Downtown Dallas, Inc.

Recently, our CEO Jennifer Scripps had the privilege of becoming a Principal for a Day, spending the morning with Principal Ricardo Sanchez at the Downtown Montessori at Ida B. Wells Academy, a school DDI proudly supported when it opened in 2020. The school serves around 350 students from Pre-K to 6th grade. Jennifer toured Lower Elementary classrooms, witnessing the Montessori method in action, where students’ enthusiasm and hands-on learning materials made a lasting impact. We’re excited to see Downtown Montessori continue to grow, with plans to expand to 8th grade and eventually move to a Pre-K to 12th grade campus. For families interested in DISD programs, visit the Discover Dallas ISD event in on month, on Saturday, Nov. 9 at Fair Park to learn more about these diverse educational offerings! https://lnkd.in/ecixFmKP

The Dallas Street-to-Home initiative has successfully housed over 100 individuals in just six weeks, marking a significant victory in the effort to address unsheltered homelessness. This $30 million operation, led by the City of Dallas and the All Neighbors Coalition, of which Downtown Dallas, Inc. is a proud and active member, is transforming lives while revitalizing key public spaces in our city! Our Homeless Outreach team plays a crucial role in building trust and providing care to those in need, contributing to the program’s remarkable success. The initiative’s impact extends beyond housing, breathing new life into areas near the J. Erik Jonsson Central Library, City Hall, and along I-30. With this innovative approach, we're on track to cut unsheltered homelessness in half by 2026. The Dallas Morning News recently featured the program on its front page, shining a spotlight on this incredible achievement. We encourage everyone to check out the article to learn more about this transformative initiative and the positive changes taking place in Downtown. We’re proud to stand alongside our partners in the All Neighbors Coalition and the City of Dallas as we continue our work toward creating a more welcoming Downtown for all! https://lnkd.in/drdCrt3C #DowntownDallas #myDTD #HomelessOutreach #AllNeighborsCoalition #CommunityTransformation

The YMCA in Downtown Dallas is hosting a mental health session on October 26th! Whether you're looking to improve your emotional well-being, manage stress, or simply find balance, these sessions provide a safe space for growth and support. Let's prioritize our mental health together! Register at this link: https://lnkd.in/ga_YVAvK #MentalHealthMatters #YMCA #DowntownDallas #CommunityWellness

Congratulations to Wicked Butcher for being the No. 1 spot for Food & Beverage out of over 150 Marriott Hotels Autograph Collection properties! 🏆 If you're excited to try out their food and drinks, don't worry you don’t have to travel to Fort Worth to experience their incredible offerings— you can check out their Downtown Dallas location as well! Congrats to Wicked Butcher and one of our many amazing hospitality industry members, DRG Concepts on this great honor! 🍽️ https://lnkd.in/g_VNYa7r

From the Front Page 📰 Over 100 people housed in less than 100 days! Leah Waters at Dallas Morning News followed the first phase of our Street to Home initiative which was successfully completed last week. This first phase focused on three zones in Downtown Dallas. Waters reports, for each zone, "It took about six weeks to receive housing after starting the process. During that time, people applied for apartments, signed leases, secured income vouchers and waited on inspections, with help from the All Neighbors Coalition. The operation’s various leaders unanimously call the effort successful. Efforts to close campsites locally in the past often lacked quick pathways into housing, strategic cooperation between agencies and a closure maintenance plan. The Street-to-Home initiative closed the gap in those areas, the coalition says." Read all about it: https://lnkd.in/gRTSvuvs

Today, the All Neighbors Coalition, led by Housing Forward, announced today the successful completion of the first phase of the Street to Home initiative, which launched with an operation to rehouse over 100 individuals experiencing chronic homelessness in downtown Dallas in less than 100 days. This milestone represents a significant step toward achieving the Coalition’s goal to cut street homelessness in half by 2026 as compared to 2021 levels. The Street to Home initiative, a collaboration among public and private partners, focuses on rehousing those experiencing homelessness in highly visible public spaces. The first phase targeted three downtown zones, and was led by Housing Forward, the City of Dallas, and Downtown Dallas, Inc. (DDI). “This new way of doing business demonstrates that we can both address community concerns about public spaces and compassionately end an individual’s homelessness.” said Sarah Kahn, President & CEO of Housing Forward. “This initiative is another milestone in our efforts to reduce street homelessness in Dallas and Collin counties by 50% by 2026.” Read the press release here: https://lnkd.in/gEN6EVvC

