Earlier this week, we experienced a major fire in District H when an abandoned duplex caught on fire on Washington Avenue near Sabine Street. The fire spread to The Broken Spoke Café and while thankfully no injuries have been reported, the damage was great and I share my thoughts with those affected. I want to acknowledge and thank our brave fire fighters who quickly responded to the scene and were able to control the flames before even more damage occurred. Approximately 75 of our city’s finest responded to the call, with 29 units on the scene. I appreciate their efforts and thank them for their service.
Last week in the District, another fire affected the home of community leader, Mr. John Branch. Unfortunately, he did not have fire insurance at the time and suffered a great loss. An account has been set up at Chase Bank under the “Branch Fire Fund” to aid the family. If you would like to assist, please contact Mr. Branch directly at 832-880-0414.
These incidents remind us how important fire safety is, and I encourage everyone to take steps to protect their life and property. Make sure you have a working smoke detector in your home, that your family has an evacuation route, and that you have a planned place to meet in case of an emergency. I also want to once more, thank our first responders for their service to our city and to our citizens. As we remember 11 years since 9/11 this week, it is particularly fitting to take the time to appreciate the public safety employees here in our city.
Mayor and colleagues, I want to thank you all for supporting item number 23 on this week’s agenda. The use of a grant ‘homeless housing and services program fund’ will help aid women in transition after they have exited the criminal justice system. The women enrolled in the program will receive 7 months of aid which includes mentoring, life skills development, therapy, transition planning, and resource management. This approach helps reduce the recidivism rate for the women who receive assistance and help us achieve cost savings in the criminal justice system while making a real impact in the quality of life of our communities. The Brigid’s Hope program graduated 12 women in 2011 and expects another 13 graduations this year.
Fiestas Patrias kicks off the weekend in Downtown Houston and the District H team and I are looking forward to the celebration. Make your way to the Minute Park area on Saturday morning beginning at 9AM to participate in the festivities. As always, I know it will be a great family atmosphere and parade. For more information, please reach out to the District H team at 832-393-3003 or via email at districth@houstontx.gov.
This weekend, our office is also supporting the 2nd Annual Teen Evolution Youth conference at the High School for Law Enforcement and Criminal Justice, at 4701 Dickson, beginning at 9AM. The conference is for parents and students and provides workshops on healthy living, college preparedness, and more. Completely free of charge! We look forward to seeing an even bigger crowd than last year and expect hundreds of young people to attend.
Ed
_____
What is ‘Pop Off?’: ‘Pop-Off’ occurs at the end of each City Council Agenda Meeting. At this time, each council member is given the opportunity to discuss happenings in their district, congratulate constituents and share relevant information with the Council and the public. All City Council meetings can be watched live online.
