Dorothy Masterson

The people that Dorothy Masterson has devoted her life to help are people we see every day. They are the single parent families whose housing is in jeopardy, the struggling individuals trying to make ends meet with minimum wage earnings, the elderly and the disabled. These are the persons, whom we may not notice on our busiest days, that Dorothy Masterson works with each day she volunteers at the Housing Crisis Center.

The lives of thousands of Dallas County citizens have been affected by Dorothy's work. She strives to help those who are on the verge of homelessness and those who are already without shelter to find affordable, permanent housing. She believes wholeheartedly in folks helping themselves, so she advocates employment counseling to encourage those who are able to seek employment. She also promotes an atmosphere in which her clients help each other, through programs such as the Gal Pals mentoring project. Every Wednesday and Saturday, landlord/tenant workshops are led by former clients who have benefited from the Center and choose to return and pass on information to those that are less fortunate.

Dorothy began volunteering on housing issues more than 20 years ago and works an average of 60 hours per week. She directs the work of the Housing Crisis Center/Dallas Tenants' Association, which she founded, and contributes her own money to continue the work of preventing homelessness. Constantly looking to expand upon her past efforts, Dorothy has created new programs that deal with job advocacy, a family and children's center, and training youth to give back to their community. She has contributed greatly to the quality of life for many and is inspired only by her own sense of giving of herself to others. She is bound by a duty to comfort the afflicted and plans to continue working to better the lives of everyday people who need a helping hand.