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New housing option for former homeless opens in Northeast Dallas

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New housing option for former homeless opens in Northeast Dallas


The next major piece in addressing homelessness is now open in Northeast Dallas, as an old hotel remodel is creating new opportunities for those who call it home.

Anthony Armstrong has seen a lot of situations.

“This is my first time being in this type of situation, whatever this situation is.”

The self-described Iraq war vet says he left his job at a Veterans Affairs hospital in Denver during the pandemic after suffering from complications from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

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“It kind of just threw me into like this mental spiral, and so, I quit working for about two years,” Armstrong said.

He arrived in Dallas earlier this year with no place to live but with plenty of faith.

“If you need it, just ask, and it will be provided,” Armstrong said.

After a few months in a downtown shelter, Armstrong is now a month and a half into living at St. Jude Center – Vantage Point, just south of I-635 near Greenville Avenue, which celebrated its grand opening on Tuesday.  Residents like Armstrong began moving in earlier this year.

It’s a former hotel that the city of Dallas and Dallas County combined to purchase for $7 million in 2023 and turn into permanent supportive housing.

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Dave Woodyard is CEO of Catholic Charities Dallas, which operates as property management at what is now the third St. Jude Center in Dallas. All three centers have the same mission.

“The only requirement to be is to be formerly homeless,” Woodyard said.

The facility creates a single-site solution: a safe, quiet place to call home, paid for through federal housing vouchers combined with access to mental health services, transportation, and job placements in one location.

“Many that come here are seniors, veterans and others that have experienced some horrible traumas in their life and it’s a long road to recovery,” Woodyard said. “It’s not an easy step out, if you will. So, this gives them that safe environment.”

A fourth St. Jude Center is set to open late next year or early 2026 in Oak Cliff.

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Woodyard adds that about 700 neighbors who previously stayed in shelters or on the streets have found housing so far, and the need continues to grow.

“The numbers going forward are really hard to predict,” Woodyard said. “Right now, we could have another ten St. Jude centers, and it would make a huge dent, but it wouldn’t be the total solution.”

For Armstrong, he adds if life is like a movie, he’s just in a new scene.

“You want to see a couple of downs to see how that person works out of it. So, I’m getting ready for my biopic,” he says. “I just have faith that things will work out for me.”

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Dallas weather: Storms return this week with large hail and tornado threat

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Dallas weather: Storms return this week with large hail and tornado threat


North Texans will enjoy a brief break today before the next weather system arrives, bringing multiple rounds of storms. A warmup is on the way, with temperatures climbing back into the mid-80s by the weekend.

Monday Forecast

Following a few morning showers in the eastern counties, expect a warm and breezy Monday. High temperatures will climb into the low 80s under partly cloudy skies.

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Tuesday Forecast

As an upper-level low-pressure system moves to the west, scattered storms will move into the region Tuesday afternoon. Some of these storms could become severe, with the primary threats being large hail, damaging winds and isolated tornadoes.

Simultaneously, storms are expected to develop ahead of a dryline to the west. While the tornado threat remains low in this area, any storms that form could produce large hail and damaging wind gusts. 

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7-Day Forecast

Those overnight storms should push out to the east by Wednesday morning, but don’t put the umbrella away just yet. As the main weather system moves directly over us Wednesday afternoon, we’ll likely see another round of scattered storms that could still bring with some hail. Once everything finally clears out Wednesday evening, we can look forward to some drier, much more comfortable air moving back into the area.

Thursday will be noticeably cooler, with high temperatures settling in the mid-60s. However, sunshine and a quick warmup are expected by the weekend. Temperatures will rebound into the 80s on Friday and Saturday.

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The Source: Information in this article comes from the National Weather Service and FOX 4 forecasters.

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Off-duty Dallas officer shoots at suspects allegedly trying to steal his vehicle in Addison, police say

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Off-duty Dallas officer shoots at suspects allegedly trying to steal his vehicle in Addison, police say



An off-duty Dallas police officer shot at a group of people allegedly trying to steal his personal vehicle on Sunday afternoon in Addison, officials said. 

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According to the Addison Police Department, around 2:15 p.m., the off-duty Dallas officer saw a group of people trying to steal his vehicle in a parking lot at 5000 Belt Line Road. He confronted the suspects, “and during the encounter, fired a weapon at the suspects’ vehicle.”

The suspects fled in their vehicle, Addison police said, and it is unknown if any suspects were hit by gunfire.

The investigation is ongoing.



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Dallas dropped the ball on the Wings’ practice facility

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Dallas dropped the ball on the Wings’ practice facility


The Dallas Wings can’t seem to get a win, at least when it comes to the team’s training facility and arena. Not only is its practice facility in west Oak Cliff, approved over the summer and fast-tracked to open ahead of the team’s spring season, now running behind schedule, it is also somehow over budget.

Dallas had already committed $55 million for the team’s practice facility, a price tag we were uncomfortable with from the beginning. At the time, city staff said that was the amount needed to build a training facility with the amenities and infrastructure required for a WNBA team. The city argued there were few viable alternative locations for the practice facility after delays with the convention center, and they were running out of time. Enter the $55 million facility at Joey Georgusis Park.

But now the project needs an additional $27 million to cross the finish line. How did costs increase so much in just a few months? And how did a project that was expedited to meet the team’s deadline end up falling behind and over budget?

City staff attribute the holdup to missed deadlines by the project management firm McKissack and McKissack and new requirements from the WNBA that weren’t part of the original scope. McKissack and McKissack didn’t respond to multiple messages seeking comment for this editorial. Whatever the company’s missteps, the city is ultimately responsible for conducting due diligence and making sure the project stays on track, and it couldn’t deliver what it promised.

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Now the city wants the Wings to take over. The city would cap its total contributions at $57 million, which includes $653,000 in delay reimbursements. The Wings would then cover the remaining costs, at least $27 million, needed to finish the practice facility and agree not to sue Dallas for the delays.

Some City Council members have suggested that Dallas should consider the American Airlines Center for the Wings’ practice facility and arena. But even though the Dallas Mavericks and the Dallas Stars, who currently play at the AAC, are looking to leave, their lease agreements run through 2031. That doesn’t do much for the Wings who need a practice facility now.

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Maybe all of this could have been avoided if the city had more seriously considered existing facilities that could have accommodated the Wings. That’s not to say the team doesn’t deserve a training space that will meet their needs, but repurposing an existing space instead of starting from the ground up might have saved both time and money.

This debacle is frustrating for the Wings, and it also isn’t a good look for the city. If Dallas can’t figure out how to deliver a practice facility that it promised to one of its professional sports teams, how can it hope to attract more businesses and major investments? Anyone watching this unfold would have good reason to question the city’s ability to deliver.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here.

If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com



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