About Us

Mission: To engage and empower a community of advocates to advance a safe, beautiful, prosperous, and proud Far East Dallas.

Vision: Far East Dallas is strong and vital.

Values: Leadership, Community, Respect, Integrity, Stewardship.

The Ferguson Road Initiative is a grassroots community-based organization comprised of HOAs, Neighborhood Associations, Crime Watch, Volunteer-in-Patrol groups, law enforcement, nonprofits, apartments, businesses, faith-based groups, schools, and other concerned constituencies, all working towards accomplishing a shared mission and vision.

Established in 1998 as a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, the Ferguson Road Initiative was formed by neighborhood leadership. We united and began proactively addressing crime issues that were the root cause of the area’s urban blight, business degeneration, retail abandonment, poor DISD school performance, substandard multi-family housing and diminishing property values. Today, FRI engages in law enforcement, community policing, health, education, and housing initiatives in a holistic effort to restore this Far East Dallas community through crime reduction, public safety, economic development, and quality of life programs benefiting more than 93,000 residents.

Our community is stronger, our streets are safer, and our future is brighter because of the work of the people at the Ferguson Road Initiative. What they have accomplished stands as a shining example to every neighborhood in Dallas and throughout our state. .

Mayor Eric Johnson

What We Do — At a Glance

FRI works as a pass-through organization. We do not provide direct services to the community. Instead, our work focuses on advocacy, communication, leadership and connecting the community. Through the mobilization of the community, crime has been reduced and there is a renewed investment in the community with the construction of affordable, middle and high-income housing and retail.

Who We Serve

The FRI service area covers 93,290 residents, 26,980 households and 2,000 unique business entities.

Far East Dallas is a diverse community. Our community includes broad ethnic diversity and wide economic disparity making our community unique in that it contains areas of high wealth and pockets of deep poverty. Our demographic is: 20% African-American, 46% Hispanic, 30% Caucasian and 4% Other. The average income for a family of four in 2010 is $40,160.

Located in Far East Dallas, FRI boundaries include Interstate 30 to the Dallas City Limits at Mesquite to Interstate 635 to Garland Road to White Rock Creek; FRI is contained entirely within Dallas County, Texas. SEE THE NEIGHBORHOOD MAP.

A History of Impact & Results

Crime is down: A $2MM Department of Justice Weed & Seed awarded grant to the FRI communities of White Rock Hills (2000-2005) and White Rock East (2006-2011) helped address a crime rate that at that time was among the highest in the city and nation! Through Weed & Seed, FRI achieved an initial 61% reduction in violent crime and a 25% reduction in overall crime in these areas. Today DPD crime reports indicate crime has plummeted in Far East Dallas as much as 40% over the past 21 years. FRI works with law enforcement and continues to seek funding for public safety initiatives.

Neighborhoods are Unified: Since 1998, FRI has grown from 5 to 37 organized neighborhood associations and crime watch groups who work together to successfully raise the quality of life in Far East Dallas. More than 5,000 FRI volunteers have logged 98,210 hours of volunteer service at a combined value of $2,382,872 since 1998!

Schools and Social Services are on the rise: FRI partnerships with area nonprofits provide needed programs that serve our “at-risk” youth and families. An example is FRI’s alliance to provide Volunteer Income Tax Assistance (VITA) and financial literacy training to our residents. Over the past 15 years, through VITA, we’ve helped keep more than $24MM in the pockets of our community.

Economic Development attracts investment and increases home values: FRI has facilitated $245MM of investment in high, middle and affordable housing and retail along and near Ferguson Road. FRI’s efforts have increased property values by 153% since 1998!

Capital improvements improve quality of life for all: FRI’s Bond Committee has successfully secured over $40MM in bond programs since 1998. These funds have improved our neighborhood streets, bridges, parks, provided flood mitigation and brought neighborhood amenities like our $8.5MM White Rock Hills Branch Library (2012), $400,000 for the White Rock Hills Park (2019), and $10MM for land acquisition for our future White Rock Hills Community Recreation CENTER!

On the horizon: The grand opening of the Trinity Forest Spine Trail is scheduled for Spring 2023, Highland Road reconstruction was finished in 2022, linking the Ash Creek Greenbelt, White Rock Hills Park, and future White Rock Hills Recreation CENTER to the city-wide trail system. These amenities address our critical need for green and recreation space. On the horizon: a new Senior Activity Center, Ash Creek Trail, and intersection improvements. FRI is a “backbone” organization that guides vision and strategy, raises funds, convenes meetings, aligns activities, builds public goodwill, and mobilizes resources for Far East Dallas that strengthen families and children. FRI advocates, communicates, connects, and leads the residents of Far East Dallas. Our collaborative efforts help partner nonprofits, faith communities, and other organization accelerate and enhance on their missions.