Gulfton Community Tour, March 25

Join us for a two-day deep dive into Houston’s Gulfton neighborhood focusing on the history, the community, and key neighborhood sites. Houston’s dense, vibrant Gulfton neighborhood is home to more than 50,000 residents speaking more than 50 languages, which offers opportunities and challenges. Since 2016, My Connect Community (MCC), has worked with area residents and public and private organizations to launch and support a variety of creative projects to provide mixed-income housing, workforce development, healthcare, green spaces, and more.

On two mornings, Lauren Caldarera, MCC’s Vice President of Programs and Strategy, will be our guide as we visit a variety of projects and hear from local leaders. What’s next for this energetic community, and what can the rest of our city learn from these initiatives?

March 18: After welcome remarks from MCC President & CEO Dr. Alyssa Trometter, our guided bus tour will include stops at the Burnett Bayland Park revitalization project (with Maria Hernandez of Madres del Parque); St. Luke’s United Methodist Church Gethsemane, which offers an array of resources for refugees, immigrants, and at-risk youth (with the Reverend Julie Ellerbrock), and Étoile Academy Charter School’s Hornwood campus, at which 50% of the students are from Afghanistan and Pakistan (with Étoile Superintendent Kayleigh Colombero).

March 25: During this combined bus and walking tour, we will first visit The Garden, St. Luke’s new 52,000 square foot center for area youth, where PX Project founder and executive director Meredith Davis will introduce this culinary-based personal/workforce development program (and offer some baked treats). We will then tour the nearby MCC “15 MinuteCity” complex, including its new mixed-income High Star Apartments, Fabric Forge textile manufacturing center, and micro retail spaces for local entrepreneurs. Our tour will conclude with an overview of the neighborhood Legacy Community Health clinic, which serves 300-500 patients daily, with fully staffed pediatric, OB/GYN, and behavioral health clinics on-site (with Blessing Adesuyi of Legacy Health).