Our World – Connect Community

WHO WE ARE

We are the ‘community quarterback’ working closely with residents to bring about lasting change in Gulfton & Sharpstown. We use a holistic model, created by Purpose Built Communities, that focuses on creating a high quality cradle-through-career pipeline, mixed income housing and community wellness opportunities.

WHAT WE DO

We like to say we ‘herd cats, bust silos and connect dots.’ What that really means is we:

Engage the community and accelerate its pathway to productivity
Leverage resources across and between partners
Serve as a single point of accountability for funders
Drive all initiatives to ensure they are aligned and sustainable
Track and improve key community indicators

OUR THEORY OF CHANGE:

We believe if we are to solve for poverty, building great schools is not enough, we must build great communities with families at the center. Our theory of change is that when residents and public and private organizations collaborate and align their efforts, they are able to mobilize a broader network of resources to meet both student and family needs and strengthen the overall community.

OUR IMPACT ZONE

more than

18,000
residents

88%

speak a language other than English

48%

poverty rate;

2% of households receive public assistance

the population density of any other neighborhood

LOWEST

unemployment rate in Houston; but also one of the lowest median income

schools

within a one-mile radius

46%

of residents lack a high school diploma

OUR INITIATIVES

HTX Sewn Goods

SHOPS @ Connect HighStar

Connect High Star Apartments

A New Vision for the ‘Gateway to Gulfton’

Legacy Southwest Clinic (NEW)

Early Childhood Learning Center

Jane Long Academy Park & Playground

Intersection / Parklet Project

YES Prep Gulfton Athletic Field & Mural

Soccer Field at the Gethsemane Campus of St. Luke’s UMC

(Future) Textile Lab & Entrepreneurship Center

Connect Community Summer Camps

Breakthrough Houston at Connect

Harvey Relief & Reconstruction

Connect to Character: A Social and Emotional Learning Program

The Connect Community Hub

KIPP TEXAS PUBLIC SCHOOLS:

We believe that all students will learn and achieve at high levels when given the opportunity.

THE YMCA OF GREATER HOUSTON:

We are a community-centered organization focused on youth development, healthy living and social responsibility.

ST. LUKE’S UNITED METHODIST CHURCH – GETHSEMANE CAMPUS:

Located in the heart of Gulfton, Gethsemane exists to be an epicenter of hope where faith is turned inside out in love for the community.

LEGACY COMMUNITY HEALTH – SOUTHWEST CLINIC:

Legacy Community Health is a full-service, Federally Qualified Health Center, identifying unmet needs and gaps in health related services and developing client-centered programs to address those needs.