 About Us
The Initiative
Making Connections-San Antonio began its work as a
place-based initiative in 2001 with a series of
neighborhood family summits in five sections spanning
San Antonio’s West Side. During the family summits, more
than 850 West Side residents identified 11 different
outcomes to improve the lives of children.
Our work is guided by these outcomes and by the notion that children do better
when their families do better, and families do better
when communities are supportive.
MC-SA believes that the key to successful children and
families is found in the relationships that connect
people to one another. Social networks are central to
our work. Through positive social networks and
leadership, families can find jobs, build assets, access
effective and efficient services and raise children who are healthy and successful in school.
The outcomes identified in the neighborhood family
summits dictated the development of four major
strategies:
The Place
San Antonio’s West Side is a 24-square mile area to
the west of downtown, with 134,000 residents in 37,000
households.
It is an area of great historical and
cultural significance. As many as 95% of the residents
are Hispanic (most of Mexican origin) and 19% were born in Mexico. Most are
family households with children. Six out of ten of them
are homeowners and their mobility rate is slightly lower
than the county average. The most distinguishing
characteristic regarding the statistics of West Side families is that family
breadwinners are usually working in low-paying jobs with
salaries at less than half the city’s average per capita income.
Making Connections-San Antonio
Local Management Entity - Governance for Making Connections-San Antonio
City of San Antonio, Department of Community Initiatives - Lead
Catholic Charities, Archdiocese of San Antonio, Inc. - Fiscal Agent
Family Service Association - Children and Family Lead
Edgewood Independent School District - Targeted Population
3 Local Residents:
Sylvia Zamarripa
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Hilda Banuelos
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Team
Photographs Provided in Courtesy by
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