Stories of Philanthropic Leadership in Advancing Regional and ...

The Row House Community Development Corporation completedconstruction of four new low-income duplexes designed by the RiceBuilding Workshop. (Source: Project Row Houses).community problems, preserves history, andenhances arts and culture. The organization’s holisticapproach touches upon all of the Foundation’s areasof focus. As a result, it has awarded two grants toProject Row Houses and a third grant to its sisteragency, Row House CDC. All three grants wereopportunities to combine historic preservation,neighborhood development, and the arts withtransitional housing and social services.Regional/Neighborhood Equity ImpactsCommunity members from different races, ages,and socioeconomic backgrounds are regularly onthe Project Row Houses campus enjoying thefacilities and programs. Emily Todd, a grant officerat the Houston Endowment, describes Project RowHouses as, “A catalyst for conversations about andsolutions for some of our community’s mosttroubling questions.” The Ford Foundation’sGarcia explains that PRH “teaches regional actorsto adapt and adjust and not to throw awaymaterials, houses, or most importantly, people.”For example, from the 1930s until the early 1970s,the Eldorado Ballroom was the center of one of themost remarkable jazz and blues musicalcommunities in the nation. Due to Project RowHouses’ restoration efforts, the Eldorado Ballroomre-opened its doors for a gala on May 17, 2003, thefirst major event held there in over 30 years.Project Row Houses has restored and revitalized 22row houses and has extended its reach further intothe neighborhood through the development of newprograms and construction of affordable housing.Through the Row House CDC, Project Row Houseswill continue neighborhood development activities.Developers are now attempting to move into theThird Ward, attracted by the neighborhood’sproximity to downtown. Project Row Houses andlocal civic leaders responded with town meetings anddistributed posters and flyers around theneighborhood with the poignant message of, “ThirdWard is Our Home and It Is Not For Sale.” Signsthat read the same message are posted in front yardsas a sign of resistance by homeowners. Theorganization’s approach is not necessarily to affectchange by ownership, but by informing andeducating residents about their rights as homeownersand responsibilities as community members.Project Row Houses is also turning to a visualizationtool that will allow it to track density, land, traffic,employment, income, and race data (among others)in the Third Ward. The organization is aiming tocase manage families and assist them in their selfimprovementefforts. The organization’s activities andgoals are not limited to preserving history, but arefocused on how to address poverty and develop acommunity with a responsible and equitable plan.Project Row Houses hosts a community fashion show in Houston’s ThirdWard. (Source: Project Row Houses).ResultsThe grantmakers surveyed for this profilerecognize that PRH’s vision, social programs, andreal estate development are all integrated and haveresulted in comprehensive local changes in and forHouston’s Third Ward. The Ford Foundation’sGarcia speaks of the project’s role in the community“as the curator of the neighborhood’s identity andsoul. [The project] does not subscribe to purehistorical preservation but rather it seeks to blendthe yesterday and today to formulate tomorrow.”Furthermore, The Meadows Foundation indicatesthat Project Row Houses’ residences for teenmothers have been producing meaningful results,with most teens successfully completing school,acquiring employment, and securing permanentLIVABLE NEIGHBORHOODS/STRONG REGIONSPart III: Section 2: Making All Neighborhoods Stable, Healthy, and Livable as Building Blocks for a Strong Region 80