February 2020
Complete Communities
Please scroll below to learn more about what's happening in your community.
Call us at 832-393-6600 if you'd like more information.
Acres Home
Second Chance Job Fair: State Representative Jarvis Johnson held a Second Chance Job Fair for individuals who are unemployed, underemployed, or who have made mistakes in the past, including nonviolent ex-felons, to better their lives through gainful employment.
The Second Chance Job Fair was held on Friday, February 21, from 9 am to 1 pm at the Acres Homes Workforce Solutions Center at 6730 Antoine Dr.
Coordinating Team: Visit the Complete Communities Acres Home web page for more details. You can reach a Planner at [email protected].
Second Chance Job Fair - click on image to read full flier
Alief - Westwood
Census Town Hall: A town hall meeting about saying YES! To Census 2020 was held on February 20, from 6-8 p.m.
Partners included Houston Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority,Inc., Harris County, Houston Area Urban League, Mi Familia, Alpha Kappa Alpha, International Management District, Westchase Management District, Alief AARP, Alief ISD Family and Engagement, Super Neighborhood 25, and Super Neighborhood 17. All were on hand to offer information regarding the census and answer questions. Spanish and Vietnamese translators were also in attendance. For more information on the census, go to www.2020census.gov.
English Second Meeting - click on image to read full flier
Español Segunda Reunión - haga clic en la imagen para leer el volante completo
Census Town Hall
Alief Family and Community Engagement Program Mission: A free family workshop will be held on March 7, from 8 am- 2 pm!
Alief ISD plans to establish effective partnerships with all stakeholders by providing a welcoming environment that allows for meaningful engagement; opportunities that inform and equip all Alief families; and creating viable partnerships between schools and families that ensure the success of all Alief students.
The event will have free childcare (Pre-K to 8th grade), food prizes, and student performers. Read more at Alief Mission.
Family U Conference English
Conferencia De Family U Español
Coordinating Team: Visit the Complete Communities Alief web page
for more details. You can reach a Planner at [email protected].
Fort Bend Houston
Coordinating Team: Visit the Complete Communities Fort Bend Houston web page for more details. You can reach a Planner at [email protected].
Gulfton
Coordinating Team: Visit the Complete Communities Gulfton web page for more details. You can reach a Planner at [email protected].
Kashmere Gardens
Flood Resiliency Workshop: A Complete Communities workshop in Kashmere Gardens focused on flooding and community resilience was held on January 14, 2020.
Residents and stakeholders identified flood-related issues and recommendations to address these concerns.
Topics covered at the workshop were: housing repair and recovery, storm water improvements, drainage maintenance, emergency preparedness, green infrastructure, the Hunting Bayou improvement project, economic resilience and recovery, neighborhood resilience, and vacant land opportunities.
Representatives from Houston Public Works, Housing and Community Development, Mayor’s Office of Recovery, Mayor’s Office of Resilience, Mayor’s Office of Emergency Management, Houston Land Bank, Harris County Flood Control District, and the Alliance were in attendance.
The comments collected from this meeting will be incorporated into the draft Complete Communities Action Plan, which will be presented to the public in March for another round of feedback.
UHD’s GatorServe: A day of service, GatorServe, is a University of Houston-Downtown (UHD) tradition that brings together UHD students, staff, faculty, and community partners to complete service projects for our neighbors.
GatorServe is usually conducted twice a year to coincide with National Days of Service: one during the spring semester in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., and another service day in the fall on September 11.
The first event of this year took place at 8 a.m. on Saturday, January 18 at Kashmere Gardens and Betsy Ross Elementary Schools. Nearly 100 volunteers came together to complete service projects at these schools. The day began with a performance from the Kashmere Gardens drumline, dance, and cheer teams, followed by remarks from Dr. Eric Link, Senior Vice President for Academic & Student Affairs at UHD, and Texas Representative of District 145, Christina Morales.
Participants then assisted with painting, gardening, power washing, building shelves, and other tasks. Thank you all!
Picture courtesy of UHD.
Coordinating Team: Visit the Complete Communities Kashmere Gardens web page for more details. You can reach a Planner at [email protected]v.
Magnolia Park - Manchester
Second Public Meeting: The second public meeting in Magnolia Park -Manchester was held on Saturday, February 8, at Mission Milby CDC. Thank you to Mission Milby for hosting and all those who came out to help plan the future of your community!
Month of Service: January was A Month of Service (AMOS) in Magnolia Park and the east end area. Thank you to the Department of Neighborhoods and Mayra Hypolite and all their partners for organizing several events for residents, including workshops on property tax exemption, clearing titles, home buyer education, wills and estate planning, financial aid and student loans, will clinics, financial literacy and credit education, create your own estate plan, a coffee and conversation event, and a beautification day.
