| Pennsylvannia Place Community Partnership |
COMMUNITY CENTER AT PENNSYLVANIA PLACE:
is a result of a partnership formed in 1999 by Buckner Children
and Family Services of North Texas, Mental Health Housing Development
and Cornerstone Housing Development to provide education and social
services within the community which focuses on increased self-sufficiency.
The facility is staffed by a Buckner sponsored community resource
coordinator. The community resource coordinator provides program
oversight for the Community Center as well as assist in the facilitation
of agency collaborations within the community. It is located at
250 Pennsylvania Avenue, Pennsylvania Place was built in 1998
as a 100% income restricted apartment community to provide affordable
housing on the south-side of Fort Worth. The developers, Cornerstone
Housing Development and Mental Health Housing Development Corporation,
set a goal to provide quality affordable housing to both mental
health consumers as well as lower income consumers working in
the Medical District located nearby.
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DEMOGRAPHIC MAKE-UP IS AS FOLLOWS:
• Pennsylvania Place is made-up of 152 Units.
• Twenty-five or 16% of the total apartment units are set-aside
for mental health consumers.
• Of the 327 total residents residing at Pennsylvania Place, 167
or 51.1% are adults and 160 or 48.9% are children.
• The majority of adult residents have an income of less than
$10,000.
• The average per capita income at Pennsylvania Place is approximately
$6,526.
• Approximately 55% to 60% of households receive some degree of
housing assistance monthly.
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COMMUNITY CENTER SERVICES:
Educational Services are designed to increase participants’ awareness
of services in the south-side community as well as provide opportunities
to increase self-sufficiency.
• Budgeting/Credit Repair Classes - Seminars provided by Consumer Credited Counseling Service to
assist individuals in understanding credit management and family
budgeting of income.
• Computer Lab Services - Open computer lab in which provides educational tutorials on each
system.
• Life Skills Education Classes - Weekly classes provided by Telcare Act I, a contractor of Mental
Health Mental Retardation, targeting the mental health population
within the community which strives to increase skills that support
independent living.
• Women's Support Group - Weekly group facilitated by a Masters level Social Worker that deals with issues important to emotional and spiritual health of women.
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Health and Safety Programming is designed to build a sense of
physical and emotional security through targeted programming.
Health and Safety
• Annual National Night-Out Events-A national event held the 1st Tuesday in August
• Health Awareness Services- Health education services provided through the City of Fort Worth
Health Department to increase participants’ awareness of health
and prevention issues.
• Monthly Crime Watch Meetings/Annual Safety Fairs-Crime prevention education services provided in relation with
the City of Fort Worth Police Department.
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Children and Youth Services are geared toward the physical, mental
and spiritual development of children under the age of nineteen.
• After School Child Care and Enrichment Program- Is a licensed school age child care program that works to increase
academic performance while nurturing spiritual growth.
• Pregnancy Prevention/Dropout Prevention Services- Educations services provided through the YWCA of Fort Worth and
Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention to encourage positive life choices
among youth in the community.
• Summer Food Program-A summer nutrition program sponsored by the City of Fort Worth
which provides nutritious lunches and snacks to children ages
18 and under. Pennsylvania Place is a open Community site of the
program.
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Volunteerism and Spiritual Enrichment Opportunities are provided
to increase community prided and encourage spiritual growth.
• Citizens Action and Survey Committee- Resident leadership is a committee that works towards the development
and implementation of plans to initiate community change as well
as assists in the assessment of current health of the community.
• Spiritual Enrichment-Services encourage individual spiritual growth and support targeting
the Pennsylvania Place Community.
• Volunteer Services-Provides service opportunities for community residents as well
as Pennsylvania Place residents.
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Information and Referral Services are provided to assist in alleviating
emergency crisis situations among community residents. Information
and referrals are provided to assist with such needs as food,
financial, employment, rental, and transportation assistance.
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Other Program Services are provided to increase self-esteem and
help create a sense of community cohesiveness.
• Holiday Meals-Community celebrations that encourage fellowship among Pennsylvania
Place residents.
• Weekly Community Meals-Weekly meals sponsored by Buckner Children and Family Services
and prepared by community volunteers used to encourage fellowship
and to decrease isolation among the mental health consumers residing
within the community.
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Staff:
Cynthia Mayfield
Community Resource Coordinator
Phone: (817) 332-9554
FAX: (817) 332-6660
Email: cmayfield@buckner.org
Buckner/Pennsylvania Place Community Center
250 Pennsylvania Ave.
Fort Worth, Texas 76104
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