West Texas Organizing Strategy
The West Texas Sign Up & Take Charge Family
Agenda
Lubbock County
The West Texas Organizing Strategy (WTOS), a coalition of
congregations in West Texas, supports the families of our
communities. Families across the region face economic, social and
cultural pressures. Because WTOS member institutions believe that
strong families are the foundation of a prosperous community, we
will work to ensure that the needs of all the families of our
community are addressed so that all families can share in the
prosperity of the community. We endorse and will support the
following issues to address the needs of our families:
Education
Every child deserves a quality education which will enable him or
her to be an active and contributing member of our community. In
the economy of today, a high school diploma is a ticket to a
minimum wage job. Education for all children, from kindergarten to
12th grade should be a pathway to college. Teachers should be paid
a professional salary with adequate benefits.
Job Training and Living Wages
Long term (18 months to 2 years) quality job training for quality
jobs which pay a living wage should be available for all the
members of our community so that they can attain the skills
necessary to adequately support and maintain their families. All
tax-based institutions such as Texas Tech University, University
Medical Center, the City and County of Lubbock and the school
districts should pay a living wage to all employees and should
require that all companies which contract with them pay a living
wage.
Children and Teenagers
Lubbock has one of the highest rates of teen pregnancy and
juvenile delinquency in the State of Texas. The city, county, and
the school district should work together to provide for after
school enrichment programs for all of the children of the community
and summer recreation programs for all the children of the
community.
Health Care
In order to facilitate a healthy community, the Children's Health
Insurance Program (C.H.I.P.) should be extended to adults and the
process for qualifying for Medicaid should be simplified. In
addition to this, a strategy such as neighborhood primary health
care clinics in schools should be initiated.
Affordable Housing and Quality Housing
Over 20,000 people are defined as the next-to-homeless: those
families who are one rent payment from being evicted from their
rental homes. Housing should be developed which is in the price
range for the average working class family of Lubbock. Programs to
identify and rehabilitate substandard and dilapidated housing
should be initiated.
Infrastructure
Lubbock markets itself as a good place to raise a family. If
Lubbock is to continue to be such a home for our families, then we
must continue to invest in and maintain our parks, maintain our
libraries and ensure that they are accessible, and maintain and
develop the infrastructure of our neighborhoods (streets,
sidewalks, drainage), especially on the East Side of Lubbock.
Community Development
The City of Lubbock must develop a community development strategy
for the East Side which will attract business, repair housing and
develop the availability of affordable housing.
Police Protection
The police department should be seen as an extension of the
community, not its enemy. To this end, we support a movement from a
call-and-response philosophy of policing to a community policing
philosophy.
For more information about WTOS, contact Darrell Vines or contact
WTOS as the address below.
121 North Avenue N
P.O. Box 5237
Lubbock, TX 79408
(806)762-4788
Fax (806)793-2347