MEMBERSBOARD OF MEMBERSBOARD OF MEMBERS

201520152015

JJJOE RODRIGUEZOE RODRIGUEZOE RODRIGUEZ

CHAIRMANCHAIRMANCHAIRMAN

ARMANDO BARRERAARMANDO BARRERAARMANDO BARRERA

VICEVICEVICE---CHAIRMANCHAIRMANCHAIRMAN

“ED” GONZALEZ“ED” GONZALEZ“ED” GONZALEZ

COMMISSIONECOMMISSIONECOMMISSIONERRR

CRIS TORRESCRIS TORRESCRIS TORRES

COMMISSIONERCOMMISSIONERCOMMISSIONER

JUAN GUZMANJUAN GUZMANJUAN GUZMAN

RESIDENT COMMISSIONERRESIDENT COMMISSIONERRESIDENT COMMISSIONER

Main Office

Ciro Trevino

Administration Building

910 S. Sugar Rd.

Edinburg, Texas, 78539

Mon.—Thurs.

8:00 a.m.—5:30 p.m.

Friday

8 a.m.—12:00 p.m.

Left to Right: Ricky Reyna (2nd runner up), Janice

Montemayor, Luis Chicas (3rd runner up)

Continued on Page 2

“Here are a few numbers for

you, 1, 2, 16, 18 and 0. 18 the

number of years my mother was

not only a mother but a father as

well. 16, how old I was when my

life changed. 2, the number of

times I tried to commit suicide at

the age of 13…”

Janice Montemayor, 18

P a g e 2

f bvxvbxvxAware that

technology is revolu-

tionizing and becoming

an important part of our

world, a group of Edinburg

Housing Authority students

participated in the Hour of

Code on Monday, Dec. 29,

2014.

The Hour of Code is a glob-

al movement dedicated to

reach millions of studies in

countries worldwide.

During the event, EHA stu-

I n an effort to

bring new oppor-

tunities and en-

courage the youth

to live active lives,

EHA plans to offer Hip

Hop dance classes this

year with the help from

William Roy Rodri-

guez, leader of the Ele-

ment Dance Crew. The

first meeting to plan the

classes was held on

January 22, 2015.

The idea for the classes

first stemmed from Ro-

driguez‟ passion for

dance and desire to

share his art with others as well

as Executive Director Rodolfo

„Rudy” Ramirez‟ goal of bring-

ing new opportunities for resi-

dents. Rodriguez is a 17 year-

old senior at Robert Vela High

School and works part time

at EHA through the

school‟s Co-Op program.

The meeting times for the

classes and days will be

decided based on the num-

ber of kids interested in

participating. The dance

classes will be available for

boys and girls 11 to 17

years old from any of the

EHA developments. Any

kid who meets the age re-

quirements who would like

to learn how to dance Hip

Hop is welcomed to con-

tact Ms. Zulema Garcia at

956-383-3839 for more

information.

E L R E F L E J O

Continued from the first page...

Montemayor is currently a

senior at Robert Vela High

School and besides being a

member of the Boys

& Girls Club for the

past six years, she

has also dedicated

time to volunteer to

help EHA with its

past two Halloween

Festivals and other

events. This May

she will be the first

one in her family to

graduate high

school but Mon-

temayor will not stop

there.

Thanks to the inspiration

from the club, after graduat-

ing she plans to obtain a

bachelor‟s degree in Early

Childhood Education.

As a result, the Edinburg

Housing Authority is very

proud of Montemayor‟s ac-

complishments and is happy

to hear of her desire to moti-

vate others who like her have

faced many struggles in their

lives.

“I will come back

after I have fin-

ished accomplish-

ing my goals and

be a motivational

speaker for our

kids,” Mon-

temayor expressed

in the closing

words of her

speech. “I want to

share my story

with as many kids

as I can for them to under-

stand that it doesn‟t matter

who you are or where you

come from, you can do all

things.”

