With construction on the Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake nearing the halfway point, the final steel beam was raised and installed today as part of a topping out ceremony.

Buckner International staff, Shining Hope Dallas campaign members, Hill-Wilkinson construction crew and Bachman Lake families served by Buckner were on hand to sign the beam before its raising.

The Buckner Family Hope Center is a 21,795-square-foot, two-story building, located on approximately two acres in Bachman Lake at the corner of Lombardy Avenue and Geraldine Drive. It sits strategically between multifamily housing communities and single-family homes in Bachman Lake, one of Dallas' most economically challenged areas.

Buckner operates 23 similar Family Hope Centers in Texas and six countries, including two other centers in Dallas. Buckner Family Hope Centers equip children and strengthen families for life. They are child-centered, family-focused places where families go to find hope, support, and empowerment in their community to reach their fullest potential.

Bachman Lake's community of 82,000 people is 93% Hispanic. It is home to the most children ages 0-5 years in Dallas, and 93% of its school-age children are economically disadvantaged. The area has a Child Protective Services removal rate twice the average in Dallas County.

The Center will offer preventive programs and services aimed at decreasing family separation and the number of children in the system.

Ground broke on the Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake in Sept. 2018; it will officially open in early 2020.

For more information about the Buckner Family Hope Center at Bachman Lake and how to become involved, visit Buckner.org/ShiningHopeDallas.