This Week in Hating

Primping for the pool: Lounging shouldn't be a fashion show

Ever wonder why so many girls insist on covering up their entire faces with sunglasses made to look like bug eyes?

It's because it takes a lot of effort to look presentable pool-side, and high-rise and apartment-complex living means catching some rays without a crowd of 50-plus observers is a thing of the past. (It's almost enough to make you hit your parents' house — almost).

Suddenly, trying to get your tan on is an unsolicited social event, and you find yourself applying eyeliner and anti-frizz just to go lay out in what should be the comfort of your own home.

And no matter how cute you manage to look when you tote your summer reading out to the chaise lounge, it's nearly impossible to maintain. Between the water and the sweat (that's what happens when you deliberately lay in direct sunlight) you look like it's been five days since you've seen a shower, even if it's only been three. And if tanning oil gets into your tresses, forget it. No amount of dry shampoo can save you.

When all you want to do is relax with your trashy summer literature and sweat out your hangover, hordes of beer-bonging partiers and girls prancing around in sky-high wedges is not the optimal scenery.

Luckily, I got myself a house-sitting gig this summer with a private pool in a fenced-in backyard. I cannot WAIT to be the cool kid with the pool (I missed my chance in childhood, my parents opted for the far less glamorous trampoline).

Sure, it'll be nice to have Spring Break-style rager access when I want it, but I can't wait to have the girls over for grody tan seshes where we can be unwashed, unshaven and generally unkempt. Just no cameras.

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a safe haven

Houston nonprofit devoted to homeless youth unveils new $55 million campus

Covenant House Jamey Rootes Campus exterior

Daniel Ortiz

Covenant House opened its new Jamey Rootes Campus facility in Montorse last week.

Houston nonprofit Covenant House Texas, a Montrose-based organization that provides housing and support services to youth experiencing homelessness, opened its new, state-of-the-art campus last week. Located at 1111 Lovett Boulevard, the new 104,000-square-foot building is built on the site of the original facility, which was demolished in 2022.

The new facility will allow the organization to serve 50 percent more at-risk youth seeking shelter and access to resources to help them build independent lives away from the streets.

The $55 million facility is named The Jamey Rootes Campus in honor of the former Houston Texans president and longtime leadership volunteer for Covenant House Texas, who passed away in 2022.

In addition to marking the grand opening of the new facility, Covenant House Texas also welcomed its new CEO, Anthony Flynn.

“The transformation of this corner lot in the heart of Montrose is nothing short of breathtaking, especially when you think about the impact it will have in helping countless youth experiencing homelessness to find their pathway to independence and a brighter future,” said Flynn.

Designed by architecture, design and planning firm Gensler, the new, four-story building provides sleeping accommodation for up to 150 youth nightly. Soft materials, layered textures, wood tones, and warm colors are meant to create a nurturing and calming environment, while large windows create bright spaces and views of outdoor greenery, which is known to benefit mental well-being.

Youth will be able to access a variety of wraparound services located within the facility. An expanded, updated clinic space will allow the organization’s clinical staff to provide physical and behavioral health care, while a digital resources library, computer lab, music studio, fitness center, chapel, and outdoor gathering spaces offer a home-like atmosphere.

The facility was designed with built-in flexibility to meet changing needs. For example, an indoor basketball court can quickly be set up with cots for emergency overnight stays, such as during extreme weather events.

For 41 years, the faith-based facility has served youth ages 18 to 24, offering them a youth a safe haven, absolute respect, unconditional love, and a path to lasting independence. In addition to providing a place to stay, Covenant House Texas provides mental health and substance abuse counseling, educational and vocational training, transitional and permanent living programs, street outreach and prevention, pastoral ministry, parenting classes, and other services.

The new Covenant House campus was funded through a public-private partnership, with investments by the City of Houston and Harris County, as well as gifts from private foundations, corporations and individual donors to the nonprofit’s “Building for Life” capital campaign, helping the organization raise more than $52,000,000 of the $55,000,000 campaign budget.

Photo by Daniel Ortiz

Covenant House opened its new Jamey Rootes Campus facility in Montorse last week.

openings nonprofits covenant house