“I want to share my story “I want to share my story “I want to share my story

with as many kids as I with as many kids as I with as many kids as I

can for them to can for them to can for them to

understand that it understand that it understand that it

doesn’t matter who you doesn’t matter who you doesn’t matter who you

are or where you come are or where you come are or where you come

from, you can do all from, you can do all from, you can do all

things.”things.”things.”

Janice Montemayor

Left to Right: Commissioner Cris Torres, Janice Montemayor

P a g e 3 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1

CHANGING LIVESCHANGING LIVESCHANGING LIVES

A Section 8 Program Success StoryA Section 8 Program Success StoryA Section 8 Program Success Story Christina Lopez

I f there is one thing that makes

the Edinburg Housing Authori-

ty staff proud and happy is wit-

nessing the lives of its residents

change for the better. A helping

hand to those who need it most dur-

ing hardships, EHA is happy to

share the incredible success story of

another inspiring resi-

dent, Cristina Lopez,

who overcame many

obstacles but finally

became a home buyer

for the very first time.

Cristina‟s journey with

housing started in De-

cember of 2003 when

she gave birth to her

third child. Despite her

joy of bringing a new

child into the world, she

struggled and suffered

from her husband‟s

continued abuse. For

many years she had en-

dured it but it was then that she de-

cided to end her troubles and apply

for assistance at the Edinburg Hous-

ing Authority. In less than a year

she was able to put the abuse behind

her and start new.

While she recalls starting with noth-

ing, she and her kids were grateful

for the help they received and the

chance at a fresh start. With dedica-

tion she made it her goal to find

employment and get survive.

“I was persistent in finding a job

and getting back on my feet,” she

shared. “I had my downfalls but I

never gave up.”

Being a single mother of three

kids, she did everything in her

power to survive and provide for

them. Soon, she found a secretary

job at a car lot and not much after

was offered the opportunity to earn

extra money repossessing vehicles.

Through hard work and persever-

ance, Cristina earned her way in

the company and eventually be-

came the Dealer Account Manager

for all the independent car lots

in South Texas.

With the blessing of the new

income she knew it was time to

stop renting and look into buy-

ing a home for their family. It

was then that she applied to Af-

fordable Homes of South Texas

with the help from

Section 8 Supervi-

sor Olga Regalado.

With Mrs. Regala-

do‟s assistance, she

went through the

process of becom-

ing a first-time

home buyer.

Finally, on February

29, 2012 Cristina

and her kids got the

keys of their new

home.

“My kids and I are

very thankful for everything,”

Cristina said.

Although she had to overcome

many obstacles and work hard

to get to where she is today,

she‟s learned many life lessons

and realized that change takes

time.

She shared, “All I can say is that

life is a stepping stone, not a

marathon.”

“All I can say is that life is a stepping “All I can say is that life is a stepping “All I can say is that life is a stepping

stone, not a marathon.”stone, not a marathon.”stone, not a marathon.” Cristina Lopez

P a g e 4

year employment authoriza-

tion.

As a result of the President‟s

actions, the Edinburg Hous-

ing Authority would like to

offer assistance and more

information to any resident

who qualifies for the new

actions.

If you are eligible for DAPA

or DACA and have ques-

tions about the application

process, please feel to con-

tact Claudia Lemus at 956-

383-3839.

SCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIESSCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIESSCHOLARSHIP OPPORTUNITIES

O n November 20, 2014,

President Obama an-

nounced a series of new exec-

utive actions prioritizing the

deportation of felons not fam-

ilies.

The new actions include

changes to the current DACA

program and allowing par-

ents of U.S. citizens and law-

ful permanent residents who

have been in the country since

January 1, 2010 and pass a

criminal background check as

well as pay taxes to obtain

deferred action and a 3

Southwest NAHRO Scholarship www.swnahro.org 800-617-2900

shelli@brazosnet.com

Texas NAHRO Scholarship www.txnahro.org 800-617-2900

txnahrobrazosnet.com

HAVE Scholarship Visit EHA for application.

The Edinburg Housing Authority is pleased to announce the following scholarships

for Public Housing and Section 8 High School seniors graduating June 2015.

