About Westside Health Authority

“We believe the community’s strength lies in using the
capacity of people who are often perceived as victims.“

The most important component of our work is relationship-building among neighbors.  Relationships build the capacity of neighbors to be more effective as civic leaders, parents, students, or providers of other services.  WHA seeks to dispel the myth that scientific data defines a community.  We believe the community’s strength lies in using the capacity of people who are often labeled as victims, and empowering those who need help.  Our major challenge is finding ways to utilize the gifts and capacity of the discarded, discounted person.  This requires building trust among neighbors.  We need to find ways to encourage each other as we try on the new role of gift-giver rather than client.

By identifying neighborhood assets and developing trusting relationships, WHA is able to mobilize residents to carry out a community vision in the areas of youth development, health promotions, community development, prisoner re-entry, employment, technology, violence prevention, and economic development.  The foundation of our organization is community people.  Ninety percent of our staff members come from the community and several neighborhood volunteers can be found working in some capacity each week.

WHA, like the Austin community, is also experiencing growth and renewal as it continues to build relationships, develop capacity and provide hope for a better and brighter future.  WHA now operates from three locations with over 40 employees.