What resources do you offer at your outreach center?
Showers
Laundry
Clothing resources
Coffee and pastries, lunch
Chapel and Bible study
Recovery programs
1:1 meetings with Care Ministers to assess how we can best help individuals overcome the barriers to getting off the streets
Access to other resources through on-site partners, including:
Mental health care
Medical care
Veterans services
Food stamps
Ticket abatement
Psychotherapeutic care
Cold storage for medication
Homeless verification letter
What are your hours?
Monday – Friday our service hours are 8:30am-3:00pm. Our facility closes at 3:00pm, and staff transition to office hours for the remainder of the day.
Saturday our service hours are 8:30am-12:00pm.
Is OurCalling a shelter?
OurCalling operates a daytime outreach center serving those who are not in shelters but rather sleep outside. We are not a shelter. We are in the business of getting people off the streets.
Is OurCalling a soup kitchen?
OurCalling serves a light breakfast, and nutritious lunch to our homeless neighbors. We are not a soup kitchen and do not give out boxes of food.
OurCalling is a zero barrier facility – which means you do not need an appointment or ID to come to our facility or receive services. If you are experiencing homelessness, please come see us.
Are chapel and religious participation required?
There is no requirement to participate in any of our religious activities. People experiencing homelessness and volunteers of all faiths are welcome at OurCalling.
How do I get a homeless verification letter?
Please come to our facility to receive a Homeless Verification Letter. You do not have to make an appointment to get the letter. We are open Monday-Friday 8:30am-3:00pm and Saturday 8:30-1:30pm. We are located at 1702 S Cesar Chavez Blvd. Dallas, TX 75215.
Can I get my mail at OurCalling?
OurCalling does not accept mail for homeless guests. Please reach out to The Stewpot for mail services.
Can you help me get an ID?
Please contact The Stewpot if you need help with getting an ID. We can also help you get on their schedule.
Do you provide rental assistance?
OurCalling does not provide rental assistance, but we can connect you to organizations that do. To learn more, please call our hotline at 214-444-8796.
Where do people go when they are helped off the street?
Our Placement Solutions team has identified over 700 pathways to getting off the streets. The programs and agencies we work with span across the country, as we create tailor-made solutions for each person.
What is a placement?
Placement is an intervention designed to address the needs of someone who has become homeless. Our Placement Solutions Team locates agencies around the country to help place our homeless neighbors into the best programs or long-term situations based on their needs. Some of these solutions include substance abuse, detox, dual diagnosis, domestic violence centers, VA programs, discipleship, family reunification, and senior living.
Homelessness
How do people become homeless?
After collecting data on 25,000 people, we have found that there is a recipe for homelessness: No money + No community + A crisis = Homelessness.
How many people are experiencing homelessness in Dallas?
On any given night in Dallas, 10,000 men, women, and children are experiencing homelessness. In our city, there are people sleeping outside, in their cars, or under bridges.
Why are there so many people experiencing homelessness in Dallas?
There are many factors that contribute to Dallas having the highest homeless population of any city in the South. These include limited affordable housing, a rapidly growing general population, and inadequate shelter space.
How should I respond when I see someone experiencing homelessness?
If you live in the Dallas area, please download our app “OurCalling.” You can then submit the homeless individual’s location and our Street Outreach team will visit and see how we can help. The app also uses your location to find accessible resources for people experiencing homelessness and crisis. The app can be used all throughout the country.
Is housing the most important solution to homelessness?
Housing is an essential component of the solution to homelessness, however housing alone will never solve homelessness. Sadly, the lack of adequate supportive services to those in housing has a demonstrable impact on the ability of an individual to thrive at any address. Especially for those escaping chronic homelessness, a “housing only” solution, while proving some “harm reduction”, can be worse than the streets. The most important solution to homelessness is community. Community-based supported housing, where neighbors have access to supportive services is ideal. Alternatively, abandoning a formerly homeless friend in an apartment in a crime-ridden area of town is cruel and disastrous.
Partnership
How can my program agency work with OurCalling?
Please reach out to info@ourcalling.org if you believe your program or agency can partner with OurCalling. We look to partner with any agency that can help us fulfill our mission to either help people walk with Jesus, or help in the process of getting people off the streets: including mental healthcare, medical care, ID services, SSI and SSDI services, etc.
How does OurCalling receive funding?
OurCalling operates debt-free and is supported by thousands of individual donors, and hundreds of businesses, foundations, and churches. We are supported by some of the most recognized funding groups in North Texas – The Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, One Hundred Shares Dallas, Excellence in Giving, National Christian Foundation, and many more.
