In 2017, like much of Houston, Kashmere Gardens on the city’s northeast side, was drenched by extreme rainfall. 44% of the homes in the area were flooded. So in this community, resilience is more than just a word, it’s a way of life.
“The definition of resiliency is to bounce back quickly, right? After a storm,” Keith Downey said.
In 2023, The Kashmere Gardens Multi-Service Center was designated as Houston’ s first resilience hub. More than just a shelter, Keith Downey, who has deep roots in this community and is president of the Kashmere Gardens Super Neighborhood, said it’s become a place where neighbors can find support and a sense of security and learn how to prepare for what comes next.
“You need training. people need to be disaster trained for disaster preparedness. This is why we have this center,” Downey said.
The mission to make sure folks here are trained to help their neighbors in an emergency is a shared one.
“It’s a lifeline and a trusted source.” Huey Wilson is president of Super Neighborhood 48, which includes nearby Trinity Gardens. “We need to have people that are out here that can do this work and so we train them on the logistics of it all. who we’re calling and where we’re going,” Wilson said.
During our most recent winter snow storm, the hub served as a warming center for 80 people and a team of trained volunteers worked to ensure no one went hungry.
“We certainly hope our efforts are saving lives. We didn’t lose anyone in this last storm. We’re hoping going forward that we see the same kind of results because we’re averaging a disaster a year,” Wilson said.
Wilson added while there have been challenges and delays in fully equipping the hub, a permanent generator at the center is expected to be fully operational within a year.
“I hope that we will have hubs across northeast Houston , various hubs, owned and operated in various ways by our faith based community. The community has to learn to take care of itself,” Wilson said.
It’s a testament of strength and community connection designed to provide care when its’ needed most and Kashmere Gardens is leading the way.
