Queen City’s 4th Annual National Night Out and the Queen City Community Week

DCH and the Queen City Neighborhood Association are coming together for the 4th Annual National Night Out in Queen City, and the third year of celebrating at Salem Institutional Baptist Church. National Night Out will take place Tuesday, October 6, from 5:30–8:00 p.m. at Salem Institutional Baptist Church, 3918 Crozier Street, Dallas, TX 75215, bringing neighbors together for an evening of food, music, community resources, giveaways, and connection.

This year, the celebration means even more. National Night Out will serve as the culmination of Queen City Neighborhood Community Week, a series of gatherings designed to get neighbors out into the community, talk with one another, celebrate Queen City, and strengthen the relationships and resolve to create change.

It is also an official first for DCH: our partnership with Dallas Parks and Recreation, expanding the network of community partners investing time, resources, and energy in Queen City.

Built Around Queen City

Community grows every time neighbors show up for one another. The week includes different opportunities to gather,  beginning with a Neighborhood Walk on Saturday, October 3 at 8:00 a.m., starting at 2207 Pine Street. The Queen City Walking Club, Queen City Neighborhood Association, and DCH invite residents to get outside, walk the neighborhood together, and connect along the way.

On Sunday, October 4 at 11:00 a.m., the community is invited to Sunday Service at Salem Institutional Baptist Church, continuing a tradition of fellowship at an institution deeply connected to the neighborhood.

Then, culminating on Tuesday evening, we come together for National Night Out.

The activities are varied with a shared purpose of meeting neighbors and embodying our Connected Communities Initiative. Walking, praying, and celebrating in community deepen relationships and build trust and forums for change. 

Celebrating the Fourth Year of National Night Out

National Night Out is a Queen City tradition. DCH first joined the Queen City Neighborhood Association for the National Night Out in 2023, and has consistently grown. Hundreds now gather, and area leaders and resources spanning education, wellness, financial planning, and other community needs are connected with neighbors. 

The celebration moved to Salem Institutional Baptist Church in 2024 to accommodate the crowd, and Queen City really comes alive with neighbors, families, music, food, and activities. We find the conversations that start in Queen City matter after the block party ends. 

In fact, DCH has seen firsthand what can happen when a conversation at a community event becomes something more. A connection made with Wells Fargo during a previous Queen City National Night Out grew into a partnership that helped support construction of a new single-family home on an underutilized lot in the Queen City Historic District. 

National Night Out Is Connected Communities in Action

Our work is not linear; we are building matrices around housing that create more stable and equitable communities.  For more than three decades, we've worked alongside residents and partners to create and preserve affordable housing while strengthening the communities surrounding those homes, formalized through our Connected Communities Initiative (CCI).

CCI starts with a straightforward idea: housing outcomes improve when communities are connected. DCH pairs housing development with neighborhood capacity building, resident resources, community programming, and partnerships designed to strengthen neighborhoods and build resilience. Community events are integral parts of this work. 

Instead of one opportunity to connect, neighbors have several. Walk together. Worship together. Celebrate together. Talk to each other.

Strengthening the Organizations That Strengthen Neighborhoods

The Queen City Neighborhood Association is one of DCH's Neighborhood Capacity Building Partners. Together, DCH and the association work to raise awareness of this historic neighborhood, support revitalization, and strengthen the neighborhood's capacity to preserve its character while creating opportunities for families. Neighborhood associations can help residents turn individual concerns into collective conversations.

This year's first official partnership between DCH and Dallas Parks and Recreation adds another relationship to that network. Parks, sidewalks, gathering spaces, and recreation opportunities are part of what makes a neighborhood a community. Connecting residents with the organizations responsible for those spaces creates more opportunities for collaboration and shared investment. 

Talk to Your Neighbors Before Election Day 

Queen City Community Week also comes at an important time on the civic calendar. Election season brings much information from many sources: campaigns, candidates, advertisements, and news coverage. Some of the most valuable conversations about a neighborhood's future happen between neighbors and local leaders. 

What matters most to you about Queen City? Where does the neighborhood need more investment? What do families need to thrive here? What needs to change? Before casting a ballot, community members can benefit from talking with the people who experience the neighborhood alongside them. The same holds true for organizations. Organizations cannot understand what a community needs solely from reports or statistics; they need engaged voices. These conversations give neighbors space to identify the issues that matter to them and exchange perspectives. 

Meet us in Queen City 

SouthState Bank and Parkland Health are this year’s sponsors for NNO! We have an incredible lineup of resources, leaders, local vendors, food, and entertainment this year. This should be one of our most impactful years yet, and we're excited to see the deeper relationships that grow from these events. Join us in Queen City.