Downtown Dallas has come a long way since the late 1990s, when just a few hundred people called the city center home. Billions of dollars in private and public investments have fueled a historic transformation, with Downtown Dallas, Inc. members and partners leading the charge. Today, we have 15,000 residents living in neighborhoods including the East Quarter, West End, Arts District, Farmers Market, and Main Street district. We have exceptional restaurants, thriving arts and entertainment, and convention business so successful that we are building a whole new Downtown convention center just to keep up with demand. As The Dallas Morning News notes in an editorial today, a recent spate of crime highlights the need for increased Dallas Police Department presence in Downtown, something DDI's Board of Directors has advocated for in recent years. In the coming years, we will opening our doors to the FIFA World Cup 2026™ - Canada, Mexico and the United States. Millions of conventioneers will visit our new Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center Dallas, set to open by the end of the decade. We will ensure everyone who visits Downtown feels safe and welcome. Our police officers do heroic work every day in all corners of our city. They should not be called on to solve every societal challenge. But it is time for City leadership to refine our policing strategies to adequately serve our growing Downtown neighborhoods. Read more: https://lnkd.in/gf6q-nHT

The tallest building in downtown Dallas might be changing hands, along with 4 adjacent city blocks. This could be another transformative project in the city. From Bill Hethcock at Dallas Business Journal Downtown Dallas, Inc. City of Dallas

We are thrilled to announce that, with the incredible support of our Downtown community, we raised over $50,000 during this year’s inaugural Downtown Dallas Giving Day for North Texas Giving Day, organized by Downtown Dallas, Inc.'s own Gary D. Johnson! 🙌 Your generosity will make a lasting impact on the programs and initiatives that help us create a vibrant, thriving downtown. We couldn’t have done it without all of our partners and donors! Thank you to Keith McCoy and our partners at AT&T for allowing us to host this event in their beautiful plaza, Communities Foundation of Texas for their generous $25,000 match, James Mahler, aka Spicy Violin, for the entertainment, and Champ, one of our favorite Dallas Mavericks, for all the smiles and fun he brought! Thank you also to our nonprofit partners: 24HourDallas, Ability ERG Inc., AURORA, Booker T Washington High School PTSA, Café Momentum, Communities Foundation of Texas, DALLAS ARTS DISTRICT FOUNDATION, Dallas Black Dance Theatre, Dallas Housing Coalition, Downtown Dallas Parks Conservancy, Friends of the Dallas Public Library, First Presbyterian Church of Dallas, HACEMOS Dallas-Fort Worth, Housing Forward, INTER-TRIBAL COUNCIL OF AT&T EMPLOYEES, InspirASIAN DFW, Kadampa Meditation Center, LEAGUE at AT&T, OASIS ORGANIZATION OF ASIAN INDIANS AT AT&T, INC., oxyGEN DFW, POETIC, Professional 50 Forward, SPCA of Texas, St Jude Chapel-Downtown, The Birthday Party Project, The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center, The NETwork BIPC, The Thanks-Giving Foundation, The Stewpot, Women of AT&T and YMCA of Metropolitan Dallas. Let’s continue working together to shape the future of our city. Together, we’re building a stronger, more connected downtown Dallas! 💙 #NorthTexasGivingDay #DowntownDallas #CommunityImpact #Grateful #Nonprofit #ThankYou

Exciting progress for Downtown! The City Council has approved key initiatives, advancing goals from the 360 Plan Catalytic Development Areas. With support from partners like DDI, the City of Dallas, and TxDOT, we’re moving forward on pivotal projects. Highlights include the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center redesign collaboration with DDI member Perkins+Will, funds for a Lamar Street decking structure to connect Downtown with the Convention Center and Cedars, and a new deck park between Farmers Market and Old City Park. Improvements to Pioneer Plaza are also underway! These developments are crucial steps toward realizing Downtown’s vision. #DowntownDallas #UrbanDevelopment #CityGrowth #myDTD