Develop

What we do about this

We become a part of our city’s neighborhoods, which starts with relational living. By connecting with neighbors and engaging in community activities, we get to know the unique character of a neighborhood. Every neighborhood has particular assets and needs, and often, there are individuals and entities already sustaining those assets and addressing those needs. To support their efforts, we partner with them through mobilizing volunteers and catalyzing collaboration. But sometimes we find that a neighborhood has needs that are not being addressed. And this is where development continues.

Developing new solutions

When addressing the particular needs of a community, we aim for efficient, effective, and creative solutions. Sometimes this means creating new solutions and programs in order to expand development.

For example, take our building in the St. John neighborhood – The For the City Center. This previously-abandoned nursing home facility is now a nonprofit center where partnering organizations reside, share meeting space, and join hands in the effort to maximize each other’s work toward city renewal.

Or consider Total City Sports. After FTCN volunteers spent time mentoring and tutoring at an area high school, they recognized that many students had minimal opportunities for positive activities and programming during the summer. Thus, Total City Sports was created. What started as a two-month sports camp now connects Austin-area youth to year-round premiere athletic programming and healthy adult relationships.

And most recently we addressed the lack of employment opportunities, job training, and affordable housing in the Austin-area by creating Unison Development, a nonprofit construction company that hires employees from its job-training program to remodel and construct affordable housing.

To see all of our Programs, click here.