Ruth Hurst with the New Braeswood Revitalization Association said, "We knew a lot of the crime could be solved if we could get dialogue going between the complexes, the police department, the neighborhoods."
For Hurst, it's been a labor of love. She raised $50,000 in three years -- enough money to buy a 36 foot RV which her civic association donated to HPD's Police and Clergy Team (PACT). It's a volunteer faith-based program that partners police and local clergy with apartment owners in southwest Houston in an effort to reduce crime.
"We have made great efforts to get past the dangerous label," said Houston Police Officer Barry Curtis. "Now we're out here to rebuild this community and make it stronger."
PACT members say the mobile recovery unit's mission is twofold -- to provide spiritual and emotional support for victims of crime or emergencies and to raise the quality of life for residents in low income apartments with a high risk for crime.
"I've seen the results of our work," Hurst said. "It's only a grassroots organization, but we have made a difference and I am very proud to be a part of it."
Hurst hopes her efforts will inspire people in other neighborhoods across Houston to do the same. The mobile recovery unit will be based in southwest Houston, but other neighborhoods will be able to use it as well.
