ELI5: How to be the change we want to see in our neighborhood?

Hi all,

Like a lot of you, I'm renting in a neighborhood that has less than stellar public schools, crappy roads, pedestrians hit constantly, and kind of not safe, while just a few streets over, there are beautiful homes with newly paved streets and sidewalks.

There are other neighborhoods nearby that are similar socioeconomically to mine, but they've received a new park or get grants like the "Bissonnet Corridor Safe Streets Project". I have been googling trying to figure out how to get projects or attention to our neighborhood, or to even see if anything is in the works for us. And even though I feel like I'm not an idiot, I cannot figure out who is responsible for us. 🫠 There are so many commissions and reps and districts and I can't figure out who does what.

I know there is this train of thought that because homeowners pay taxes, of course their areas should get better schools and amenities, but apartment complexes are also owned by someone or someones, that are charging us for their property taxes by building it into the rent. The neighborhood I live in also has a lot of immigrants who are probably not aware that they can have a voice in the community or how they can even start. I've lived in Houston all my life and even I am turning to r/Houston for help.

I looked at Engage Houston, and there's several projects on the map for Richmond for potholes, where the completion date was March 5…of 2022. Meanwhile the Mid West Road Improvement Project is completed, which I believe may have been done because they received funding from the HOA.

From what I read, it seems that areas that are getting developed, such as the east end, have neighborhood/area groups that are working with the developers to ensure that they're gentrified in a way that doesn't displace the current population. I guess the end goal is, who am I supposed to contact to speak for us at the meetings where they decide what projects get funded? Who can I call or email to speak to the owners of local apartment complexes and business to get them to invest in our roads and schools?

Thank you.