Rebuilding Houston's northside together

HOUSTON – May 10, 2017 - On May 20, more than 350 volunteers including teams from Avenue Community Development Corporation, Rebuilding Together Houston and Texas Capital Bank, will come together to repair 10 homes in the Near Northside and Northline communities. A community-driven revitalization initiative, Avenue’s Rebuilding Northside Together helps to revitalize the Northside while improving the quality of life for vulnerable community members, particularly those living in substandard housing conditions.

This marks the fourth year that Avenue’s Rebuilding Northside Together has improved homes for seniors, veterans and disabled residents, and the second year that the program will extend into the Northline community. Texas Capital Bank joins the event this year as lead sponsor.

“Texas Capital Bank is committed to the communities across its footprint, and the opportunity to work with Avenue to repair and renovate homes in Houston’s Near Northside is a clear example of that,” said Jenny Guzman, community development officer for the bank. “The initiative is made possible by the grassroots, empowering and truly transformational work that has defined Avenue’s activity in this community for more than 25 years. We are grateful for the
partnership that makes it possible for local residents to maintain their homes and keep their
community safe and vibrant.”

The home repair projects, which are designed to repair and secure the exterior of homes, are assessed and planned by Rebuilding Together Houston, but are completed by teams of volunteers. The volunteer home improvement projects include replacing wood siding, scraping and painting, repairing fences, and yard clean-up.

“We are thrilled to partner with Rebuilding Together Houston and Texas Capital Bank on this revitalization initiative in the Near Northside and Northline communities,” said Mary Lawler, executive director at Avenue. “Community preservation efforts like Avenue’s Rebuilding Northside Together would not be possible without the hundreds of residents and community partners who are committed to improving the quality of life for Houston’s families.”

This year, volunteer teams are sponsored by: Texas Capital Bank, Wesley Community Center, Exxon Mobile, Covenant Baptist Church, M.D. Anderson Family YMCA, Hope City, SER – Youth Build, YES Prep Northside, UHD Scholars Academy, UHD Black Student Association, Bank of America, Saint Charles Borromeo Church, UHD Omega Delta Phi fraternity, Wells Fargo, and GO Neighborhoods, a program of LISC Houston.

Avenue’s Rebuilding Northside Together is generously supported by donations from Texas State Affordable Housing Corporation (TSAHC), Texas Capital Bank, Union Pacific Foundation, Wells Fargo, The Home Depot Foundation, and Rebuilding Together Houston.

“After this year, our fourth consecutive year of community revitalization efforts on Houston’s Northside, we will have helped 45 families in need,” said Rebuilding Together Houston Executive Director Jim Soller. “With strong community partnerships, dedicated volunteers, and local business' support, we are transforming homes and impacting lives--revitalizing Houston neighborhoods.”

Founded in 1991, Avenue focuses on increasing access to affordable homes and improving the quality of life in Houston communities. With 707 affordable rental units and 173 single family homes developed to date, Avenue provides stable residences for low-income families and seniors in Houston’s under-served neighborhoods, including Washington Avenue, Near Northside and Northline. Its homebuyer education courses benefit over 600 households annually. In the Near Northside alone, Avenue has organized more than 200 community-led projects including clean ups, public art and health fairs.

Avenue also co-produced the Near Northside’s award-winning 2015 Quality of Life Agreement (QLA), which recently received the American Planning Association’s (APA) 2017 National Planning Excellence Award for Advancing Diversity & Social Change in Honor of Paul Davidoff.

For more information about Avenue’s community revitalization efforts, visit http://avenuecdc.org/.