Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County has cut the ribbon on a new Welcome Center in East Fort Worth, a front-door hub meant to make it faster and less chaotic for people experiencing homelessness to get help. The nonprofit held the ceremony on Jan. 15 and planned to open the building to the public on Jan. 20, positioning the site as a single intake point that can quickly steer visitors toward housing assistance, medical care and longer-term support.
The center sits on the east side of Lancaster Avenue and is designed as a walk-in hub for anyone seeking services. In a press release via Fort Worth Chamber, Union Gospel Mission detailed hours of operation from Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Saturday and Sunday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., with staff providing operating services around the clock. Organizers say the ribbon-cutting drew local officials and partner groups, and that staff on site will plug visitors into other Union Gospel Mission programs as needed.
What the Welcome Center offers
The new Welcome Center pulls housing-focused intake, individualized assessments and shelter-diversion work into one place, with staff coordinating referrals into workforce training and case management. The facility also includes a short-term recuperation area with 24 beds, according to Fort Worth Report.
Union Gospel Mission notes that the site is closely tied to its existing Community Outreach Center, creating what the organization describes as a more streamlined path from street outreach to services. An on-site Healing Shepherd Clinic will provide basic medical and preventive care for guests, according to Union Gospel Mission of Tarrant County.
Context: growing need and the point-in-time count
The center is opening at a time when local agencies report that more people are turning to the homeless services system. Partnership Home, which coordinates the region’s response, has reported about 2,637 people experiencing homelessness across Tarrant and Parker counties, with roughly 2,289 of them in Fort Worth. Those figures and recent trends were detailed by KERA.
Community organizations are also ramping up for the annual Point-in-Time count on Jan. 22, a one-night snapshot of how many people are living unsheltered or in emergency housing. The effort needs about 500 volunteers to canvass the area across Fort Worth, Arlington and northeast Tarrant County.
Officials praise central intake, call for continued resources
Charles Wolford, president and CEO of UGM-TC, has described the Welcome Center as “the very first point of contact” for people in crisis, language the mission uses in its materials to explain the new intake model. District 6 Councilmember Mia Hall called the opening “a step in the right direction,” according to Fort Worth Report. Other city and nonprofit leaders at the event emphasized that while the center may speed up access to services, it will still take sustained investment in housing to turn those interventions into long-term exits from homelessness.
How to get help or pitch in
People seeking help at the Welcome Center can call the intake line at 817-779-4977 or email [email protected] to ask about hours, walk-in options and available support. Volunteers and residents who want to assist with the Jan. 22 Point-in-Time count are encouraged to contact local organizers and sign up ahead of the canvassing night.
Officials and service providers stress that the Welcome Center is meant to function as one key piece of a broader, coordinated push to move people into stable housing, not as a standalone fix for the region’s homelessness crisis.