TUTORING

COMPUTER

ESL

ART

STEM

MUSIC

CLASSES

Execut ive Act ions on Immigrat ion

Deferred Action for Parental Accountability

February 20,2015

USCIS Approximate

Application Dates

(90 days from announcement)

DACA Expansion

May 20, 2015

DAPA Application (180 days from announcement)

The information above was obtained obtained from www.uscis.gov. Please visit the

site or contact us at EHA for more.

AVOID MISINFORMATION. EHA IS HERE TO HELP!

DON’T GET SCAMMED!

The official website for USCIS is www.uscis.gov. AVOID Dot.com sites. Remember USCIS application forms are FREE to download. Notary Publics are NOT authorized to provide immigration legal services. Before you pay for legal assistance get informed and know your options.

Kara Shearer Scholarship Application available Feb. 2015 at EHA

Estella Lane Trevino Endowed

Scholarship 956-665-5301

PHADA Scholarship www.phada.org

If interested in applying for any of these scholarships, please call your manager at 956-383-3839. Also contact the financial aid counselors at your school.

P a g e 5 V o l u m e 3 , I s s u e 1

RemindersRemindersReminders

COMMUNITY SERVICECOMMUNITY SERVICECOMMUNITY SERVICE Residents 18+ years old who are not

employed 30 hours or more a week, must

comply with the 8 hour HUD‟s community

service requirement.

RENT DEADLINERENT DEADLINERENT DEADLINE Due monthly by the 1st, but EHA

gives you until the 5th to pay in full.

There is a $15 late fee for late

payments.

New Policy ChangesNew Policy ChangesNew Policy Changes

30 DAY NOTICE BEFORE TERMINATION OF LEASE30 DAY NOTICE BEFORE TERMINATION OF LEASE30 DAY NOTICE BEFORE TERMINATION OF LEASE Residents may terminate their leases at any time but must first provide the

PHA a written notice with a forwarding address for the return of the

Security Deposit no less than 30 days before vacating the premises. The

prior 14 day notice requirement is no longer accepted.

NEW $20 KEY DEPOSIT NEW $20 KEY DEPOSIT NEW $20 KEY DEPOSIT AT MOVE INAT MOVE INAT MOVE IN

Due to residents failing to return their keys at Move Out, a $20 key deposit for 2

apartment keys is now required at Move In.

The purpose of this change is to reimburse PHA of the costs to remake lost

keys.

The Key Deposit will be refunded and included with the Security Deposit if

both keys are returned at Move Out.

As of October 1, 2014

With more than 65 years of service, the Edinburg Housing Authority

takes pride in providing assistance to those who need it most in the Rio

Grande Valley.

As a result, throughout the years we have focused our agency‟s efforts

and resources to ensure struggling low-income families with an equal oppor-

tunity to obtain safe, decent and affordable public housing, and thus improve

their quality of life.

But even though we help hundreds of families in need, we realize that to

truly help impoverished residents rise out of poverty and better themselves our

agency has to do much more than providing them with a place to live.

As a result, in addition to providing housing for our residents we have

now made it our mission to promote self-sufficiency throughout the agency

and do everything in our power to help those we serve develop the necessary

work skills and education to succeed and ultimately provide for their loved

ones on their own.

With dedication, integrity and compassion we take pride in helping our

residents each and every day. We believe and ardently hope that through every

family we help we make a difference in the present and someday future of the

city of Edinburg and the Rio Grande Valley.

Interested in finding out what‟s happening at EHA or your

development? Come find out at our next Resident Council Meeting.

Meetings are led by the Executive Director Rodolfo “Rudy” Ramirez

and residents. Our next meeting will be:

February 12, 2015 @10 a.m. in El Jardin (Snacks will be provided)

Contact your property managers for the complete schedule of days and

locations of our next meetings.

SERVING FAMILIES SINCE 1949SERVING FAMILIES SINCE 1949SERVING FAMILIES SINCE 1949

RESIDENT COUNCIL MEETINGSRESIDENT COUNCIL MEETINGSRESIDENT COUNCIL MEETINGS