Protecting a Community Together

摘要

The Houston Housing Authority's (HHA) public housing communities had to contend with frequent criminal activity, including burglaries, thefts, physical altercations, vandalism, drug possessions, and more. Unorganized efforts between key local partners (law enforcement, HHA, their residents and management) resulted in little to no improvements. The defunding of HUD's Public Housing Drug Elimination Program (PHDEP) did not improve matters. In 2017, HHA implemented the "See Something, Say Something" program. Based on resurrected traditional crime prevention strategies related to community policing and Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED), the program debuted in January 2017 to improve safety for approximately 2,557 families residing at 14 public housing communities. Public and private partnerships between the HHA, Resident Councils, management, Houston's Police Department, Harris County's Constables and the Houston Apartment Association allowed key stakeholders to organize local efforts to reduce crime through improvement in physical design and coordination of resources. The HHA's estimated cost to fund "See Something/Say Something" is approximately $1.8 million annually, which supports a full-time staff Director of Security, CPTED physical improvements to deter crime, safety training, additional patrols provided by the Constables, safety awareness/educational material for residents, monthly safety meetings and more.