Today, West Street Recovery is a full-fledged nonprofit that provides disaster recovery and flood protection for families across Houston, Texas.
But in 2017, it was just Doris Brown and her friends with a truck and a kayak, helping their neighbors however they could after Hurricane Harvey struck.
In the years since, Brown has been donating her time as the co-director of West Street Recovery. And after Winter Storm Uri knocked out her power in 2021, she decided to donate her home, too, by transforming it into a “hub house,” a space that can host her neighbors at the drop of a hat.
“I almost froze to death here,” she told Marketplace, in reference to the winter storm. “That’s when West Street came up with the idea of a hub house right in your neighborhood.”
Powered by solar panels and a whole-house battery, her garage is now outfitted with emergency supplies, medical kits, sleeping bags, and ready-to-eat-meals.
“And the food is pretty good, because we tested it,” said Brown, who hosted several neighbors during Hurricane Beryl in 2024. “Especially the dessert back there.”
So far, West Street has installed eight “hub houses” like Brown’s throughout the Houston area using grant money and crowdfunded donations.
Image via Freshco (CC BY-NC 4.0)
She said that hub house owners are the “first ones to hit the ground running” when disaster strikes, especially when it comes to checking in on house-bound neighbors.
“Eventually,” she said, “I would just like to see all neighborhoods getting a hub house ready, because it’s no longer ‘if,’ it’s just ‘when’ now.”
A version of this article originally appeared in the 2026 Home Edition of the Goodnewspaper.
Header image via Freshco (CC BY-NC 4.0)
