Mission Statement
Fenway CDC works to preserve the Fenway as a vibrant and diverse neighborhood by developing affordable housing, providing programs that enrich lives, and strengthening community voices. We envision the Fenway as a unique neighborhood with extraordinary access to jobs, education, healthcare, housing, open space, public transit, and the arts. As a community, we cherish the vibrant racial, cultural, and economic mix of all who call the Fenway home. To preserve this vibrancy, we must work to relentlessly protect the rights of all who want to live and thrive here, especially low- and moderate-income people. Together, we build a healthy neighborhood that is attractive to long-term and new residents, institutions and businesses.
Description
The West End was one of the first communities to be demolished, scattering its residents across Boston and outside its borders. More than a decade later, the project was completed: 2,700 low-rent apartments had been replaced by 2,300 luxury-priced high-rise units. By the early 1970s, the Fenway faced its own urban renewal threat in the form of the Fenway Urban Renewal Plan (FURP), which slated specific sections of the neighborhood - including low-cost housing - for demolition.
After winning the lawsuit in a landmark decision, the Fenway Project Area Committee (FenPac) was formed, a community-led planning organization that advocated neighborhood positions on local planning issues. Many Fenway residents who spearheaded this effort saw the need for an organization that would do more than just react to and help shape development proposals. They envisioned an organization that could both preserve and develop affordable housing and affirmatively advance the community’s vision. With this, they formed the Fenway Community Development Corporation, which was officially incorporated on March 29, 1973.
Over 500 residents will continue to stay in homes that are affordable and receive housing-related services. More than 350 residents will access social services, job readiness training, employment, education programs, health workshops, financial education, Fair Foods, and Career Fair resources.
