A new $1.7 million women's shelter will be dedicated in North Texas on Wednesday.
OurCalling is dedicating the 16,000 square foot center in Dallas to offer a safe haven and key services for vulnerable homeless women.
According to officials with OurCalling, there are approximately 2,400 unsheltered homeless women in North Texas who face assault and abuse regularly. The new shelter will give these women a safe and secure place to go, OurCalling said.
Real estate and construction industries helped to fund and build the center, providing everything from private showers, laundry, and counseling, to services relating to psychological and domestic abuse, sex trafficking, addiction, and exit strategies for women who need them.
The construction of the center was led by project manager KDC and general contractor Balfour Beatty, and it was funded in part by financial gifts, OurCalling said.
OurCalling, a faith-based nonprofit, has successfully operated a service-focused, daytime outreach center for the unsheltered homeless since 2017. The organization served more than 10,000 men and women in 2019, but the organization lacked a designated space to serve women.
The nonprofit is now transforming the second level of its existing center into its drop-in Women's Center. The center will be managed by trauma-informed staff and volunteers and supported by 20 partner agencies that offer women's services, OurCalling said.
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The Women's Center is equipped with features that help provide additional protection, including escape routes, safe rooms, and a secured entrance with shatter-resistant glass. The second floor will only be open to women, and it will offer a reception area with sofas and chairs, laundry services, private showers, counseling areas, offices and meeting rooms, a catering kitchen, and a worship center.
The dedication program, which included tours of the facility, occurred at 1702 South Cesar Chavez Boulevard at 9 a.m. on Wednesday.
