Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation

Welcome to Fifth Ward CRC

Have you been to Fifth Ward lately?

"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole stair case"- Martin Luther King Jr. Throughout the years, Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation (FWCRC) has upheld the belief that we shape our future by shaping our community. When Michael Pickett, a local gospel musician, community photographer and graphic designer, set out searching for a subject that would capture the essence of FWCRC’s mission, he went around Fifth Ward looking for photos of houses that represented what the organization was trying to overcome as well as what it had accomplished. In the 5th Ward community, there is a view that quality of life is defined by housing choices, and misconceptions spring forth because the beauty of a “home” may not be readily seen. For the 5th ward, there is a new hope in which Houston will come to realize the elegance and rich culture that 5th Ward has to offer both old and new. The residents of the 5th Ward community have gone thru many changes, many trials, and defiantly gone thru many struggles, but houses have always represented “home”. No matter what, we are captivated by the beauty and transition of this newly remodeled community with more smiling faces.

This photo represents what the organization has tried to do for the community.

Fifth Ward CRC is a catalytic organization dedicated to the collaborative fostering of holistic community development.

Yet, there is still much to be done to ensure that 5th Ward does not fall into the pattern of gentrification that has impacted other parts of Houston . With over a 19-year track record of successfully strengthening 5th Ward through comprehensive neighborhood revitalization strategies, we intend to accomplish greater successes for the 5th Ward community through the planning, development and a healthy Fifth Ward CRC.

Fifth Ward CRC is moving forward to create a Community of Choice by focusing on making Fifth Ward a...

A Better Place to Live –

We intend to continue making Fifth Ward a better place to live by continuing to purchase dilapidated properties within 5th Ward for future community development before private developers obtain control of the land and drive property values significantly higher. The 5th Ward Urban Revitalization Plan will provide a prescription for land use, which will, in turn, help to generate the kind of sustained and widespread, private market, reaction that can make a community more attractive, safe, economically healthy, and desirable.

A Better Place to Work –

We will strengthen the Fifth Ward Community by making sure that the residents have the proper tools they need to enhance learning, assist in job search/placement and expand prospective career opportunities. The proposed new Technology and Workforce Development Center will help bridge the digital divide and train 5thWard residents for better skilled, paying jobs to further fuel the economic development of the community. In addition, the 5th Ward HP i-community project has developed a portal that will give community businesses and residents access to online services,

thus raising the bar in technology access.

A Better Place to Play –

Fifth Ward CRC will continue to work and establish an Arts District, centered around the Deluxe Theater, to provide 5th Ward artists, students and residents with a performing/theatre arts venue, arts development education programs and affordable studio spaces in their own community.

Fifth Ward CRC is a non profit organization tax exempt under section 501(c)(3) and is classified as a public charity under sections 509(a)(1) along with 170(b)(1)(A)(vi) of the of the Internal Revenue Code. Contributions made to FWCRC are deductible under section 170 of the