Magnolia Growing: Join your friends and neighbors at the Magnolia Multi-Service Center (7037 Capitol) community garden to plant and prepare for the upcoming season. Everyone is invited! Tools and planting beds will be available. The garden will be open on Mondays from 4-5 pm. For more information, contact Jorge Olvera at 713-660-1880 extension 1801.
Coordinating Team: Visit the Complete Communities Magnolia Park - Manchester web page for more details. You can reach a Planner at [email protected]
Near Northside
Memorial Hermann’s StepHealthy: Memorial Hermann has established a StepHealthy Walking Club at Clark Park, 9718 Clark Road, 77076. Join the walking club Monday thru Friday at 8:30 a.m. by registering at the site, or contact Community Program Manager-Exercise Specialist at 713-338-5997 or via [email protected].
All participants will receive a Memorial Hermann StepHealthy Pedometer to self-manage their health, along with a T-shirt.
Memorial Hermann’s StepHealthy program is part of a broader initiative in partnership with Avenue, Houston Health Department, Wesley Community Center, and Houston Parks and Recreation Department, to promote the importantance of exercise through education and engaging activities. Physical fitness classes have been held at Castillo Park and Moody Park on the 3rd and 4th Saturdays of the month.
Read more about exercise resources at https://communitybenefit.memorialhermann.org/.
Coordinating Team: Visit the Complete Communities
Near Northside web page for more details. You can reach a Planner at [email protected].
Sunnyside
Coordinating Team: Visit the Complete Communities Sunnyside web page for more details. You can reach a Planner at [email protected].
Second Ward
Progress Update: Interested in learning about the progress of the Second Ward Complete Communities Action Plan or projects that you can be involved in implementing? We will be scheduling an event soon to provide an update on Complete Communities in Second Ward.
Coordinating Team: Visit the Complete Communities Second Ward web page for more details. You can reach a Planner at [email protected].
Third Ward
EEDC: The Emancipation Economic Development Council (EEDC) is a collaborative of organized, informed and engaged faith-based organizations, nonprofits, community development corporations, businesses, local government entities and other stakeholders from the community.
Their mission is to inspire hope and contribute to the revitalization and preservation of the Third Ward. Their vision is a resilient, dynamic, and economically prosperous community where people live, work and thrive in a historically and culturally rich African-American neighborhood. They are calling for Third Ward business owners to join the EEDC.
Are you interested in joining their next cohort of entrepreneurs? Applications are open now! Read more at EEDC application link.
English Business
Owners flier.
Coordinating Team: Visit the Complete Communities Third Ward web page for more details. You can reach a Planner at [email protected].
Community Land Trusts & Land Banks: Neighborhood Revitalization Tools
Houston Community Land Trust (HCLT) homebuyers can benefit from significantly reduced purchases prices. Home sales start at $74,600 and property taxes are reduced.
CLT's often focus on markets threatened by gentrification and displacement of residents due to increased land costs and housing prices. CLT nonprofits typically have a tripartite board model that consists of CLT homeowners, community members and external stakeholders.
The Houston Community Land Trust (HCLT) is a 501(C) (3) non-profit organization that offers opportunities in targeted areas of the City. Their current programmatic efforts are in stewarding land for the purpose of providing quality, affordable single-family homes for purchase throughout Houston. They support individuals and families with incomes up to 80% Adjusted Median Income (AMI), in the process of purchasing a home from the initial program application to the closing table. HCLT homebuyers can purchase homes starting at $74,600 and have reduced property taxes.
HCLT also provides post-purchase stewardship to ensure homeowners have the resources and knowledge to have a successful homebuying experience. Because the land remains in the Land Trust, the property remains permanently affordable for the current and future homeowners of that property.
Land Banks acquire tax delinquent, vacant and abandoned property to sell for the purpose of revitalizing communities and increasing revenue through additional property taxes. Land Banks are usually quasi-governmental agencies, but in some cases are non-profit organizations.
The Houston Land Bank is a quasi-governmental agency with a board appointed by the Mayor and with representation from the community at large, HISD, Harris County as well as the private sector. They have a portfolio of over 500 properties throughout Houston. About 250 of those properties are designated to the City of Houston’s New Home Development Program (NHDP).
NHDP is a partnership between the Houston Land Bank, the City of Houston and Houston Community Land Trust. They develop single-family homes for income-qualified Houstonians, which are sold by the Houston Land Bank through a traditional purchase or through the CLT. The remaining lots and future acquisitions are sold to private and non-profit builders, with a priority given to those builders developing housing for buyers under 120% Adjusted Median Income (AMI), and based on community needs which can include but not are not limited to commercial development and multi-family rentals.
