DALLAS (June 9, 2025) – Mutual of America Foundation recently awarded Catholic Charities Dallas (CCD) and its partners, including Catholic Housing Initiative (CHI), with a national Community Partnership Award for the St. Jude Centers, which provide permanent supportive housing for the homeless in Dallas.
This prestigious, annual award recognizes outstanding nonprofit organizations in the U.S. that have shown exemplary leadership by facilitating partnerships with public, private and/or social sector leaders who are working together as equal partners to build a cohesive community that serves as a model for collaborating with others for the greater good. The foundation has recognized 268 organizations since 1996.
Six organizations were recognized at an awards ceremony in New York City in May. The award winners were selected out of a highly competitive pool of 1,400 nominations. CCD, together with partner Catholic Housing Initiative (CHI), received one of four Social Impact awards, which are given to partnerships whose programs are making a positive difference in their communities and have the potential to scale to increase their impact.
“This national recognition is invaluable in shining a light on innovative solutions to pressing community issues, such as homelessness,” said Dave Woodyard, president and CEO of CCD. “The St. Jude Centers have proven that collaboration around a common goal and mission can effect significant change in a community and positively impact the trajectory of the lives of a very vulnerable population, the homeless,” he added.
Currently, there are three St. Jude Centers in Dallas, which together house up to 445 formerly chronically homeless adults. We are actively looking for future projects. The centers provide a safe, welcoming community, as well as extensive case management and wraparound services designed to support residents.
Each of the centers represents a collaboration of partners, including CHI (property owner/developer), CCD (property manager, case management/supportive services coordination), and public-sector investors such as the City of Dallas and Dallas County. Austin Street Center, The Bridge, Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing, and Metrocare Services are key service partners; Housing Forward manages the Coordinated Access System (CAS), which makes referrals to the St. Jude Centers from a centralized database of homeless individuals.
Private philanthropy has also been instrumental in the development and operations of the St. Jude Centers, with funding coming from the Pulte Family Charitable Foundation, The Catholic Foundation, Texas Instruments, the Mike and Mary Terry Family Foundation, the Markham Family Foundation, CHRISTUS Health, and dozens of individual donors.
“The public-private partnerships behind the St. Jude Centers have not only created homes for those without but have also helped developed community, both within the centers and with the surrounding neighborhoods,” said Shannon Ortleb, chief operating officer for CHI, the property owner and developer of the centers. “This model has proven effective in stabilizing housing and providing pathways to self-sufficiency for the homeless. We have seen positive results since opening the first St. Jude Center in 2018, and we are hopeful that we can continue to replicate this success throughout North Texas and beyond,” she added.
For more information on the Mutual of America Community Partnership program, please click here. For a brochure highlighting all six of the 2024 winners, please click here.
About Catholic Charities Dallas (CCD)
CCD is an independent, 501(c)3 non-profit organization and one of the leading social-service providers in the greater Dallas region. We educate, serve and empower more than 200,000 clients in need annually across a nine-county region of North Texas, addressing the root causes of poverty and homelessness. A large multi-disciplinary agency, CCD provides services in the following core areas: hunger alleviation; early childhood education; programming for low-income elderly; permanent supportive housing for the homeless; immigration legal services; pregnancy, parenting and adoption counseling; refugee resettlement; shelter and foster care for unaccompanied refugee minors; financial coaching and career development assistance; disaster preparedness and relief; and community health care. For more information, see www.ccdallas.org.
About Catholic Housing Initiative (CHI)
CHI is a community-based, non-profit organization founded in 1991 by a group of Catholics with a mission of providing quality, affordable family and senior housing. In addition to the three St. Jude Centers, CHI owns and operates more than 1,000 apartment units in Coppell, Carrollton, Mesquite, and Dallas. Recently, CHI celebrated the opening of a single-family housing project in the Five Mile neighborhood of Dallas. Of its existing housing inventory, approximately 20 of the properties are designated for seniors, and the rest are aimed at families. CHI has substantial development and redevelopment experience in addition to its operating and financing expertise. CHI owns the project and provides facility and financial oversight, including securing housing assistance arrangements with DHA and others. For more info, see www.CHIDallas.org.
