By Eliot Ware

The Five Corners Management District is home to many civic organizations. Most are focused on the business community while others are more focused on issues affecting the private citizens who live in the District. The South Houston Concerned Citizens’ Coalition (SHCCC) is the latter but understands that a successful community takes the combined efforts of businesses and private citizens.

“It takes a community to make a community,” said Mya Carroll, President of the SHCCC. In August 2017, Ms. Carroll assumed the three year presidency of the SHCCC. She took the reins from Mr. Homer Clark, Vice President. Mr. Clark served as the interim president since February 2016.

The mission of the SHCCC is to work together as a group on projects to improve the civic welfare of the residents living in the boundaries of the Coalition and its vicinity in the City of Houston, Texas. This includes working to improve the community through the promotion of urban design and beautification, crime reduction and public safety, economic development, improved education and recreation, and better housing for all.

In order to accomplish this goal, the SHCCC works with all of the civic organizations, homeowner associations (HOAs) and individual residents within the coalition boundaries. Those boundaries are located primarily in District K with a small portion of District D.

“We work closely with the Five Corners Management District and also with the Super Neighborhoods,” said the 2016 Making A Difference Foundation Award winner. “I’m really focused on getting all of the communities to know that we are one. Our areas may represent different ethnicities or people with different backgrounds but we are one.”

The SHCCC is making a big push to improve its outreach and communication with the citizens of South Houston. There are approximately 70,000 – 80,000 people on the list of contacts within the boundaries of the coalition. The SHCCC wants to get email addresses for 30,000 of them by 2020. When it was pointed out that this was a pretty aggressive goal, Ms. Carroll simply said, “I’m working it.”

That positive attitude has earned Ms. Carroll awards and accolades from multiple organizations and community leaders, including the designation of April 17, 2015 as Mya Carroll Day by former Houston Mayor Annise D. Parker.

Ms. Carroll invites anyone in or out of the Five Corners Management District that has something relevant to the SHCCC mission to discuss to join them. “In order for us to grow we have to be open minded and open to receive any ideas that anyone might bring our way,” she said, “Everyone is welcome to come and help, bring up a concern, volunteer, learn about SHCCC or donate. We should all work together as one to accomplish our goals.”

The SHCCC meets every 3rd Thursday of the month at 7PM at the Hiram Clarke Multi-Service Center, 3810 West Fuqua Street, Houston, TX 77045. You can also send an email to [email protected] for additional information.