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From the Office of Council Member Mike Laster 
Distric
t Journal
Official Newsletter of Houston City Council District J

Friday, November 1, 2013
Mike Laster - Flipped
832.393.3015
City Hall Annex
900 Bagby
Houston, TX 77002

PO Box 1562
Houston, TX 77251-1562

Leah Olive-Nishioka
Communications Director

Agenda & Policy Director

Matt Brollier
Operations & Constituent Services
Director

Sharon Shanahan
Administrative Services Director

 
Hurricane Season Resources
 
Hurricane Symbol 
Community Links


District J Parks 

City Contacts 

HPD (non-emergency) 

713.884.3131

 

Anti-Gang Office 

832.393.0931

 

Mayor's Citizens' Assistance 832.393.0955

 

Department of Neighborhoods 832.393.1038

 

Health & Human Services

832.393.5169

 

Parks Department 

832.395.7000

 

Public Works & Engineering 832.395.2511

 

Solid Waste Management 713.956.6589


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Building the American Dream... 

 

When given the opportunity to speak to groups about District J, I often like to share statistical and demographic information that makes are our area unique. One set of statistics involves the type of housing stock available in the district.

 

District J is home to just more than 75,000 housing units which include single family homes, town-homes, condominiums, and apartment dwellings. According to the demographic information provided in the 2010 US Census, 79% of those housing units are renter occupied. Clearly that number speaks to the significant amount of multi-family housing units located within the area. More importantly however is the fact that only 21% of our housing stock is occupied by home owners.

 

Call me old fashioned, but I happen to believe that home ownership will play an important role in the ongoing revitalization of southwest Houston. It has been generally shown that neighborhoods which have higher rates of home ownership tend to be more stable, have higher property values, and have better schools. The residents of such neighborhoods become advocates for the area they choose to call home. These results are the product of a worldview that naturally springs from direct investment of the human and financial capital needed to purchase, own and maintain a home.

 

Toward that end, I was pleased to convene the District J Development Conference this past Friday morning. The conference was attended by area homebuilders and advocates for home-ownership opportunities. Panelists from large, small and non-profit home builders shared their perspectives on how best to increase housing stock and home ownership. Challenges to increasing single family housing stock in southwest Houston range from locating vacant, lower cost land ready for construction to the production of homes that are affordable to our residents. While not all the pathways to homebuilding success were charted out during the conference, I am encouraged by the fact that dialog has been engaged with individuals and companies who are now actively looking to invest in southwest Houston.

 

Allow me to thank just a few of those who made this conference a success: Houston Baptist University which provided an excellent venue for the gathering; and Texas American Title Company which graciously helped underwrite the cost of the event. Many thanks to those who made presentations: David Hawes, Executive Director of the Greater Sharpstown Management District; Neal Rackleff, Director of the City's Housing and Community Development Department; David Hale, David Weekley Homes; Lisa Clark, Ryko Development Company; and Jerry Kovaly, Habitat for Humanity.

 

I look forward to working with companies and communities interested and invested in increasing the available inventory of quality single family homes in District J.

 

 Mike Laster - signature

- Mike Laster, Council Member - District J

District J Spotlight:  Las Americas Newcomer Middle School

 

Your District J Communications Director, Leah Olive-Nishioka, recently had the good fortune to interview Maria Moreno, principal at HISD's Las Americas Newcomer Middle School, home of the "Really Hungry Individuals in Need of Oppotunity" (RHINOs).

 

Las Americas Newcomer was established to educate recent immigrant and refugee students who have little or no experience with the English language and may have had little or no formal education in their native countries. Currently, students come from over 35 countries and speak nearly 30 different languages, including Arabic, Nepali, Swahili, and Spanish. 

 

Las Americas Newcomer helps its students to transition into life in Houston through programs such as their Intensive English Acquisition Program, Partnership for the Advancement and Immersion of Refugees (PAIR), and Asian American Family Services. These programs assist students in learning English, providing home support, food support, provide field trips to help students learn about American culture, provide homework assistance, and provide cultural education on their own cultures and those of their fellow students. 

 

Most students gain English proficiency within 2 to 3 years and are able to mainstream into other HISD middle schools. 

 

Additionally, Las Americas Newcomer has a partnership with Memorial Hermann Hospital System to provide a clinic on school grounds. It provides health and dental care and is staffed by a registered nurse, a physician, a social worker, a clinician, a dentist, and a sports medicine specialist. By keeping the student population healthy, Las Americas has a very high attendance record, enhancing its students' success. 

