High blood pressure, epilepsy, kidney disease and other ailments run common among residents of Houston's Settegast neighborhood. A grant is trying to address their concerns and increase the average life expectancy, which is the lowest in the county.
, the average person can expect to live for 66 years, according to federal estimates — giving the neighborhood an unwanted distinction: It has the shortest life expectancy in Harris County. The average person residing in the quiet community just beyond the Loop, where dogs sleep in the streets and horses flick their tails in grassy yards, can expect to live at least 20 years less than the average person does in areas including Clear Lake City, Upper Kirby and parts of the Energy Corridor.
"We're trying to look at how historical and current discrimination in different planning and development practices are impacting the health and well-being of residents today," said Elizabeth Van Horn, an urban planner and public health analyst at Harris County Public Health who is the project manager for the effort.Settegast was settled in the 1940s by Black families who found many other residential areas restricted to them,.
The rate of homeownership, which, as recently as 2013, stood at 60 percent, fell to 44 percent. Many residential properties became parking lots for 18-wheelers and car repair shops, common sources of frustration for neighbors who want to maintain the neighborhood’s residential character. So Fuentes, who speaks both English and Spanish, and Rivera joined the program as community ambassadors. In the past year, the two have spent more than 100 hours knocking on doors and calling neighbors; Actions for Health Equity in Settegast has hosted eight focus groups, six listening sessions and four presentations to the community.
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