The Fresno Mission and its City Center project reached a milestone Wednesday morning with the ribbon cutting of City Center’s Family Center, a facility dedicated to supporting individuals and families in crisis. Photo by Ben Hensley

The Fresno Mission and its City Center project reached a milestone Wednesday morning with the ribbon cutting of City Center’s Family Center, a facility dedicated to supporting individuals and families in crisis.

A major goal for the project since its inception prior to 2020 was expanded housing opportunities for individuals and families in need. The expansion to City Center sees the addition of 73 rooms, tripling the nonprofit organization’s capacity to care for those in need, said Fresno Mission CEO Matt Dildine.

In 2017, the Fresno Mission, then known as the Fresno Rescue Mission, was informed that it would have to move one of its main buildings in Downtown Fresno to make space for the high-speed rail project.

“If you go back about a decade ago, the California High Speed Rail notified then CEO Larry Arce that it was going to be coming through our downtown campus,” Dildine said. “We had these plans for the development of downtown and even a gas station, and the high speed rail said, ‘you’re going to have to find a new campus.’”

Dildine shared some of the challenges the nonprofit has faced in the years leading up to the ribbon cutting. He highlighted his staff’s efforts to stick to the nonprofit’s mission, adding that his faith was solidified by the evolution of the project.

“City Center is more than just a building — it’s a movement,” Dildine said. “This is about transforming the way we care for individuals in crisis by eliminating obstacles and providing real, lasting solutions.”

Wednesday’s grand opening of the Family Center featured a ribbon-cutting ceremony, guided tours of the new center and comments from several local community leaders and representatives from the City of Fresno.

“I want to say ‘thank you’ to the Fresno Mission, not only for this project here at City Center, but for the many, many years, to the people of Fresno,” said Fresno Mayor Jerry Dyer. “They’ve helped them, they’ve served them, and they’ve devoted their lives to them.”

For more information about City Center and its services, visit their website or email info@citycenterfresno.org. For more information about the Fresno Mission and the services provided can be found here.