Our History

Family Gateway evolved from a 1985 mayoral task force study of Dallas' growing problem of family homelessness. In 1986, then Mayor Pro-Tem Annette G. Strauss spearheaded the effort to build a refuge for the increasing number of families who were living on the streets, victims of the collapsed Texas economy. The goal was to have a facility where the family could stay together as a family unit. A coalition of congregations of varying denominations responded, and Family Gateway Center opened its doors in 1986 to serve 30 families per day, or approximately 100 children and adults. In September 2000, the Center was rededicated as the Annette G. Strauss Family Gateway Center, in honor of the individual who had devoted so much time and effort to help homeless families in Dallas.

Gateway Apartments, renovated in 1990, provides 25 units of transitional housing, where families with children can reside for up to one year. Programs continue building life skills to aid the successful re-adjustment to a self-sufficient lifestyle.

In 1994, a new program, Gateway to Jobs, offered job readiness classes and job search assistance to adults. In February 1995, Family Gateway launched its Community Transition Services program to provide one year of continued assistance to families who completed the residential and job search programs.

Family Treasures Resale Shop, opened in August 1998, serves both the Dallas community and Family Gateway by providing clients with a wide selection of clothing, serving as a collection point for appliances, household goods and furniture, recycling useable clothing for others in the community, as well as housing Family Gateway’s Customer Service Training Program.

In 2006, Family Gateway celebrated 20 years of exemplary service to Dallas’ homeless families. In October 2006, Family Gateway dedicated the Chi O KidZone at the Annette G. Strauss Family Gateway Center in downtown Dallas. This new outdoor playground serves as a safe recreation area for the children staying in the Center.

On November 1, 2006, the City of Dallas honored Family Gateway with a Mayoral Proclamation, recognizing the “vital contribution of Family Gateway in the effort to aid homeless families with children, and saluting this model of public and private partnership.”