A longstanding nonprofit in Dallas will close near the end of the year, citing financial difficulty. City Square’s main hub sits off MLK Boulevard and serves tens of thousands of unhoused and low-income people annually.
City Square says it is in the process of transferring all programs to other nonprofit partners, which will take some time. They’re confident, though, that the right partners will step up.
NBC 5 spoke to CEO Annam Manthiram who said they will use the remaining months to make sure services continue even though City Square will dissolve. She said the decision came down to fundraising.
City Square serves some 27,000 people each year in areas including food services, housing, and healthcare services.
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“I thought I had about two or three years to right the ship and bring in the funding dollars, but we just didn’t have the time,” Manthiram said. “It’s about building relationships, so you have to really be building relationships with people who are really drawn to the mission and really care about our neighbors, and that takes time.”
Manthiram took on her current role in August and said she knew the organization was struggling financially but wasn’t aware of the full picture.
“I knew the organization was struggling financially. I wasn’t aware of how big that deficit was,” she said.
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CitySquare is currently operating on a nearly one-million-dollar deficit, according to our partners at the Dallas Morning News. https://www.dallasnews.com/news/commentary/2024/05/20/dallas-poverty-fighting-citysquare-out-of-funding-and-will-close-at-years-end/
CitySquare started in 1988 as a food pantry under a different name, and evolved over the years into a 501C3 with its main hub here on South MLK Blvd. Its leadership says volunteers are still needed to ensure day-to-day operations continue.
For more information visit https://www.citysquare.org/volunteer
