Early in the pandemic
we decided no matter what devastation and disruption the pandemic caused, we were not going to let it take away the friendship and community we share with our neighbors.
While 2021 didn’t exactly bring the pandemic reprieve we hoped for, our city gained a deeper understanding of the problem of poverty, and it also gained a deeper appreciation for the work of CitySquare.
Because of your faithful support and continued generosity, community never stopped. You invested in us, sustained us, and believed in us.
Because of you, we look to the future with a belief that we will achieve even greater impact in the year ahead.
Thank you for caring about our neighbors.
Dr. John Siburt
CEO & President
CitySquare impacted the lives of 56,000 neighbors in 2021
message from John
Stories of Impact
The Community Life Program at Ackard is
completely donor funded. Programs like this
provide intangible benefits to our
neighbors like Mr. Forrest.
HOUSING IMPACTS
We saw the largest number of people transition from interim housing to permanent housing since 2019
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The Homeless Outreach Team served 530 neighbors
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300 neighbors housed through our
Destination Home program -
160 neighbors received Community Life services
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470 neighbors received walk-in case management
two truths—
no lie
1. Mr. Forrest was a National Merit Semi-Finalist and a star athlete who received a full scholarship to Texas Tech.
2. Mr. Forrest was homeless for more than 15 years and has lived in CitySquare’s subsidized housing for 12 years.
George Forrest didn’t know he had a genetic predisposition for mental illness until his mother’s death triggered it, launching a downward spiral into decades of drug abuse, family strife and eventually a 15-year period of living on the street.
That’s where CitySquare’s Homeless Outreach Team met him. After many months of building trust and demonstrating consistent friendship, our outreach navigator convinced Mr. Forrest to come into CitySquare and get some help.
He’s now clean and sober and living in an apartment at our housing unit on Ackard, where he visits several times a week with CitySquare Community Life Program Manager, Amanda Kendig. “Our primary goal is to help neighbors stay safe, stable, supported and housed,” said Amanda.
For Mr. Forrest, that meant getting him on heart medication, having regular check-ins and counseling, and during quarantine, talking to Amanda every day over the phone.
Mr. Forrest describes the help he gets from CitySquare this way: “Part of it’s friendship. Some of it’s scholastic. Most of it’s social interaction and general welfare.”
When asked what he thought about CitySquare he said he thought it was as good as anything could be.
Dallas Cowboys DeMarcus Lawrence
Scores Big for Housing
We knew we scored when Dallas Cowboys'
defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence selected
CitySquare as the beneficiary for his part
in the NFL’s My Cause, My Cleats program.
Putting even more points on the board,
Crunchyroll, the leading anime streaming
service, joined DeMarcus for the fight
against poverty. Crunchyroll not only
designed DeMarcus’ anime-inspired cleats,
they also matched his financial goal, which
will provide housing for a family
experiencing instability and poverty.
I chose CitySquare because of their efforts to ensure our neighbors have the things many of us take for granted—a roof over our head and a meal on our plate. The cleats are a great way to bring awareness to a cause close to my heart.
“
–DeMarcus Lawrence
DALLAS COWBOYS DEFENSIVE END
FOOD IMPACTS
We distributed more than 2.5 million pounds of food
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11,700 neighbors visited the food pantry
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35,000 pounds of recovered food provided 29,000 healthy recovery meals to local NGOs
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276,000 meals were served after school to 3,800 children
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179,000 summer meals served to 6,000 children
$250 covers the cost of one month's food for a family of four.
our biggest
turkey day
Thanks to the generosity of our donors and providers like North Texas Food Bank, we serve food all year-long at CitySquare. Neighbors can visit our Food Pantry and fill their carts twice a month; families can get food through our Mobile Meals, and kids can get meals and snacks in our After School or Summer programs. We also have a Food Recovery Program, where our culinary-trained chef, Alexis Baker, receives food from restaurants and grocery stores and creates a menu of meals that can be purchased by other NGO’s for $1 each.
We love all the programs that nourish our neighbors, and this year we had our largest Thanksgiving ever: 1,200 turkeys and plenty of sides!
This is a great day. They’re doing something good for Dallas, Texas for those who have and do not have. I’m so proud to be part of this and witness this great thing that’s going on in South Dallas. We really appreciate y’all. Thank y’all very much.
