Updating on the progress of its biggest project to date, the non-profit social services agency celebrates progress and holds panel discussion on factors contributing to well-being and quality of life for individuals and communities.

At the 18th Annual Keyholder Breakfast on March 28, Metrocrest Services will provide an update on its biggest project to date: the non-profit social service agency’s new home under construction in the heart of the Metrocrest area, at Belt Line and Josey. A project more than 50 years in the making, this new facility is an important milestone not only for Metrocrest Services, but also for the community it serves as the need grows exponentially here in North Texas.

“We are passionate about the concept that what is being created is not just a building or a place to meet the basic needs of our community; this 48,000-square-foot space will be so much more,” Tracy Eubanks, CEO of Metrocrest Services, explained. “Our new home is everyone’s new home: This new campus will become a gathering place where our neighbors can seek assistance, take a class, volunteer, learn and grow, a place where the community comes together for positive impact and to connect. It has the potential to be a key component within the social fabric of our community.”

The 18th Annual Keyholder Breakfast is planned for Tuesday, March 28, 7:30 to 9 a.m. at the Courtyard Dallas Carrollton and Carrollton Conference Center at 1201 Raiford Road in Carrollton. Open to the public, tickets are $75 each. Sponsorships are available starting at $250. Click here to purchase your tickets and learn more about sponsorship opportunities.

The program for the morning includes a panel discussion with local experts moderated by Metrocrest Services’ own Tracy Eubanks on the factors that contribute to the well-being and quality of life of individuals and communities.

Meet the Panel

Justin Bashaw, design director, studio director and senior associate with Gensler. An ardent advocate for good design, Bashaw is a skilled designer in base building architecture and adaptive reuse. Dedicated to shaping the world, his work focuses on improving the human experience with projects that are highly contextual to the site, the local ecology and communities they impact. Some of Bashaw’s recent projects include: The City of Farmers Branch Manske Library, City of Frisco Public Library, Boys & Girls Club of Greater Dallas East Dallas Club, Toyota Music Factory, Dallas Cowboys World Headquarters at The Star, and, most importantly, the new home for Metrocrest Services.

Hee Soun Jang, Ph.D., associate professor of public administration at The University of North Texas. Dr. Jang’s primary research focus is cross-sector collaboration and the role of non-profit organizations in the public sector. Her research advances knowledge about the role of non-profits in public service and, resource development that can improve organizational effectiveness and public service delivery. Dr. Jang is co-author of the book Public-Nonprofit Collaboration and Policy in Homeless Services, published in 2022. Her research has been funded by Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, IBM Center for the Business of Government and Dallas Area Habitat for Humanity. She has served the Denton County Homeless Service Leadership Team as a board member.

Joseph W. Dingman, MBA, CPA, financial executive and community innovator. Dingman is a financial executive with more than 40 years of experience in commercial real estate investment management, mostly with his own firm serving German clientele. In 1991, Dingman co-founded the Catholic Housing Initiative (CHI) which currently has more than 1,100 units of affordable rental housing in Dallas area, with other projects in development. He is particularly proud of the two St. Jude Centers which offer apartments paired with intensive casework to formerly homeless individuals. He was the Catholic Foundation’s 2020 honoree for his contribution to affordable housing in Dallas, and has been active in local policy formation as a citizen and as an appointed member of several public boards. A resident of Farmers Branch, Dingman and his wife, Carol, have two financially and emotionally independent adult daughters in leadership positions who taught him to listen to women and value their points of view.

In 2005, Metrocrest Services (then Metrocrest Social Services) launched its annual Keyholder Breakfast. The name pays homage to the original Metrocrest Services logo, which featured a key and the tagline, ‘the key to preventing homelessness.’ As Metrocrest Services continues to grow and develop in the community, the Keyholder Breakfast celebrates the agency’s roots, and asks everyone to remember that community support is KEY to creating a thriving community for all.

Metrocrest Services promotes well-being and independence through programs for individuals, families and seniors that lead to self-sufficiency and foster independence. Expected to open in the spring of 2023, the new home for Metrocrest Services will bring all of the organization’s services under one roof, creating convenient access for clients and volunteers alike with the largest expansion the non-profit has had in its 50-plus-year history.

“While the need we are serving has never been greater, the dedication of our staff, volunteers and community supporters continues to grow to meet that challenge,” Eubanks said. “We’re excited to create a place where they can do their best work, improving the lives of our friends and neighbors here in the Metrocrest community.”

The new campus of Metrocrest Services will be located on 4.6 acres of property near the intersection of Josey Lane and Belt Line Road in Carrollton. A 48,000-square-foot facility will become a welcoming hub for all of the agency’s daily operations, including providing access to nutritious food, workforce development and financial literacy, rent and utility assistance, senior services and other programs for individuals, families and seniors that lead to self-sufficiency and foster independence. The campus will also include shared space for complementary service providers to support clients from one central location and a volunteer center offering greater access to opportunities for community engagement. Bringing all Metrocrest Services programs under one roof, the new campus will allow for improved efficiency in all operations, and will house the expanded programs that the non-profit has launched to meet today’s elevated need while planning for the future.

The new campus for Metrocrest Services is being funded by a $15.8 million capital campaign, Building Our Future. To date, more than $14.8 million has been committed. Members of the community are encouraged to visit msbuildingourfuture.org to pledge their own support for the capital campaign. Every gift makes a difference and helps to create a place that serves Metrocrest neighbors in need with dignity and respect.

Click here to read the full press release.