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Kick-Off Meetings Were a Success!
The first round of Complete Communities kick-off meetings have been held, and each were robust and well attended thanks to resident and stakeholder participation! Each meeting demonstrated the unique spirit and energy of the community. Although post-Hurricane Harvey issues remain on everyone's mind, the communities were ready to get to work and shared bold ideas and concepts with one another on how to make their community "complete." Get a glimpse of the dynamic sessions here:
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| Acres Home - Citizen Voices |
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Neighborhood Support Teams
The Backbone of Complete Communities
Each community has a Neighborhood Support Team (NST) comprised of residents and stakeholders. When neighborhoods are building capacity to plan and act, the NST's are the folks "on the ground" who take a lead to support and organize their Complete Community efforts. They complement the Complete Communities Advisory Council, who contribute as ambassadors and a sounding board in the process.
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Kick-Off Highlights
Acres Home
- Over 300 stakeholders attended the Acres Home Kick-Off meeting at the Acres Home Multi-Service Center on October 18, 2017.
- The community participated in an asset map exercise where they identified what they loved about the community, where they lived, and what needed attention in Acres Home. The community was also asked what strengths should Acres Home build on, things they would like to change, and challenges in the community.
- Acres Home Public Meeting #2 was held on November 16, 2017 at Eisenhower High School. The objective of the meeting was to identify gaps, projects, and strategies to accomplish the goals previously identified by the community.
The next meeting will be held at M.C. Williams Middle School, 600 Knox Street, Houston TX 77091, from 6:30 pm - 8:30 pm.
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| Residents at the Acres Home November 16 meeting work with a facilitator to complete an exercise and enjoy a meal donated by Burns Original BBQ. |
- Nearly 200 people attended the Gulfton Complete Communities Kick-Off meeting held on November 9, 2017 at the Southwest Multi-Service Center.
- Mayor Sylvester Turner highlighted projects going forward in the Gulfton community, such as Ser Niño's Charter School Library. This project is in partnership with the City's Housing and Community Development and the Houston Public Library Departments. This 6,150-square foot facility will be built on the campus of Ser Niño's Elementary and Middle School. "Houston is a great city and I don't want it to be a city of the have and have-nots," Mayor Turner said during his address.
- Residents participated in breakout sessions to identify community needs in the areas of: education, health and wellness, housing, infrastructure, transportation, and safety. Residents were then asked to identify, discuss, fill in gaps, and prioritize.
- Cigna Sunday Streets was in Gulfton on November 5th along Bellaire Blvd. from Hillcroft to Chimney Rock. Cigna Sunday Streets is a project of the Mayor's Office of Special Events and the Health and Human Services Department and provides a family-friendly opportunity to be physically active. For four hours one Sunday a month during the fall months selected Houston streets are closed to motorized traffic, allowing Houstonians to cycle, walk, run, dance, and socialize in the street. For more information visit www.houstontx.gov/specialevents/sundaystreets.html.
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| Community members listen to a presentation at the Gulfton Kick-Off Meeting |
- There were over 175 attendees at the November 2nd Near Northside Kick-Off Meeting. The meeting opened with a musical performance from the Marshall Middle School choir and band.
- Residents and community partners took part in a workshop to further prioritize the goals of existing plans in the Near Northside. City of Houston department leaders were on hand to share program information and answer questions. The workshop also allowed for recommendations of any topics or areas of concern that have not been addressed by existing Near Northside plans. Residents were encouraged to rotate workshop topics areas, and a few residents reported back highlights of their conversations. One highlight included the proposal of an "Adopt-a-Crosswalk" program for the neighborhood.
- Local elementary schools took part in creating Complete Communities banners, including Sherman Elementary students. They created an "Our Community" banner, which was submitted by their teacher, Ms. Torango.
- Mayor Turner focused some comments on education and arts. He said, "You cannot be a Complete Community unless we have quality schools and great educators to help teach our children," and added "We need to spend more money in the arts. Let's build this community up."
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| Residents of the Near Northside complete an exercise to identify what they want in their Complete Community |
Second Ward
- The November 6th Complete Communities Kick-Off Meeting with Mayor Turner in Second Ward was an outstanding success! Special thanks to Ripley House for hosting the event and El Tiempo Cantina Restaurant for providing dinner.
- City departments and outside agencies participated in a resource fair to provide residents with information about the work they do in the community.
- Over 200 community members attended the meeting and participated in prioritizing the projects they wanted to see completed in their community. Input was gathered during the workshop session on 14 different planning topics. The results of this effort will be shared at the next public meeting.
- Harrisburg TIRZ #23, Greater East End Management District, Buffalo Bayou Partnership, and Baker-Ripley presented the work they are doing in the community and their planning efforts were included in the project prioritization exercise.
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| A great crowd showed up for the Second Ward Kick-Off Meeting to share their thoughts on Complete Communities |
Third Ward
- Mayor Turner addressed the crowd of over 225 community residents and organizations at the Third Ward Kick-Off.
- Six non-profits presented their community supported plans. These six plans serve as the foundation for Third Ward's Action Plan. Attendees helped identify partners beneficial to implementing projects and set priorities for projects.
- Third Ward residents and local artists have been connected in an exciting way! Mayor Sylvester Turner announced the artists-Emanulee Outspoken Bean, Eepi Chaad and Phillip Pyle, II-have been selected for the City's pilot Resident Artist Program (RAP) to provide artistic interventions in three Complete Communities areas, including Third Ward. "These artists have very different creative approaches from one another, but share a passion for communities and improving quality of life with the art they make," said Mayor Turner. "Complete Communities is the signature program of my administration and connecting with artists is one way to extend the substantial benefits of the arts to more residents and families."
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| Community partners presented their plans to the Third Ward community at the Kick-Off Meeting |
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Tips From the Toolbox
The Faith-in-Action Workgroup of Emancipation Economic Development Council (EEDC) is partnering with the ELCA Youth Gathering on volunteer service projects in the five Complete Communities. Each community will have 450 students available each day from June 28-30. If you have a project, contact Faith-in-Action at
[email protected], Dolores Rodgers-EEDC
[email protected] or Cody Miller-ELCA
[email protected].
- Given the big and small needs of our communities, consider using the City's Reuse Warehouse. The warehouse benefits the community by providing space for excess building materials that would otherwise be dumped in local landfills. Materials are accepted from individuals, supply companies, and builders, and are free for reuse by any non-profit organization. Check out all that Houston's Environmental Service Centers (ESC) has to offer at www.houstontx.gov/solidwaste/esc.html.
- Join one of two Housing and Community Development Department's Fall Open House and Public Hearings to provide input: Thursday, November 30, 2017, 6 - 8 p.m., Third Ward Multi-Service Center, 3611 Ennis Street, Houston, TX 77004 or Thursday, December 7, 2017, 6 - 8 p.m., Kashmere Multi-Service Center, 4802 Lockwood Drive, Houston, TX 77026. If you are unable to attend, you may provide feedback via www.surveymonkey.com/r/hcdd2018.
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STAY CONNECTED
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