Thanksgiving Turkey Give Away
We appreciate this so much. We’ve had a tough year—I’m battling cancer and my husband lost his job. We are so happy to be able to come to CitySquare and have a great meal for Thanksgiving!
“
“
Our medical respite program houses individuals experiencing homelessness who need a place to rest, heal and find stability while recovering from surgery.
HEALTH IMPACTS
1,100 neighbors received health services
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The number of neighbors receiving health navigation and wellness encounter services doubled in 2021
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The number of neighbors with primary care increased by 13% since 2020
CitySquare puts their resources toward the multiple issues that will bring real change.
“
–Mike Lawson
BOEING GLOBAL ENGAGEMENT TEAM
housing befriends
health
Before Jeanette, a refugee from Burundi, Africa entered CitySquare’s permanent supportive housing program, she was living at the Salvation Army trying to obtain social service benefits. Her case was complex, as she suffered severe mental illness, had no support system, and spoke only her native Kirundi language.
While this made getting help very difficult, she was fortunate to connect with a case manager at Metrocare Services, the largest mental health provider in North Texas. The case manager spoke Kirundi, and thus began the support system Jeanette needed. Together they were connected to CitySquare, and we were able to offer permanent supportive housing. However, it was only the beginning for Jeannette, who also began a journey with our Behavioral Health program, which integrates best practices around housing and health to help neighbors achieve self-sufficiency.
Through CitySquare’s Behavioral Health program, Jeanette receives wraparound services, which include care from providers ranging from a physician and psychiatrist to a counselor, case manager and community health worker. Because of these connections, Jeanette was diagnosed with a chronic condition and now receives services and education to ensure health and chronic disease management.
By integrating health across CitySquare programs, we get closer to helping neighbors access the health care services everyone should be entitled toto, and we couldn’t do it without the support of our donors!
A Focus on Health Equity
When Mike Lawson, from the Boeing Global Engagement team, was growing up he was taught giving was the most important thing someone could do.
When he got to Boeing, he quickly discovered the Employee Community Fund (ECF), one of the largest employee-owned and managed funds of its kind in the world. The ECF empowers employees to make greater impact by pooling their tax-deductible donations. Then employee advisory boards distribute grants, and because Boeing pays all administrative costs, 100% of the money goes directly to strengthening local communities.
CitySquare’s comprehensive approach to fighting poverty appealed to the employee board. “Building hope by addressing hunger, housing, healthcare and other social or family issues shows an understanding of the problems,” said Mike. “CitySquare puts their resources toward the multiple issues that will bring real change.”
After the events of 2020, Boeing put a renewed focus on the issue of social justice and racial equity. “We were looking for new ways to directly impact Dallas residents who need the most help,” said Mike. “We wanted to invest in the health and wellbeing of the under-served and uninsured to make certain health equity exists. The services provided by CitySquare’s Health Programs made it an obvious choice.”
a child’s justice
“Jane” is a 65-year-old grandmother of a 6-year-old girl, who is adorable, full of life and deserves to be happy. Jane contacted CitySquare seeking protection for her granddaughter, because her mother (Jane’s daughter) had a history of drug use and prostitution.
Although Jane struggled financially, she knew her granddaughter needed her. After she expressed these concerns to her LAW caseworker, Jane learned about CitySquare’s other services and began to visit the food pantry, as well as receive direct financial assistance to meet her granddaughter’s basic needs.
During the challenging months that followed, there was further trauma. Jane realized her granddaughter had been sexually abused by another adult while in the care of her mother. CitySquare’s LAW team helped Jane pursue criminal charges and obtain a court order allowing Jane to keep the child and protect her from unsupervised contact with her mother.
Just as importantly, CitySquare referred her granddaughter to counseling, something her caseworker knew was vital to the child’s recovery.
This kind of unimaginable trauma is not isolated to Jane’s granddaughter. Thank you for helping us find the justice she, and others, deserve and for giving them the chance to break the cycle of poverty and abuse.
$500 will give a family quality
legal representation, easing stress and eliminating the feeling of hopelessness.
LAW IMPACTS
We doubled the neighbors served last year, growing from 147 to 365
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200 cases closed
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195 children impacted
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Recovered $700,000 of child support
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99% of our family law cases achieved their material objective
When the Roberts family decided they wanted to do more to help people in Dallas, they researched non-profits. “CitySquare was the top one, and Charity Navigator gave it a good score,” said David Roberts who, along with his wife Lydia, appreciated the hands-on nature of CitySquare programs.
