By Hannah Monroe, SA2020 Neighborhoods Liaison at SAHA
Post 1 | Series Archive
Welcome to the first installment of the San Antonio Housing Authority’s “First Friday” blog series!
What is SAHA?
SAHA is one of the Lead Partners in Neighborhoods along with ULI-San Antonio. You may be familiar with the San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) as a provider of subsidized and mixed-income housing, but you may not be aware of our other initiatives. SAHA pursues sustainability by adhering to Build San Antonio Green standards, developing community gardens, and supporting farmers’ markets. We host a monthly bicycle ride to increase cyclist safety and fitness activities in the city. SAHA’s work with the Education Investment Foundation (EIF) also provides critical financial support to resident students. These and other initiatives directly correlate to SA2020 indicators!
Click the photo to learn more about the San Antonio Housing Authority
Why Blog?
The goal of this series is to dig into and share stories about the SA2020 Neighborhood indicators, the variety of volunteer opportunities offered by SAHA and other Neighborhoods opportunity partners, and learn about the experiences of people working on Neighborhoods in the community.
The Content
Each month the scope of the blog will change. Here are some of the potential topics:
Indicators
If you’ve kept track of the SA2020 indicators during the finalization process, you may have noticed the Neighborhoods indicators expanded a bit to explore, explain and track the breadth of what actually impacts neighborhoods. Hint: There’s a lot.
The indicators are now:
- Growth of Green Spaces
- Access to Parks and Green Spaces
- Walkability
- Population Growth in Center City Neighborhoods and Downtown
- New Housing Starts and Renovations inside Loop 410
- Neighborhood Cost
Some of these indicators, like Walkability and Population Growth, are familiar, but others, like Neighborhood Cost and Access to Parks and Green Spaces, are not. I will explain the specifics about indictors: why we’re tracking them, interpreting changes in the data, and how they impact us as individuals.
Events
There are many opportunities and events around the city linked to Neighborhoods that do a great job gathering, informing, and mobilizing people. In December we’ll explore the reality of citizens speaking up for their neighborhood at a Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO) Walkability Workshop in the East Side Choice and Promise Neighborhood. There’s even a video of the event if you missed it! Warning: It contains children noticing things and dreaming about their neighborhood.
Interviews
There are some pretty amazing people working in Neighborhoods in our city. I’ll share their stories, what motivates them to work in this cause, and advice that they have for others who want to make a difference in San Antonio neighborhoods.
Frequency
In the spirit of one of the greatest local neighborhood celebrations, I’ll publish a new post on the First Friday of every month!
What You Can Do
It’s important that we don’t just see the SA2020 indicators as goals for other people to work toward. We each have a part to play in moving that needle, so each month I’ll suggest some ways that you can get involved!
For the first installment, here’s what I suggest:
If you have attended events or meetings that move the needle on the Neighborhoods indicators, have a passion for Neighborhoods, or work professionally to impact these indicators, please contact me, Hannah, at hannah_monroe@saha.org. I want to hear and share your stories!
Mobilizing for change involves sharing your stories, so do that! Share with me, with your neighbors, with your co-workers, and anyone else. Invite them to join you in moving that needle!
