Center for Urban Transformation (CUT)

The Center for Urban Transformation's mission is to create opportunities for Fifth Ward families to overcome the adverse effects of racism, poverty and other inequities by implementing programs that encourage growing prospects for survival and success.

Houston’s Fifth Ward is a culturally rich, historically black, and rapidly changing community. Today’s Fifth Ward is over half latinx, has one of the highest densities of churches of any Houston neighborhood, and is gentrifying due to proximity to downtown and large development projects. Fifth Ward is also home to trailblazers such as the now-deceased Congressman Mickey Leland and Congresswoman Barbara Jordan, and cultural icons the Cotton Club, UGK, and Rap-a-Lot records. The Center for Urban Transformation (CUT) was launched to close gaps in services in the neighborhood to support the community thriving, given its currently high poverty and crime rates, and low rates of high school and college graduation and other indicators of economic success and health. CUT was launched by a collaboration between Legacy Community Health (an FQHC clinic), Houston Habitat for Humanity, Pleasant Hill Ministries (a 93-year-old church), the Fifth Ward Community Redevelopment Corporation, and the Berg & Androphy law firm.