Our Vision

Restoring Hope. Building Dreams.

The Olevia CDC is located in the historic Fifth Ward Community of Houston. Its mission is faith-based and systemic; responsible citizens cannot simply take resources and leave the community bare. The CDC is taking an active role in its community by developing people, property, and resources so that the Fifth Ward becomes a supportive and revitalized ‘village’ in the city.

With this focus, the Olevia CDC is working across denominations, socio-economic boundaries, and racial lines to teach credit repair, homeownership (PrimeWay FCU), individual development accounts, (Covenant Community Capital), financial literacy, and G.E.D curriculum (Houston CC) in the community.

Pastor Robert L. Thomas
Board Chair

The Olevia CDC is committed to neighborhood nutrition through a discounted fresh fruit and vegetable program. The church is located in a food desert and is attempting to fund the construction of a mobile grocery store within a refurbished city bus. The Olevia CDC is an agent of positive change in the Fifth Ward.

Led by Pastor Robert Thomas, the CDC serves as a primary partner and supportive mentor for UH faculty and students in Fifth Ward Renaissance. Their guidance has allowed us to contribute to the neighborhood by establishing citizen connections with the church and larger Fifth Ward leveraged through architecture and design-build opportunities such as Inside-Out and the JW Peavy Senior Center project.