Jubilee Park & Community Center

The Jubilee Park community was once a robust, working class neighborhood. Then a major highway was built right through its heart, and a nearby factory (where most people worked) closed its doors. For 30 years, people struggled to keep their 62-block neighborhood safe amid rampant drug use, gang violence, and prostitution. Local police started calling Jubilee "the military zone" and trash collectors stopped coming to the neighborhood for fear of being shot. But in 1997, a new opportunity rekindled the hopeful spirit of this resilient community alongside Fair Park. A group of visionary neighbors and volunteer leaders from Saint Michael and All Angels came together to establish Jubilee Park & Community Center as a catalyst to strengthen and revitalize the community. Jubilee soon became a hub of neighborhood activity, engagement and opportunity for young and old alike.

Today, there is much to be jubilant about in Jubilee Park. Twenty-four years later, Jubilee can be proud of its visible impact on the community: new homes, safe streets, children making strides in reading and math, and seniors enjoying warm meals and new friendships. Despite these great strides, our neighbors still grapple with significant challenges; in Jubilee Park, 50% of adults do not have a high school diploma, residents live an average of 20 years less than their neighbors living just north of I-30, and 1 in 4 households make under $15,000 a year.

Jubilee works to address immediate needs while engaging in long-term, community-driven efforts to combat longstanding inequities in Southeast Dallas. Jubilee improves lives and strengthens community through five key pillars of impact: Safety, Health, Housing, Education & Workforce and Opportunity. Its 10-acre campus serves more than 2,000 individuals per year across multiple generations with services ranging from prenatal care to senior health clinics and from housing programs to tutoring. On August 1, the Jubilee Park Community Clinic opened, which offers primary medical care and dental services through a partnership with Parkland Health, free mental health counseling through Jewish Family Service of Dallas, and wraparound wellness programs from the Jubilee Park & Community Center Health & Wellness team. Jubilee is proud to bring much needed healthcare access to Southeast Dallas and to serve as a model for community revitalization through a comprehensive continuum of services. 

Our Needs

As we approach our 25th year, Jubilee’s impact on the community is visible. But with the average resident living 20 years less than their neighbors who live just north of the highway and with most families still struggling to make ends meet, our work is far from over. 

In 2021 alone:

1. 200 children engaged in 14,180 hours of in-person academic intervention and enrichment activities.
2. 251 people attended 115 exercise classes. 
3. Senior citizens and children enjoyed 8,195 nutritious meals.
4. 474 bills were paid for struggling families; in a follow-up survey, 82% of recipients reported they did not need further financial assistance. 

Today, Jubilee continues to make measurable progress toward combatting our city’s most untrenchable inequities by providing services across five pillars of impact: Health, Housing, Education and Workforce, Opportunity, and Safety. What cannot be quantified, however, is the sense of hope and pride that our families have gained. 

Just imagine the potential waiting to be unlocked in Southeast Dallas. Your neighbors in Jubilee Park are fighting for equity in the face of incredible odds and the most difficult of circumstances. When you give to Jubilee this North Texas Giving Day, you are empowering our families to build a brighter future. Please consider joining us today to help us reach our goal of raising $100,000 to ignite change in Southeast Dallas.