Stewpot acquires City Square campus, seeks $10M in fundraising to operate two sites

Brenda, executive director of the Stewpot, told the Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee on Jan. 28 that First Presbyterian Church purchased the City Square campus on Dec. 16 and that the nonprofit has already moved some programs and staff to the new site in South Dallas.

The acquisition cost was $7 million, Brenda said, and the organization used about $3 million in prior fundraising (roughly $2 million cash) and a $5 million bank loan to complete the purchase. She said the Stewpot has raised about $4 million toward a capital campaign and is currently pursuing another $10 million to cover remaining campus costs and program upfits.

"We did purchase, and it was at $7,000,000," Brenda said. "We're continuing to raise beyond the $7,000,000 to do some program upfit." She asked committee members and other city leaders for introductions and fundraising help.

Why it matters: City Square operated three decades of services for people experiencing poverty and homelessness; the campus sits about 1.2 miles from the Stewpot’s downtown location. The purchase preserves an existing nonprofit campus and transfers a set of food pantry, neighbor resource center and outreach services into Stewpot’s operation, affecting the service footprint in South Dallas and ongoing downtown programming at the church’s existing property.

Key details and how the transition will work

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