gulf coast interfaith newsletter · gci quarterly 2014 volume 2 issue #3 mailing address: gulf...

GCI Quarterly 2014 Volume 2 Issue #3

Mailing Address: Gulf Coast Interfaith

c/o St. Patrick Catholic Church 1010 – 35th Street

Galveston, Texas 77550 Contact Telephone: 409 939-8017 Email: [email protected]

Website: www.gulfcoastinterfaith.org

Gulf Coast Interfaith (GCI) continues its work in the key areas of democracy, disaster recovery, housing, healthcare, employment, education, and Latino Outreach in an effort to advance social, economic and health opportunities for the residents of the city of Galveston and Galveston County and the Gulf Coast area. Collaborating with local congregations and community advocacy groups, we are consistently reaching to fulfill our goal to produce tangible, sustainable solutions to the issues facing our neighbors.

GCI

Galveston County Collaborating Organizations GCI made its small 2nd floor office at 2728 Ave Q available to the Collaborating Organizations1 for meetings on July 5th and 11th, August 8th and 22nd.There were wide ranging discussions covering many issues including scattered sites for 388 Galveston public housing units, Galveston Northside redevelopment, Sandpiper Cove Apartments, immigrant children in Galveston County, affordable housing throughout Galveston County, and Sec. 3 compliance by Galveston and Galveston Housing Authority, as well as social justice, prioritizing the needs of the community and the availability of volunteer time. The CO held a lengthy meeting with Texas Appleseed and Texas Low Income Housing and Information Services staff on September 10th to thoroughly discuss and consider many of the current housing and development issues in Galveston County and plan future activities.

EMPLOYMENT Living Wage Study Group

The Living Wage Study Group held their monthly meetings on July 12th at St. Patrick Catholic Church and on August 14th and September 11th at Live Oak Baptist Church.

1 The membership of the coalition known as the Galveston County Collaborating Organizations a/k/a CO varies depending on the issue. Generally the CO is comprised of: NAACP Galveston Unit 6180, LULAC Galveston Council 151, Galveston Coalition for Justice, Galveston Northside Task Force, Gulf Coast Interfaith, Barbour’s Chapel Community Development Corporation Inc, NAACP Mainland Branch Unit 6201, NAACP Dickinson/Bay Area Branch Unit 6280, LULAC Texas City Council 255, and Gulf Coast Homeless Coalition.

of 7


A delegation from the Living Wage Study Group met with Galveston City Manager Brian Maxwell on June 30th and with GISD Supt. Larry Nichols on July 7th to discuss low wage employees. Information requested during the meetings was subsequently forwarded and is under review. Contact with President Beth Lewis of College of the Mainland resulted in the production of information without the need for a meeting and that information is also being reviewed. Meetings were also held with President Myles Shelton at Galveston College on August 19th and UTMB Vice-President Ron McKinley on August 21st to discuss low wage employees. Information was requested from GC and UTMB which was provided. An information and data gathering meeting was also held at Texas A&M on September 4th with Jeffrey Boyer and Grant Shallenberger. Letters requesting meetings to discuss low wage workers were sent on September 9th to UTMB’s contractors and on September 23rd to Texas A&M’s contractors. On September 26th similar letters were sent to the Galveston Housing Authority, Galveston Port Authority, and Galveston Park Board. A house meeting led by six members of the Living Wage Study Group was held at Shiloh AME Church on August 11th. Members of the congregation told stories about working for low wages in Galveston. On September 29th the Living Wage Study Group held its 2nd Annual Living Wage Conference at St. Patrick Catholic Church. It was attended by around 65 people who presented, listened and participated in discussions about the problems facing low wage workers in Galveston. The conference was sponsored by Gulf Coast Interfaith, NAACP Galveston Unit 6180, LULAC Council 151, Gulf Coast Homeless Coalition, Galveston Coalition for Justice, Galveston Northside Taskforce, The Children's Center Inc., United Way of Galveston, The Jesse Tree, and St. Vincent’s House. Vice President of Holy Family Parish Maria Luisa Mercado was the MC for the 90 minute conference that included presentations about Sec. 3 by Samson Babaloa from the Galveston Housing Authority and Shameka Union from Galveston, J1 visas by local immigration attorney John

of 7


Drewry, Catholic social teaching about workers’ wages by Father Maynard Tetreault, enforcement of wage theft laws by Galveston County District Attorney Jack Roady, update on Obamacare by Andrea Hypolite from The Children’s Center, demographics of low wage workers in Galveston by Prof. Karl Eschbach from UTMB, and an update on the Living Wage Study Group by GCI leader Steve McIntyre. The conference opened with a prayer by Dr. Ahmed Ahmed from the Galveston Islamic Center and closed with a prayer by Rev. E.R. Johnson from Ave L Missionary Baptist Church.

Galveston County DA Jack Roady and GISD Supt. Larry Nichols discuss wage issues with MC Maria Luisa Mercado while immigration attorney John Drewry reviews his notes prior to the start of the conference.

Local immigration attorney John Drewry presents information concerning the benefits and detriments of J1 immigrant workers in Galveston.

Galveston City Councilmember Craig Brown signs in for the conference with the assistance of

Amy Quiroga (LULAC President) and Lillie Ann Aleman (LULAC Secretary).

of 7


GCI leader and former Galveston city councilmember Cornelia Banks greets Director Emeritus of St. Vincent’s House Michael Jackson as he stands in line to register and Judge Penny Pope walks through the door.

Listening intently are: Harvey Rice (Houston Chronicle), Joseph Berbel (LULAC), Frank Benavidez (LULAC), Sue Johnson (Nia Cultural Center), David Mitchell (The Jesse Tree), Leon Phillips (Galveston Coalition for Justice), Michael Jackson (Director Emeritus of St. Vincent’s House), and David Miller (NAACP).

of 7


Father Maynard Tetreault, one of the co-founders of the Living Wage Study Group, presents Catholic social teachings concerning just and fair wages.

Galveston City Council-

member Norman

Pappous and GCI

leader Steve

McIntyre, one of the

co-founders of the Living Wage Study

Group, discuss different

ways workers in Galveston

might receive a

living wage in the

future.

of 7


LATINO OUTREACH GCI leader Joe Compian participated in a July 18th protest demonstration against a League City resolution prohibiting city cooperation with the federal government in sheltering immigrant children from Central America.

DISASTER RECOVERY and HOUSING Texas General Land Office A CO meeting was held on July 5th at 10:00 am and a meeting of the Ball Street Support Group2 was scheduled for 12:00 pm. Participants discussed the upcoming three meetings with GLO and WFN Consulting representatives on July 8th concerning the designation of 388 scattered public housing sites and Northside redevelopment. During the three meetings there were frank and candid discussions about scattered sites, opportunity locations, and development, and expenditure of funds for infrastructure improvement and improvement of opportunity locations.

2 The Ball Street Support Group is basically the Galveston members of the CO and several “Friends” including three former Galveston mayors Joe Jaworski, Lyda Ann Thomas and (GCI leader) Barbara Crews and three former GHA Chairpersons Betty Massey, Paula Neff and Art Mabasa.

of 7


Gulf Coast Interfaith c/o St. Patrick Catholic Church, 1010 – 35th Street, Galveston, TX 77550 • Phone: 409 939-8017

[email protected] • www.gulfcoastinterfaith.org

of 7

gulf coast interfaith newsletter · gci quarterly 2014 volume 2 issue #3 mailing address: gulf...

Documents