CSAC History

Since the work of Dorothy Mae Richardson in the 1960s, the Charles Street Valley has benefited from resident-led organizing. The Charles Street Area Corporation and resident-led Council draw inspiration from the goals of our predecessors: to maintain a safe community, protect affordable housing, and promote healthy living conditions in our neighborhood.

Safe

Community

Healthy

Conditions

Home

Ownerships

50+ Years of Community

Formally established in 1973, CSAC has a long history of shaping the Charles Street Valley.

Charles Street Area Council (CSAC) is the resident-led community group that was organized in the 1960’s by a group of residents who were concerned about safety and housing affordability. In 1973, CSAC was officially incorporated as a 501c3 nonprofit organization whose primary focus was, and still is, to improve living conditions with the focus on people and housing.

In the 1980’s and 1990’s, CSAC created a plan for new houses to be built for homeownership. CSAC partnered with the Northside Leadership Conference as Project Manager and led the construction of 31 single-family dwellings in the Charles Street Valley. The homes we built represent the majority of owner-occupied structures in the community today.

Connections with neighboring civic groups and organizations deepened in the 2000s and 2010s. In 2013, we established a garden at Bright-Chuck Point, where Brighton Road and North Charles Street intersect. The plants beautify the corridor, and our presence in the space helps keep the block clean and safe. In 2018, Charles Street Area Council became an affiliate of Charles Street Area Corporation, a 501c3 community and economic development entity.

Under Charles Street Area Corporation, residents and stakeholders are building upon the plan for affordable homeownership in our neighborhood. The North Charles Street Infill Housing Project will feature 21 affordable single-family homes and continue the vision to restore middle-class wealth and attract new neighbors in Charles Street Valley.

Dorothy Mae Richardson

We owe so much of what our community is today to the hard work of Dorothy Mae Richardson and her peers.