100K Homes Campaign at CitySquare!

Join CitySquare and Common Ground for a Discussion on Homelessness and Housing

Communities across the country have joined the 100K Homes Campaign, which aims to find permanent housing for 100,000 of the most medically vulnerable homeless Americans by July of 2013. Together, these communities, including over 3,000 volunteers, are part of a growing movement and have already helped nearly 11,150 homeless people into permanent homes. Will Dallas be a part of this campaign? Join us for the conversation with a guest speaker and question and answer session. Click here to learn more about the campaign.

Speaker: Linda Kaufman, Eastern U.S. Field Organizer, 100K Homes Campaign

Linda has worked in homeless services in D.C. for over 25 years; most recently leading Pathways to Housing D.C. In addition to her work to end homelessness in D.C., she is also involved in other issues of social justice in the City. She was deeply involved in the District’s Housing First Initiative, overseeing street outreach, administering the Vulnerability Index, and providing one Permanent Supportive Housing team at Pathways for 150 tenants.

WHEN: Tuesday, November 8, 2011 from 10- 11:30 a.m.

WHERE: CityWalk@Akard, 511 N. Akard Street; 3rd Floor, Glaze Community Room. Light refreshments will be served.

RSVP: Lisa Ciminelli, Director of Social Work Services, CitySquare 214-828-2696, Ext. 127

Parking and Check-In Instructions: Parking is available for $5 in the lots behind our building. Check in at the front desk in the lobby and you will be escorted to the 3rd floor.

About CitySquare:
CitySquare exists to fight the root causes of poverty while partnering with those in need. Working together as a community, we feed the hungry, heal the sick, house the homeless and renew hope in the heart of our city. www.CitySquare.org

About Common Ground:
Common Ground’s network of well designed, affordable apartments — linked to the services people need to maintain their housing, restore their health, and regain their economic independence — has enabled more than 4,000 individuals to overcome homelessness. http://www.commonground.org/

Dallas Morning News publishes Op-Ed essay

The Dallas Morning News published my Op-Ed piece in this morning's editons of the paper.  Here's a taste of my point of view: 

I think I understand the feelings, including the fears, of the folks who live in north Oak Cliff around the now controversial Dallas Housing Authority property Cliff Manor.


Our housing authority recently teamed with Metro Dallas Homeless Alliance to open 100 apartments at Cliff Manor for use by the chronically homeless, who overcrowd the city's homeless assistance center, The Bridge. Neighborhood reaction fell into the familiar pattern we've come to expect when it comes to housing homeless men, women and children.


Just ask these Oak Cliff property owners and residents what they fear, and they'll recite a familiar list: Loitering. Petty crimes and misdemeanors. Public intoxication. Public obscenity (usually related to absence of toilet facilities). Panhandling. Threats to the safety of children.


Fears about crimes against children – or violent crime in general – are largely unfounded.


And the remaining fears relate directly to behaviors characteristic of people with no place to live. The obvious way to eliminate the offensive behaviors of the homeless is to provide them permanent places to live. Permanent housing serves as an amazingly effective intervention in the lifestyles of the chronically homeless.

Click here to read the entire essay.  Love to have your reactions.

15th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast

Central Dallas Ministries invites you to join us for our 15th Annual Urban Ministries Prayer Breakfast on Tuesday, April 6, 2010, at The Fairmont Dallas (for regular participants please note new location this year!).

Keynote speaker this year will be Rosanne Haggerty, President and Founder of Common Ground, a leader in developing permanent supportive housing for extremely poor homeless persons. 

Haggerty is an Urban Advisor to the Urban Land Institute, a board member of the Center for Urban Community Services, the Citizen’s Housing and Planning Council, Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA) and Quest Diagnostics, and is a Life Trustee of Amherst College. 

Prior to founding Common Ground Community in 1990, she was the coordinator of housing development at Brooklyn Catholic Charities.  Haggerty comes to the table with over 20 years of experience as an international leader in developing community strategies to end homelessness. She is a graduate of Amherst College and is completing studies for a PhD in sociology at New York University.  Ms. Haggerty is a 2001 MacArthur Foundation Fellow. In 2007, she was elected as an Ashoka Senior Fellow.

Following the breakfast event, a special discussion will continue as we provide important time and space for a discussion of the need in Dallas for the development of more permanent supportive housing (PSH) that utilizes a "housing first" approach. 

In addition, tours will be available of citywalk@ akard, Central Dallas Ministries' and Central Dallas Community Development Corporation's new PSH and affordable housing development located at 511 N. Akard, just up the street from the Fairmont Hotel. 

For more information on sponsorships, table reservations and tickets, call 214.823.8710 extension 2138 or 214.303.2138 and ask to speak with Lisa Goolsby.

We are confident that this year's event will inspire the community, advance a conversation about how to end chronic homelessness in Dallas and encourage us all to work together as never before. 

Help me spread the word about the breakfast in your world!