North Texas Breaks Ground On 21-Acre Social Services Campus

The Salvation Army of North Texas’ Dallas Social Services Campus project reached a significant milestone this May. The 21-acre campus, which will help address the complex and growing needs of homelessness, addiction recovery, domestic violence, and family stability in the area, had its ceremonial groundbreaking on May 13.

North Texas’ ongoing $212.7 million “One Army, Many Fronts” capital campaign aims to expand The Salvation Army’s reach and impact in Dallas County. The Dallas Social Services Campus project is $154.8 million of that larger campaign and will be significant in providing crucial services and ministry opportunities.

The following stage of the campaign will focus on investing in area corps – Oak Cliff, Irving, Garland, and Pleasant Grove – as well as the Dallas Adult Rehabilitation Center and the Christmas Center. Lt. Colonel Bill Mockabee, executive officer for the “One Army, Many Fronts” capital campaign, explains that this will be a vital part of the holistic services provided by the Dallas Social Services Campus. “We want to make it a reality once a person graduates from one of our programs where they’ve had case management,” he says, “to be able to literally connect them and get the corps officer or whoever at the corps to engage with that client before they leave our facility so that a relationship is started and they can continue. We see that as a very big piece of eliminating poverty, to walk with them through the whole process.”

“Our goal is not the $212.7 million,” Lt. Colonel Mockabee says. “Our goal is to eliminate intergenerational poverty, homelessness, and addiction.” The Dallas Social Services Campus project, with the ultimate aim of connecting clients to area corps, is essential in meeting that goal.

The campus, located at 8625 N. Stemmons Freeway, just west of Love Field in Dallas, is set to open their first stage of services in 2027. The land for the project was generously donated by Robert Rowling, CEO of TRT Holdings, which is the parent company of Omni Hotels.

The new campus will include emergency shelters, inpatient and outpatient addiction recovery programs, supportive living for single men and women in addition to families and veterans, and a shelter for domestic violence and sex trafficking survivors. There will also be facilities for on-site childcare for families in programs, an integrated health clinic with medical, dental, and behavioral care in partnership with Parkland Health and Metrocare Services, and a dog kennel for residents with pet-care needs. A dedicated DART (Dallas Area Rapid Transit) station will make the campus more accessible for those seeking services, and an on-site chapel for spiritual support will round out the holistic, wraparound services offered.

This campus will have service capacity for 900 individuals during times of inclement weather, double what is feasible through the area’s current facilities, with 600 program beds during typical operations.

In addition to the ceremonial first dig, the groundbreaking ceremony, held on location on a bright spring morning, featured an interactive gallery exhibit, a small brass ensemble, a canteen service, and plenty of celebration.

The “Vision Center” gallery exhibit showcased photos and testimonies from clients and representatives, presenting the face of homelessness in North Texas and the vital role The Salvation Army plays in addressing that need. Attendees were then welcomed to visit the “Words that Warm the Heart” booth to write an encouraging note or prayer to be given to current clients of the Carr P. Collins Social Service Center.

Texas Divisional Headquarters provided a small brass ensemble for musical support for the celebration. “It’s always wonderful to have the brass band greet people as they come to events,” Cristina Cavalier, senior director of community relations and fundraising for North Texas Area Command, said. She added that they also provided signage sharing the history of brass banding in The Salvation Army and the importance of music in Army programs and ministry.

An Emergency Disaster Services canteen on site provided donuts as a sweet treat along with information on the history of Donut Day, the legacy of the Donut Lassies, and the importance of spreading hope in our communities.

Those in attendance included Southern Territorial Commander Commissioner Kelly Igleheart, Texas Divisional Leaders Lt. Colonels Art and Ann Penhale, (then) North Texas Area Commanders Majors Paul and Dawn McFarland, and Lt. Colonel Bill Mockabee. Several key community members were also involved, including Dallas City Council Member Omar Narvaez, who was influential in the zoning process, Campaign Co-Chairs Michal Powell and Bernie DiFiore, and North Texas Advisory Board Chair Mark Schortman. Many additional esteemed community members came to show their support and to join in celebrating this incredible milestone.

During the groundbreaking ceremony, Commissioner Igleheart declared, “This campus will fundamentally change how we serve the community,” calling it a “new era” for the area command’s ministry reach.

“This campus builds on years of collaboration,” Cavalier said, highlighting The Salvation Army’s ongoing partnerships with the City of Dallas and the Office of Homelessness Solutions. “We’re working every day to give people safe, supportive housing.”

“This isn’t just about building new facilities. It’s about transforming lives by breaking the cycles of poverty, homelessness, and addiction,” Lt. Colonel Mockabee said. “The vision for this campus has been shaped by the voices of those we serve and the urgent need for comprehensive, dignified support.”

Attendees were given hygiene and heat relief kits, along with information about Carr P. Collins and the services the center provides, to distribute to anyone in need, encouraging everyone to be a part of impacting their community for good. The kits, containing items such as sunblock, water bottles, socks, wipes, and shampoo, were put together by a local school. “Students brought the items and then they packaged them up, and that’s how we sourced the items,” Cavalier shared, “so there was also that community connection.”

“It was just really exciting. Everyone’s been working so hard to get to that point, to be able to officially celebrate our groundbreaking, which meant that we were far enough along in the project, as well as in our fundraising,” Cavalier reflected after the event. “The whole day was just so exciting and the energy and excitement of everyone that was there; it was really a celebratory event.”

Area Command crafted the event to ensure that the day was not only about celebrating the new service center, but also about making sure everyone in attendance knew exactly what The Salvation Army was doing in the community, as well as how they could get involved in making a difference.