CitySquare opens new opportunity center in Dallas

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Korri Kezar

CitySquare staff and local city and county officials gathered Thursday for a ribbon cutting ceremony at CitySquare's new opportunity center.

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Korri Kezar

Staff Writer- Dallas Business Journal

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After more than two years of construction, nonprofit CitySquare Thursday opened its new opportunity center, set to offer nutritional and job training to Dallas' poorest residents.

Located at the southeast corner of Interstate 30 and Malcolm X. Boulevard, the CitySquare Opportunity Center is 52,000 square feet and houses a food distribution center, teaching and production kitchen, wellness center and employment training center for residents in east and south Dallas.

It also contains offices for Workforce Solutions of Greater Dallas and AmeriCorps.

"We know we won't be the full answer to ending poverty in Dallas, but we want to be part of that answer," said Larry James, CitySquare's president and CEO, adding that while the city added just 5 percent to its population between 2000 and 2012, poverty grew by 38 percent.

The center will be a place where struggling Dallasites can receive loans, nutritional and wellness counseling and employment training and resources. James said the CitySquare opened the city because "people are worth it" and "it was the right thing to do."

"This is not a charity center," added CitySquare's Chief Operating Officer John Siburt. "The keyword here is opportunity, opportunity, opportunity."

Construction cost approximately $12.5 million, most of which was raised through individuals, churches and corporate donors like PepsiCo Inc. and ExxonMobil. CitySquare will continue to take donations to do finish out work on the facility and fund its programs.

Korri covers banking, finance and nonprofits for the Dallas Business Journal. Subscribe to our email newsletters.