Latest news with #Culbreath
Business Wire
25-06-2025
- Business
- Business Wire
DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas and Volunteers of America National Services Break Ground on The Culbreath Senior Living Community in South Dallas
DALLAS--(BUSINESS WIRE)-- DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas (DHA) and its development partner Volunteers of America National Services (VOANS) held the groundbreaking ceremony for a new senior housing development in South Dallas on June 24, 2025. The 268,000 square foot project will provide 364 new affordable housing units for seniors in Dallas who are age 62 and older. The senior living community is located at 2770 Bethurum Avenue in the Bonton neighborhood. The project is named after DHA Board Chair Betty Culbreath, an affordable housing advocate and longtime community leader. The Culbreath represents a $96.7 million public/private partnership between VOANS and DHA. The mixed-finance property will feature 270 one-bedroom and 94 two-bedroom units specifically designed for seniors age 62 and older. More than half (54%) of units will provide subsidies for residents below 50% of area median income (AMI). The project has an estimated 26-month construction period and is anticipated to open in summer 2027. The development will include a fully furnished clubhouse featuring a fitness room, business center, multipurpose room, library, and game room. Additional amenities include two dog parks, a swimming pool, pickle ball court, and bocce ball court. 'We are excited to have broken ground on this important affordable housing community for Dallas seniors," said Troy Broussard, president and chief executive officer for DHA. 'The number of seniors living in Dallas is expected to triple by 2050, so developing more affordable housing options for our low-income seniors is an important investment. We are proud to work with VOANS, and several other partners on developing this community designed for an active senior population.' This project is a significant undertaking. DHA and VOANS would like to thank the many partners involved in bringing the project to fruition including: Amegy Bank Comerica Bank Dallas Housing Opportunity Fund Freddie Mac Humphreys & Partners Architects, L.P. Lument National Equity Fund Spring Valley Construction Company Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs 'Today marks a significant milestone in our commitment to addressing the critical need for quality, affordable housing for seniors in Dallas,' said Deborah Welchel, vice president of development for VOANS. 'We're not just building apartments — we're creating a vibrant community where seniors can age with dignity and independence while remaining connected to the neighborhood they love.' About Volunteers of America National Services Volunteers of America National Services (VOANS), a subsidiary of Volunteers of America, provides affordable housing and healthcare services in over 40 states and in Puerto Rico. The organization employs over 2,000 dedicated staff who provide high quality services and care to our clients. As one of the largest non-profit affordable housing owners/operators in the nation, the VOANS portfolio includes over 240 properties and 15,000 affordable housing units. VOANS also operates senior healthcare programs,including independent living, assisted living, memory care, home health care, adult day care and Programs for all Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Learn more at About Volunteers of America Volunteers of America is one of the nation's largest, established comprehensive human services organizations with 16,000 mission-driven professionals, dedicated to helping those in need rebuild their lives and reach their full potential. Founded in 1896, the faith-based nonprofit has programs in 46 states, the District of Columbia, and Puerto Rico, serving more than 1.5 million people a year. Learn more at About DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas (a/k/a The Housing Authority of the City of Dallas, Texas or DHA) DHA, Housing Solutions for North Texas, provides quality, affordable housing to low-income families and individuals through the effective and efficient administration of housing assistance programs. The Agency aims to create opportunities for program participants to achieve self-sufficiency and economic independence. DHA provides housing opportunities to ~55,700 people through public housing developments and Housing Choice Voucher (Section 8) programs. DHA's mission is to provide affordable, quality housing and access to supportive resources across North Texas. The agency is governed by its Board of Commissioners and administers housing programs funded and regulated by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. DHA is an independent, local government entity not affiliated with the City of Dallas Housing/Community Services department, which is governed by the City of Dallas. For more information about DHA, please visit:
Yahoo
15-02-2025
- General
- Yahoo
NM Legislative recap Feb. 14: ‘Our song rises when we all rise together'
