Dallas was the site of the recent grand opening celebration for the Mabel Meshach White Manor, the newest housing complex for the elderly and people with disabilities. The community consists of 65 units of affordable housing for the very low-income elderly and disabled.

From left to right at the ribbon cutting are: Sally Little, vice president of affordable housing, SCPH; Keith Cordova, project manager, Cordova Construction; William Weathersby, HUD MF architect, Fort Worth; Charlotte Mitchell, HUD project manager, Fort Worth; and C. Donald Babers, HUD deputy regional director

The project's namesake - Mabel Meshach White -- has a lengthy list of affiliations. They include: charter member of the South Dallas Business and Professional Women's Club, member of the Dallas Black Chamber of Commerce and Greater Dallas Chamber of Commerce, and first president of Holmes Street Foundation Board of Directors.

Included in the 65 units are 58 one-bedroom independent living units, an additional 5 one-bedroom units specially designed with wheelchair access, 1 single-bedroom unit designed for the visually and hearing impaired, and 1 single-bedroom unit set aside as the manager's unit. The facility also includes community and activity areas.

The project is a result of a partnership among the Department and the Holmes Street Foundation of Dallas and Southern California Presbyterian Homes to provide affordable housing for the very low- income elderly in Dallas.

The Holmes Street Foundation is a community based organization founded in 1990 and the Manor is their first residential living development project. SCPH is a California faith-based non-profit founded in 1955 to care for the elderly. This is their first project outside California.