The New Opportunities Dallas County Family Development Center opened this week in its new digs at 1212 Second St. in downtown Perry, where services will be delivered Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
The new New Opportunities shares a wall with its southern neighbor, the Freedom for Youth after-school center. Both properties are owned by DuWayne and Kimberly Dalen of Perry.
New Opportunities offers a wide variety of programs, including Head Start and Early Head Start, addiction prevention and treatment and other health services, heating and weatherization services and many others. New Opportunities clients are often elderly, and virtually all are low-income residents of Dallas County.
One service no longer on New Opportunities’ plate is the Perry Area Food Pantry, which has relocated to the old Rowley Masonic Home at 3000 Willis Ave. Food pantry clients will still receive vouchers at New Opportunities and then take them to the pantry.
Another service no longer provided by New Opportunities is the federally funded Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program. WIC is a supplemental nutrition program for children up to the age of 5, as well as for women who are pregnant, postpartum or breastfeeding and meet eligibility guidelines. WIC provides food assistance, nutrition education and referrals for family-related services.
New Opportunities administered the Dallas County WIC for several years, but Broadlawns Medical Center was recently awarded the WIC contract and began administering the program in Dallas County this month. The loss in revenues to New Opportunities made the cost of continuing to rent space in the Crossroads Church prohibitive.
To summarize all the changes: New Opportunities is now providing services in its new quarters at 1212 Second St., with food needs being met by the Perry Area Food Pantry at 3000 Willis Ave., clothing needs by the First Christian Church’s Clothes Closet and the need for low-cost sundries by the New Hope Village in its new shop at 912 Center St.
For more information about New Opportunities, call 515-465-5995.
