Avenue CDC Brochure

Vacant houses located in the target area are purchased and rehabilitated for sale to low-income families/individuals. The House Save program improves the community by redeveloping boarded-up houses, many of which were in poor condition and posed a hazard to community residents. As these houses are redeveloped, the sense of community safety and pride increases.

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In August 2000, Avenue CDC celebrated the completion of Washington Courtyards, a 74-unit affordable apartment complex we developed in partnership with Texas Inter-Faith Housing Corporation. Financed in part by Low Income Housing Tax Credits, Washington Courtyards is located at 2505 Washington Avenue, just minutes from Downtown. 60% of the units are affordable to families earning less than 60% of median income, the balance are market rate. Supportive services provided by Avenue include youth arts education programs, financial education programs, a computer lab, and more.

In Spring 2003, a second rental housing complex, Oak Arbor Townhomes was completed. Oak Arbor was developed by Avenue CDC in partnership with Realtex Development Corporation using Low Income Housing Tax Credits. Oak Arbor is a 94-unit mixed-income development in Houston’s Northside. Located at 310 Berry Road, Oak Arbor offers many amenities including a business and media center, fitness center, a swimming pool, attractive landscaping and a convenient location. Avenue CDC is providing enrichment programs, including a computer lab and athletic programs, targeted to the needs of Oak Arbor’s residents.

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The bilingual Homebuyer Education Program assists first-time homebuyers through the home purchase process and enables them to purchase their own homes in the Avenue CDC target area and throughout the City of Houston.

Bilingual outreach is targeted to populations underserved by the Houston real estate industry: low- and moderate- income buyers, racial and ethnic minorities, and women. Education of prospective homebuyers covers the following topics: homeownership advantages and responsibilities, the steps necessary to buy a home, and available subsidies.

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Many of Avenue’s programs preserve historic buildings, including the MoveHome and HouseSave program described above. Avenue CDC’s first historic preservation project took place in 1993, when we worked in partnership with the Greater Houston Preservation Alliance to restore the Cannata Houses, two Victorian era shotgun houses which were in danger of demolition. Avenue CDC provided counseling to help two low-income homebuyers purchase these homes.

In 1998, Avenue CDC saved the 1890's Deihl House from demolition by moving it within the Old Sixth Ward Historic District and replacing the roof. The Deihl House was then sold to a family who completed the restoration.

Currently Avenue CDC is working on preserving the original Jefferson Davis Hospital. In partnership with a Minneapolis non-profit, Artspace Projects, Avenue is converting the 1925 city hospital into 34 affordable rental units.

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Economic Development is a growing area of Avenue’s activities. Since 1997, Avenue CDC has managed Art on the Avenue, a silent auction of the works of artists from our community. This annual event has been conceived as a marketplace for community artists, in which the artists share the proceeds from the auction of their work with Avenue. Thus, the event promotes the economic success of these local artists while also raising funds for Avenue's affordable housing programs. In 2003, more than 1,000 people attended the two-day event. Over $46K worth of artwork was sold; $31K from art sales was returned to artists, while $15K from art sales went to Avenue. When Avenue's proceeds from art sales was combined with sponsorships and admissions fees, last year's event netted over $60K for Avenue's operations. It is much more than a fundraiser, however. Art on the Avenue has become a high-profile event which builds community and supports our local artists while raising public awareness about the need for affordable housing and Avenue's community development programs.

In 2004, a partnership of Avenue CDC and Jon Deal purchased the 78,000 square foot Winter Street warehouse, which is being repaired and transformed into an economic development project leasing work spaces to local artists and small businesses, thus providing job opportunities in the target area. The Winter Street Artspace will become the permanent home of Art on the Avenue. Follow link for more information on the Winter Street Studios.

In another economic development initiative, Avenue CDC was a founding member of the Old West End Association which was created to promote economic development in the target area. The Association provided a computer kiosk at Avenue’s offices for the Local Jobs for Local People program, which aims to assist local residents to find jobs in the community. The computer kiosk provides area residents internet access for job searches.

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Avenue CDC's programs are designed to protect and preserve the environment. Avenue's environmental initiatives include:

• promoting environmentally sound new construction techniques
• “recycling” older homes

Avenue CDC works to use environmentally-appropriate design and building materials in our construction programs, so that the homes are energy-efficient and more cost-effective to maintain over the long-term.

Avenue has “recycled” 30 older homes under our Move Home and HouseSave programs. Under the innovative Move Home program, donated homes are transported to the target area, rehabilitated, and sold to low- and moderate- income families. In addition to preserving historic buildings and providing affordable homeownership opportunities, Move Home improves the community as a whole by cleaning up and redeveloping vacant lots--many of which had formerly been overgrown by weeds and used for illegal dumping posing environmental hazards. In the HouseSave program, vacant, boarded-up houses located in the target area are purchased and rehabilitated for sale to low-income families/individuals. The HouseSave program improves the community by redeveloping vacant, boarded-up houses, many of which were in poor condition and posed a hazard to community residents.

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