The focus of this initiative is the Vietnamese population in two Houston communities: Alief and Park Place.  Texas has the second largest Vietnamese population in the country and the majority of the Vietnamese in the state live in the Houston metropolitan area.  Houston became a settlement area for Vietnamese partly because of its proximity to the Gulf Coast and partly because of its designation as a refugee resettlement site by the U.S. government.  In the 2000 Census, Asian-origin residents in Harris County demonstrated a population increase of 75.7%, exceeding the 73.5% increase in the county’s Hispanic population.  The Vietnamese population recorded the most rapid growth.  Alief Super Neighborhood, which is located west of the Sam Houston Parkway and is bounded by Alief Clodine Road on the north and Bellfort Street on the south, has the largest Vietnamese community in the city.  According to the 2000 Census, Alief has a population of 97,889, of which 20.5% are Asians, compared to 5.7% for the city of Houston.  Vietnamese comprise 42.2% of the Asian population in Alief.  Park Place Super Neighborhood, which is located southeast of the intersection of I-45 and the 610 Loop, has a population of 9,902, of which 76% are Hispanic.  Over 15% of the population is Asian, primarily Vietnamese. Vietnamese in Alief informed us of the Vietnamese community in Park Place and asked that they be included in our study.

BACKGROUND
The Alief/Park Place Vietnamese Healthy Neighborhood Initiative was officially begun in November of 2001 when SLEHC convened an advisory group of Asian-American researchers and community service providers.  This group narrowed the focus of the initiative to the Vietnamese community in Alief.  A community collaborative was created, comprised of nonprofit organizations, school and religious community representatives, and health care providers in the area.  A quantitative data profile, including population, income, education, birth and mortality data, was compiled to inform the actions of the collaborative.  Thirty-eight key informant interviews were conducted, with community leaders in social services, health care, education, law enforcement, the religious community, media, and immigration and refugee support, to enrich our perspective.  Key informants identified indicators that can lead to health risks and poor access to services for Vietnamese.  Those most at risk are newer immigrants (since 1990) who have more recently experienced the physical and psychological hardships prior to and during resettlement.  Immigration experiences, combined with a lack of language proficiency, few economic and educational resources, and few job skills, can result in a vulnerability to social, psychological, and physical problems.

Most of the Vietnamese in Alief are part of the wave of immigrants who came to the U.S. in the late ‘70s, after the fall of Saigon.  They are more educated and skilled and were more quickly sponsored and resettled.  They have been more successful and have better assimilated into the mainstream culture.  In Alief, 21% of the residents earn $50-75,000 annually, compared to 14% for the city; 22% have a college degree, compared to 18% for the city.  In contrast, Vietnamese in Park Place are newer immigrants who more closely fit the profile for those most at risk.  They live in six enclave communities, or “villages,” where they are poorer, more socially isolated, and more ethnically homogenous, with less of the influence of the outside community.  All of the villages are older apartment complexes badly in need of repair. Residents have purchased their apartments, which they call condominiums, and have elected a village chief and other officers to make decisions about village rules and regulations and maintenance issues.  The villagers exist within a community in which less than 12% of the residents earn $50-75,000 annually, and 59% don’t have a high school diploma.  Research suggests that the level and distribution of health in disadvantaged communities such as these is not optimal and that members are unlikely to have a regular source of care.

ACTIVITY
Following the guidance of the collaborative, we began in-depth interviews of St. Joseph Village residents.  A team of six Vietnamese community researchers and a study coordinator, screened for Vietnamese and English writing and speaking competency, was recruited to conduct eighteen one-hour, semi-structured, in-home interviews with people who live in St. Joseph Village, located on Park Place Boulevard.  A specific request to be included in our initiative came from a village resident who was a VISTA worker (for the Center for Faith and Health Initiatives) and who was our initial contact in the villages.  Interviewees ranged in age from 19 to 86 years old, and half were female and half male.  Almost three-fourths of those interviewed were newer immigrants, having arrived in this country in the ‘90s.  Half had less than a high school education.  Most were insured, either through their employer or through the Gold Card program.  All described the village as a “friendly,” “peaceful,” “secure” place to live.  They said the village allows them to live among compatriots, preserving traditions for their children, and “not feel abandoned.”  Their primary concerns were environmental; they identified the village’s worn sewer system as the primary problem, citing it as a real health hazard.  Other health-related problems were transportation, language difficulties, and health education.

In addition, the collaborative identified Vietnamese youth in Alief as candidates for further study.  The Charities conducted interviews with ten Vietnamese high school students, recruited through the youth program of the Vietnamese Culture & Science Association in Alief.  Based on the findings of these interviews, SLEHC has partnered with Inprint, Inc., a nonprofit affiliated with the University of Houston’s Creative Writing Program.  Inprint conducted an eight-week Writer’s Workshop for interested Vietnamese high school students in order to produce a publication of student writings on their experiences as Vietnamese and Americans. 

Further Work

  The study was completed in 2004. Next steps included:

• SLEHC partnered with Shalom Mobile Health Ministries to provide mobile health services in Park Place.
• SLEHC supported the Asian American Health Coalition's development as a Federally Qualified Health Center.
• SLEHC worked with the collaborative to establish after-school programs at Park Place Elementary School for over 400 children.
• SLEHC serves on the Mayor's Task Force for the Vietnamese Villages, which helps address the most pressing concerns in the villages.
• Funding support and capacity building services were extended to Vietnamese organizations in Alief serving youth and the elderly.

More Information:
To learn more about the Alief/Park Place Neighborhood, please contact us.