By Hannah Monroe, SA2020 Neighborhoods Liaison at SAHA 

Post 7 | Series Archive

The EastPoint Neighborhood

On March 4, 2014, Mayor Castro unveiled the EastPoint neighborhood: a four square mile area located on the Eastside of San Antonio that geographically encapsulates the Wheatley Choice Neighborhood, Eastside Promise Neighborhood, and the Promise Zone Initiative. It is the only area in the nation to receive all of the White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative grants: Choice, Promise, Promise Zone designation, and Byrne Criminal Justice grants. “All of these programs are designed to positively impact the community by empowering residents, building capacity and encouraging participation in local decision-making in the EastPoint community” (SAHA, “Mayor Castro Unveils ‘EastPoint’”). The goal is to build collaboration between neighbors, businesses, and invested agencies to implement community-driven transformations by focusing on education, housing, economic competitiveness, and quality of life.

Neighborhood Empowerment Campaign

The EastPoint People of Potential Empowerment Session is a campaign that connects residents with resources and opportunities for personal, home, and neighborhood improvement. The Campaign was launched through partnerships between the San Antonio Housing Authority, the City of San Antonio, SAGE: San Antonio for Growth on the Eastside, Wheatley Choice Neighborhood, and Eastside Promise Neighborhood.

The events started on March 11^th with a Movie in Lockwood Park and will end on May 31^st with the Bowden Elementary School: EastPoint Fun Run. Categories of events include home maintenance and homeownership, job and work readiness, business development, health and wellness, and neighborhood improvement. If you’ve missed out on the previous Neighborhood Empowerment Campaign events, there are still ways for you to participate in the next week.

Upcoming events are specifically centered on:

Neighborhood

• Saturday, April 19, 8 a.m., Sutton Oaks: Community Garden Project (to volunteer, sign up here)
• Saturday, April 26, Lockwood Park: Kids Fest
• Saturday, April 26, 8 a.m., Sutton Oaks: Community Garden Project (to volunteer, sign up here)
• Saturday, May 3, 8 a.m., Sutton Oaks: Community Garden Project (to volunteer, sign up here)
• Saturday, May 17, 10 a.m., Sutton Oaks: Community Garden Grand Opening Celebration

Business Development

• Monday, April 14, 9 a.m., Straight-line Management: Crime and Economic Development
• Thursday, April 24, 7:30 a.m., St. Philip’s College West Campus: Workforce Workshop and Tour

Health and Wellness

• Saturday, May 31, 7 a.m., Bowden Elementary School: EastPoint Fun Run

Neighborhood Beautification

• Saturday, April 5th, morning, Day of Service: Washington Elementary Gardening
• Monday, April 7, 10 a.m., Wheatley Middle School: Beautification project- Plant Flowers in Courtyard
• Wednesday-Friday, April 9-11, 10 a.m., Hays, Lamar, Arthur and Gabriel – Infill Streets: Debris Pick up and Removal
• Friday, April 11th, 10 a.m., Antioch Christian Academy Plant Flowers and Remove Debris
• Friday, April 11th, 10 am, Antioch Community Transformation Network (ACTN) Debris Removal and Clean Up
• Friday, April 11th, 10 a.m., New Mt. Pleasant Baptist Church Lawn Care

To sign up as a volunteer for the Sutton Community Garden Build Days, visit the SAHA SA2020 Partner page. For more information about these events and the Neighborhood Empowerment Campaign contact Arrie Porter (arrie_porter@saha.org) or Dwayne Robinson (Dwayne.robinson@urbanstrategiesinc.org).

Join us for these events and volunteer opportunities! Partner with the residents, businesses, and agencies of the EastPoint Neighborhood to positively transform this community together!