Dr. Karissa Culbreath, Assistant Professor of Pathology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine, addressed a joint session of lawmakers at African American Day. (Photo by Danielle Prokop / Source NM) For seven generations, Dr. Karissa Culbreath's family has called New Mexico home and their dinner table reflects their uniquely Black New Mexican history. 'We are people who have biscuits and tortillas,' she told a joint session of the New Mexico House of Representatives and Senate on Friday. 'We have collard greens and posole. We have pinto beans and black-eyed peas.' Throughout her speech, Culbreath honored Black New Mexicans who changed history, including Estevan the Moor and the Buffalo Soldiers. It was the 25th anniversary of African American Day at the Legislature, said Rev. N.D. Smith. 'Twenty-five years later, we're able to celebrate the long suffering and the hard work that others put into making this day a very special day,' Smith said. Culbreath talked about the hope and determination of the Black experience in New Mexico. 'The story of New Mexico has always been a multicultural story and, in that story, the contributions of the Black community have always been present,' Culbreath said. Earlier on Friday, Black organizations from across the state tabled in the Rotunda, including the New Mexico Black Student Alliance, the Public Education Department's Black Education Advisory Council, the Office of African American Affairs and the New Mexico Martin Luther King, Jr. Commission. Culbreath is the daughter of two Albuquerque educators, an assistant professor of pathology at the University of New Mexico School of Medicine and a Rio Rancho city councilor. 'We too, sing New Mexico,' Culbreath said, adapting a poem by Langston Hughes, the Black poet, novelist, essayist and playwright. 'It is not just the song of my family that makes up this story. The song of the African American experience in New Mexico is as varied as the jazz music our people created. It is complex and beautiful.' The joint session closed with a performance of 'Goodness of God' by Kendra and Tasha Crawford, students at Cochiti Elementary School. 'Our song is an orchestra that is richer and more vibrant when each instrument plays its chord,' Culbreath said. 'This has always been our strength: Our song rises when we all rise together.' Constance Williams, a licensed clinical social worker from Clovis, New Mexico, is a new vice chair for the New Mexico Martin Luther King Jr. Commission. She also participated on the local commission in Clovis, which first started operating in 1991. The local commission includes artistic, speech contests based on themes from King's work, and works to award two $1,000 scholarships for graduating seniors based on an essay. The following interview has been edited for clarity and concision. Source NM: For people unfamiliar, what is the New Mexico Martin Luther King Jr. Commission? Constance Williams: The state supports local commissions in making sure that local communities have information, access to and an ability to help promote Dr. King's legacy. What does that look like? On the eastern side, in our local commission, we have an essay and speech contest that happens every year. We have district contests where all the schools submit their top projects, and then we pick winners from that. This year, our local theme was based on Dr. King's second principle which is: nonviolence seeks to win friendship and understanding. How have the recent federal announcements to remove MLK's birthday from celebrated holidays and federal denouement of diversity equity and inclusion impacted your work? It is worrisome; there is basically a regression. No matter what happens, I think we'll continue to honor Dr. King's legacy and what he means. All the issues that he spoke about are issues that we're still dealing with in this time, and we really have to educate people. In a 5-4 party-line vote Friday morning, the Senate Education Committee advanced a bill that would make comprehensive sexual education available to every student in New Mexico, as a way of preventing teen pregnancies, sexually transmitted disease, sexual violence, bullying and sexual harassment. Republicans on the committee tried to table Senate Bill 258 but the Democratic majority outvoted them. Sen. Natalie Figueroa (D-Albuquerque) tried to amend the bill so students could complete sex ed either in middle school or high school. The sponsors agreed to the amendment, but Sen. Martin Hickey (D-Albuquerque) joined committee Republicans to block it. In the afternoon, the Senate passed a trio of bills known as the behavioral health package. All three bills still need to go through the committee process on the House side, and a floor vote in the House of Representatives before they go to Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham's desk. The House Government, Elections and Indian Affairs Committee backed two bills they hope will reform the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department. On Thursday, the Senate Indian, Rural and Cultural Affairs Committee passed a bill to designate tortillas as the state's official bread.
