Success Stories

Community Investors powered by TREC

Our unique model of pairing critical financial resources with world-class human capital has helped revitalize underserved North Texas neighborhoods for more than 30 years. By sharing a diverse range of real estate development skills and technical assistance, we can provide visionary community leaders with the tools they need to transform their communities.

You can check out a few examples of how we maximize our impact below.

Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. Community Outreach Center

As one of the first completed projects within Dallas Catalyst Project: Mill City, the 2,020 square-foot facility at 4608 Wahoo Street features staff workspace, training and meeting rooms, a kitchen, and coworking space, as well as new painting, flooring, and landscaping.

Completed by: TREC’s ALC Class of 2024
Project Cost: $393,386
In-Kind Donations: $418,138.91
Volunteer Hours: 2,848.75

Opened: Ribbon-Cutting ceremony in December 2025

Impact: Converted from the former St. Luke Community United Methodist Church, the space provides the nonprofit Zan Wesley Holmes, Jr. Community Outreach Center a headquarters to expand its financial literacy, entrepreneurial training, and job placement programs. Learn More

The Crossing

The shopping center at 2839 Ervay Street contains three projects completed in partnership with Cornerstone Baptist Church as part of Dallas Catalyst Project: Forest District. Each provides free or low-cost products and services that were previously not available in the neighbrohood following decades of disinvestment.

Cornerstone Community Laundromat

Completed by: TREC’s Young Guns
Project Cost: $323,072
In-Kind Donations: $248,072

Opened: 2019

Impact: Prior to the laundromat’s opening, Forest District residents had to leave the neighborhood to do their laundry, and children reported not going to school because they did not have clean clothes to wear. In addition to washing machines and dryers, the laundromat serves as a safe public gathering place, created jobs, and features computers where residents can access career services.

Southpoint Community Market

Completed by: TREC’s ALC Class of 2020
Project Cost: $354,403
In-Kind Donations: $275,853

Opened: 2021

Impact: The market provides the food desert Forest District community with access to fresh and healthy food options and affordable household items.

South Dallas Cloud Kitchen

Completed by: TREC’s ALC Class of 2021
Project Cost: $847,496
In-Kind Donations: $237,669
Volunteer Hours: 1,445

Opened: 2023

Impact: Professionally managed and run by Forest District residents, the kitchen provides a fully functional production space for South Dallas food entrepreneurs to scale their businesses without the barriers that previously prevented them from realizing their goals. Learn More

Podcast: Inside South Dallas Cloud Kitchen

MLK Food Park

We co-hosted this neighborhood pop-up celebration at 1611 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard in collaboration with our Dallas Catalyst Project: Forest District community partners and several other organizations, uniting hungry South Dallas residents with local eateries and food entrepreneurs.

Completed by: TREC Community Investors, St. Philip’s School and Community Center, Cornerstone Baptist Church, Forest Forward, Better Block
Project Cost: $218,538
TREC CI Cash Investment: $92,802
In-Kind Donations:
$125,736

Opened: month-long installation, Spring 2021

Impact: The MLK Food Park brought the Forest District community together in a safe environment, fed thousands of guests at low cost, and promoted local businesses.

The Kessler School

After completing our Real Estate 101 for Nonprofits educational program in 2019, The Kessler School utilized Solender/Hall, Inc. to purchase a new, larger campus in Oak Cliff located less than two miles from its previous location. In September 2020, TREC Community Investors closed on a $600,000 subordinate lien building acquisition loan benefiting The Kessler School.

Completed by: TREC Community Investors, The Kessler School, Solender/Hall, Inc.
In-Kind Donations: $37,537.50
Volunteer Hours: 42.9

Opened: Fall 2023

Kessler’s new location is six times larger (65,000 square feet) than its previous site (12,000 square feet), the former Kessler Park United Methodist Church building, which enabled the pre-K through 8th grade private school to expand its enrollment and educational offerings.