“CitySquare is in tune with what the local community needs, not just today or tonight, but over the next 12-24 months, whether it’s housing, food, education, skills… You ask what they need and deliver on that.”
When asked about choosing to become a monthly donor, Lydia explained: “We’ve been taught the importance of generosity, and we want to share that with our kids. It’s become a muscle we’ve worked. Donating monthly makes giving a habit. That’s just where that money goes every month, and the more you do it, the easier it gets.”
The Habit of Monthly Giving
Donating monthly makes giving a habit. That’s just where that money goes every month, and the more you do it, the easier it gets.
“
–David and Lydia Roberts
exhale & breathe
Having been in foster care since the age of ten, Adrian Joshua lived with 12 different families while he was in care of Child Protective Services. At the age of 21, he found himself homeless and living on the street.
That’s when he met Tara Gordon, Lead Case Manager for CitySquare TRAC in Tarrant County and committee chair for the Tarrant County’s Youth Action Board. She introduced herself to Adrian while doing outreach on Ft. Worth’s Lancaster Boulevard, an area overflowing with homeless youth.
Sometimes a youth will spend the night in the school parking lot, dugout or even a dumpster,
so they can use school WIFI or ensure they can attend the next morning.
“Just think how hard it was when you were 18 trying to navigate the world,” said Tara. “Now imagine losing every support system you have and trying to navigate the world with no home to live in and without knowing where your next meal will come from.”
After talking together for an hour, Adrian asked Tara how long she would be there and left only to return with another youth in need. Just as Tara finished that conversation, Adrian appeared with another friend. And, so the afternoon, and their friendship has gone for the past year.
Adrian now serves as a member of the Youth Action Board, and recently he received the Helping Neighbor Jerry Sullivan Award for his efforts to help his peers. “I want to advocate for other youth and bring them to CitySquare,” said Adrian. “There are resources out there, we just have to get to them.”
With CitySquare’s help, Adrian has a place to live and interviewed successfully for a job at FedEx, where he began working in December. “I’m hopeful,” he said. “I feel reborn because I have a new opportunity in life. Now I can exhale and breathe.”
YOUTH SERVICES IMPACTS
We served 1,370 youth transitioning out of foster care and in the community
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500 received case management
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630 received Life Skills training
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225 received help into the workforce
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97% have maintained their housing for at least six months
We love our volunteers
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1,030 volunteers gave their time and talent, contributing 21,000 hours to help serve our neighbors
Workforce & Financial Empowerment
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90 new neighbors enrolled
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123 neighbors received one on one financial coaching
A few years ago, Dawn Pennington was suffering from a chronic illness, had no primary care doctor and was unable to keep her job as a waitress, given the physical stress on her body.
“You’ve got to be able to get up and work,” she said. “I miss it. It’s hard finding something to replace it.” Plus, she said, “Everything is computerized now.”
Understanding the challenges in front of Dawn, her CitySquare medical caseworker connected her to the Opportunity Center and our Workforce and Financial Empowerment team. The team thought Dawn would be a good candidate for the Women’s Workforce Readiness Initiative, a program developed in partnership with PepsiCo and Dallas Community College to encourage women to reenter the workforce.
An added benefit to the program is the mentorship aspect and the participation of mentors from PepsiCo’s Women in Network employee resource group. What a great testimony to PepsiCo’s commitment of supporting our community!
Dawn describes the program as “a group for women to help women build themselves up financially and build themselves to be stronger than they are today.” She was matched with PepsiCo mentor Lindsay Uhlik, Sales District Leader, SouthCentral Oklahoma. Inspired by women who want to help other women, Lindsay quickly volunteered.
“For me, having a mentor has been career altering, also life altering, so if I could offer this to someone else, I felt it would be a powerful way to help.”
Mentor and Mentee meet on Zoom every other week. Lindsay describes it this way: “We’re both growing together, inspiring each other in different ways. I’ve learned a lot about my management style, my leadership style, and ways I can be a friend that I didn’t know before. Dawn has also taught me the importance of prioritizing family while working.”
Dawn says Lindsay has helped her gain different perspectives, which benefits the independent business she’s trying to build. “I’m good at sales, but I’m learning not to be too aggressive,” she says. “Lindsay inspires me to improve my business and myself, and she helps me find answers.”