 

Your District J office hopes you'll join with them in offering the Las Americas Newcomer Middle School and Principal Moreno hearty congratulations for putting students on the path to academic excellence!

St. Francis de Sales Holiday Market 2013

 

St. Francis de Sales Parish's Catholic Women's Organization (CWO) and Catholic Daughters of America (CDA) are hosting their annual Holiday Market on Saturday, November 23, at the Beck Athletic Center (8100 Roos). 

 

There will be crafts, jewelry, holiday decorations, handmade clothing items, homemade jams and jellies, wreaths, art, and woodwork. Food, drinks, bake sale, and raffles too!

All proceeds from booth reservations and refreshment sales go to CDA and CWO community projects. Table reservations are being taken now ($45).

For more information, please contact Mary Overbeck at 713-594-3665 or Debbie Grassman at 832-494-8366. 

Mayor's Mow-Down

 

The Mayor's Mow-Down Program is a new pilot program created to address the problem of overgrown abandoned lots in Houston neighborhoods. Sponsored by the Department of Neighborhoods (DON) in partnership with Keep Houston Beautiful (KHB), the program aims to encourage civic groups and nonprofit organizations to make a commitment to maintain abandoned lots in their own neighborhoods.

 

By maintaining vacant lots in their neighborhoods, community groups can help address public safety concerns often associated with overgrown lots. Such resident-driven efforts can help enhance the neighborhood setting, protect the value of properties in the area, create unity and instill community pride.

 

The program offers community groups a modest fee for the mowing of City-approved abandoned lots. The first mowing is carried out by City crews. Thereafter, the community groups take over the maintenance of the lots. Participating community groups will be paid a modest fee of $75 for each approved cut after the work has been completed and verified. Each cut must be approved in advance. KHB will provide participating groups with access to tools and supplies for the projects.

 

City-approved abandoned properties are located throughout the City. Participating groups will be assigned to an approved property of their choice in their neighborhood. Any civic association or non-profit organization interested in maintaining a City-approved abandoned property is eligible to apply for participation in the program.

 

If you know of a lot that needs to be mowed, please visit the Mayor's Mow-Down page and let our office know!

Veterans Day Reminder 

 

City of Houston offices, including your District J office, will be closed on Monday, November 11, in observance of Veterans Day to remember the courageous who have answered the call to serve our nation.

 

We ask you to join us in honoring and celebrating the service members in our lives.

Ready to Fall Back?

 

Time sure does fly! It seems like just yesterday we were setting all the clocks ahead 1 hour. Now it's time to set them back.

 

Daylight Saving Time is ending, and on Sunday, November 3, remember to set your clocks back 1 hour at 2:00 am (making it 1:00 am again). 

 

Enjoy the extra hour of sleep!

Voting Day Information

 

Vote

Election Day is this coming Tuesday, November 5. This is your last chance to cast your ballot and be counted.

 

You will be required to vote at your precinct's designated voting location AND bring one of the accepted photo ID's. To look up your voting location, see a list of the accepted forms of photo ID, or view a sample ballot, please visit www.harrisvotes.com or call the Harris County Clerk's Election Information Line at (713) 755-6965. 

Coming Events

Calendar2Please refer to the Community Events Calendar on our website for the time, location and other event details.

New events are added every week. Be sure to check in often!
 
November 1
  • Friday Night at Epiphany Church: The Mishima String Quartet
November 3
  • Daylight Saving Time Ends
  • Diwali/Deepavali (Hindu, Jain, Sikh) 

November 5

  • Brays Oaks Super Neighborhood #36
  • Election Day
  • Sharpstown Rotary Club
November 6
  • City Council Consolidated Session
November 7
  • AARP Chapter 3264
  • AARP Chapter 4418
  • Community Forum on the Affordable Care Act
  • Nutcracker Market (though November 10)
November 11
  • Veterans Day (City Offices Closed)
  • City of Houston Veterans Day Celebration
  • Mid West Super Neighborhood #20
November 12
  • AARP Chapter 50
  • Brays Oaks Management District Bi-Monthly Breakfast
  • Sharpstown Rotary Club
November 13
  • City Council Consolidated Session
  • Gulfton Area Service Provider Meeting 
  • Gulfton Community Conversation on Education
November 14
  • Braeburn Valley West Board Meeting