In this Black neighborhood, people die about 20 years sooner than in the rest of the county

A Black community in Houston has a shorter life expectancy than the rest of Harris County, with its residents dying two decades sooner on average.

Federal statistics indicate that the average lifespan in the Settegast neighborhood in northeast Houston — bordered by two landfills on one side and a Union Pacific train terminal on another — is 66 years. The typical life expectancy in the peaceful community outside the Loop is at least 20 years less than in places such as Clear Lake City, Upper Kirby, and other parts of the Energy Corridor, The Houston Chronicle reported.

Several groups, including the Urban Land Institute Houston and Harris County Public Health, have expressed concern about Settegast’s low life expectancy. The organizations and area government employees are creating an action plan — Actions for Health Equity in Settegast using — using a $27,000 grant from ULI Houston’s parent company.

In an effort led by Harris County Public Health analyst and urban planner Elizabeth Van Horn, the grant team has turned to Settegast residents to understand their concerns. They’ve learned that people there are worried about a lack of access to nutritious food and quality doctors, shoddy infrastructure and environmental health issues.

“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 Van Horn, according to The Chronicle.

The Houston-Harris County Economic Opportunity Organization tried to summarize the problems afflicting Settegast in 1966, citing a lack of city water, sanitary sewers, paved streets, public amenities like libraries or health care, and drainage infrastructure. Some properties damaged by floodwaters during 2017’s Hurricane Harvey never fully recovered.

Another neighborhood issue is the illegal dumping of tires, furniture and other items in ditches, which blocks access and hinders rainfall drainage.

“Settegast is a forgotten community within the city of Houston and [Harris] County,” said Carolyn Rivera, who has lived in Settegast for 43 years and turns 80 this year, The Chronicle reported.

According to city planning papers, Black families who found many other residential districts restricted to them settled in Settegast in the 1940s.

Michael Frazier, a native who now works as a tax assessor for the local school system, said many of the early Settegast homeowners died without wills, leaving their homes unclaimed by heirs and eventually in foreclosure. Some people lost their houses due to unpaid taxes.

Homeownership dropped from 60 percent in 2013 to 44 percent today, with many former residential properties turned into parking lots for 18-wheelers and auto repair shops.

Officials will now create an action plan to address the challenges identified by Actions for Health Equity in Settegast. Van Horn said the group was considering hosting a neighborhood resource fair, assisting seniors in applying for exemptions from paying property taxes, figuring out how to get residents access to more fresh food, and monitoring air quality. She said officials would share ideas from the public panel sometime in April.

“Many of the concerns seen in 1966,” said Van Horn, frustrated by a lack of progress, “are still concerns experienced by residents today.” 

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