The two often talk goals and aspirations down the road. “In five years, I hope to be working a steady job with medical insurance and paid vacations,” Dawn says. “In fact, I see myself taking a cruise. That’s on my bucket list!” And the best part of PepsiCo’s WWRI mentoring program? “I get to meet different women and they give me inspiration, like I can do anything… that’s a good feeling.”
our volunteers help us empower others
A $20,000 donation to our Workforce and Financial Empowerment program will provide education and support to a neighbor, giving them the opportunity for advanced education/ certification classes, plus childcare, transportation and rental assistance if needed.
Corporate Partnerships
As a long-term corporate partner to CitySquare, AT&T has given generously to help mitigate homelessness and poverty in Dallas. Most recently as part of a $2 billion commitment to address the digital divide, we teamed with them to launch the AT&T Connected Learning Center at CitySquare’s Opportunity Center. As a trusted partner, CitySquare hosts one of the twenty learning centers in the nation. The learning centers provide students and families access to high-speed internet and wifi, in order to remove barriers for about 54,000 K-12 students without home internet.
Mike Peterson, AT&T’s VP for Texas External Affairs, said they appreciate their partnership with CitySquare because we help personalize a community pain point and “put a face and name” on the issue of poverty. As part of their resource groups, AT&T employees can choose to support a pillar related to homelessness, such as technology, volunteerism, or education.
“We learned from CitySquare how to interact with this community. Giving food or money seems like caring, but we’ve learned it’s a detriment; instead, we should contribute, so CitySquare can give wrap-around services and education… You’ve helped us raise awareness and helped us understand.”
Thank you, AT&T for standing by our community and making a difference! We appreciate you!
your generosity
makes it happen
When Susan and Scott Salka decided to chair CitySquare’s first-ever Block Party, it stemmed from a life-long lesson learned early. “My dad always taught us if you have the ability to help, you have to do it,” she said. “CitySquare’s work resonates very deeply with us.” The Salkas have seen firsthand the critical impact CitySquare makes on the residents of Dallas, calling it a catalyst for positive change that promotes the welfare of our neighbors.
“For us, CitySquare has been a natural fit. We’re grateful for the opportunity to partner with this amazing organization that’s transforming the lives of thousands of Dallas residents by supporting access to education, job training, housing, and healthcare…”
Scott, Susan and their family have shown wonderful enthusiasm and generosity to CitySquare, and as CEO of AMN Healthcare, Susan introduced AMN and CitySquare to a great corporate partnership as well.
We are grateful to the Salkas and to AMN for the time, treasure, and talent they’ve brought to CitySquare.
CitySquare offers wrap-around services and education... You’ve helped us raise awareness and you’ve helped us understand.
“
–Mike Peterson, AT&T VP for Texas External Affairs
In 2021, we raised
$20.2M to help house the homeless, feed the hungry,
heal the sick, give legal support, workforce and financial
empowerment, and help youth transitioning out of foster care
$5.8M for operations
In 2021, we invested
$6.3M in our housing, homeless outreach, and
neighbor services
$6.7M in our food pantry, mobile pantry, food recovery, and
child nutrition programs
$364,000 in our community health and neighbor clinic
$632,000 in legal support and family law
$2.2M in workforce & financial empowerment
$3.1M in youth services
$4.5M in our operations
More than 80 cents of every dollar raised directly supports our neighbors.
REVENUE
thank you
for making 2021 such a great year.
We couldn’t have impacted the lives of 56,000 neighbors without you.
We would be honored for you to continue the fight in 2022.
BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Wendy W. Messmann, Board Chair
Chequan Lewis, Vice Chair/Chair Elect
TC Alexander
Mark Anthony
Meredith Bjorck
Robin Blakeley
Brian Curtis
Edie Diaz
Robbie Frazier
Jon Halbert
Marquis Hawkins
Tonia Howard, Ph.D.
Elizabeth Caudill McClain
Nkem Okafor
Kerry Perez
Trent Ricker
Aracely Rios
Tarik Rodgers
Byron Sanders
Anthony Shoemaker
Lisa Stewart
Lewis Weinger
Dave Shipley,
Board Chair Emeritus
Glenn Owen, Emeritus
Craig Spaulding, Emeritus