The West End Hope in Action (WEHA) organization is a collation that serves the San Antonio West Side & West End neighborhoods, with boundaries that roughly lie between Culebra, Colorado, Martin, and General McMullen Streets.  The organization was formed in 2010 with the help of an AARP grant and the willingness of a core group of leaders who grew and developed the organization around being responsive to the needs of its residents.  

With the assistance of the Neighborhood First Alliance, a community meeting was held with Police Chief McManus in 2012. Everyone was pleasantly surprised as resident after resident poured into the meeting. With over 200 individuals in attendance, the room was packed with only standing room available.  

McManus vowed at this meeting to forge and continue a partnership with WEHA focused on one of the organization’s top priorities, crime reduction and prevention. Through a series of walk & talk sessions led by McManus and WEHA leaders, every household in the West End area was visited over a 3-year period and residents have been trained on ways to report and fight crime in their block. 

Another top priority for the organization was the need for youth services. In January 2019 and after an eight-year uphill battle, WEHA was able to return the Parks and Recreation program back to the West End area. 

To date, WEHA has forged alliances with area churches, the San Antonio Independent School district, the Bexar County Sheriff’s office, City Councilpersons Roberto Trevino and Shirley Gonzales, the Westside Development Corporation, as well as numerous local non-profits providing services in the area. 

WEHA is an officially recognized neighborhood association and hosts the city’s largest National Night Out event, an annual community-building national campaign that promotes police-community partnerships and neighborhood camaraderie to make our neighborhoods safer, more caring places to live. This year’s West End area National Night Out is scheduled for Tuesday, October 1st from 5:00 – 7:30 PM and will be held at the West End Park located at 1401 N Hamilton Ave, adjacent to the Frank Garrett Community Center where the organization meets every other Friday. For both the event and meeting, all are always welcome to attend.