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WASHINGTON, May 18, 2004—Agriculture Secretary
Ann M. Veneman today announced the selection of nine recipients to receive
a total of $1 million in rural development community development initiative
grant funds to support the establishment and operation of home health care
cooperatives.
“The development of rural home-based health care cooperatives
provides a cost effective means of providing elderly and lower income
families an alternative to health care services available to them,”
said Veneman. “Through partnerships, the Bush Administration is
working to improve the quality of life for rural residents.”
The USDA Rural
Community Development Initiative provides grants to qualified intermediary
organizations that will provided financial and technical assistance to
recipients to develop their capacity and ability to undertake projects
related to housing, community facilities or community and economic development.
In addition to the grants announced today, USDA announced in March 2004
more than $6.8 million in technical assistance grants to 27 nonprofit
community-based development organizations, low-income communities or Federally
recognized tribes to improve their ability to develop rural housing, technology,
economic development and community facilities in 18 states. Congress appropriated
approximately $6 million in Fiscal Year (FY) 2004 for the Rural Community
Development Initiative (RCDI), bringing the total since FY 2000 to $30
million.
The cooperative home-based health care demonstration program will
help community organizations establish and operate home-based health care
cooperatives.
Pre-development grants will assist qualified public bodies or non-profit
community development organizations in providing outreach to home-based
health care providers, assessing local-level human service provider needs,
and other activities leading to the organization and implementation of
successful home-based health care cooperatives. In Grant County, Washington,
Public Hospital District #4 will utilize a $38,775 grant to create a home-based
cooperative to serve the predominately elderly and low-income population
of Grant County.
Revolving loan grants will be made to qualified non-profit community
development organizations or public bodies to provide start-up and operating
funds and technical assistance to the newly-created, home-based health
care cooperatives. The Minnesota-based Northcountry Cooperative Foundation
will utilize $300,000 to help provide this support to several organizations,
including one located in Outagamie County, Wisconsin.
Recipients are required to obtain matching funds, doubling the value
of the USDA grants. Eligible applicants must be located in rural areas
with populations of 50,000 or less. Funding of selected applicants will
be contingent upon meeting the conditions of the grant agreement. Those
receiving grant funds include:
CAP Services of Stevens Point, Wisc. -- $50,000 Cooperative
Pre-planning Grant
Hawaii Community Loan Fund of Honolulu, Hawaii -- $104,225
Revolving Loan Fund Grant
LEAF of Brookline, Mass. -- $300,000 Revolving Loan
Fund Grant
Northcountry Cooperative Foundation of Minneapolis, Minn. --
$300,000 Revolving Loan Fund Grant
Public Hospital District #4 of Soap Lake, Wash. -- $38,775
Cooperative Pre-planning Grant
Region I Mental Health and Substance Abuse Administration of
Scottsbluff, Neb. – $50,000 Cooperative Pre-planning Grant
Rocky Mountain Health Foundation of Grand Junction, Colo. --
$50,000 Cooperative Pre-planning Grant
Hilo Medical Center of Hilo, Hawaii -- $50,000 Cooperative
Pre-planning Grant
Washington State Department of Social Services of Snoqualmie,
Wash. -- $50,000 Cooperative Pre-planning Grant
USDA Rural Development's mission is to
deliver programs in a way that will support increasing economic opportunity
and improve the quality of life of rural residents. As a venture capital
entity, Rural Development provides equity and technical assistance to
finance and foster growth in homeownership, business development, and
critical community and technology infrastructure. Further information
on rural programs is available at a local USDA Rural Development office
or by visiting USDA's web site at http://www.rurdev.usda.gov.
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