Barbara Dorsey shuffled the deck of bingo calling cards and read out the first letter.
鈥淗-24,鈥� she called out.
The 10 adults sitting at tables around her listened closely to see if they had a match on their bingo cards. A few of them used their fingertips to slide closed a shutter on the card.
Dorsey nodded and continued the game. For her, the activity wasn鈥檛 just a way to pass the time, but a service she knew was critically important to people in her community.
Dorsey is a registered nurse and owner of , an adult day care center located at 5415 E. Lancaster Ave. in the 76112 ZIP code of southeast Fort Worth.
Founded in late 2023, the 11,000-square-foot center offers mental, social and physical stimulation for adults who need assistance or supervision during the day. The center鈥檚 goal is to provide relief for families and caregivers while they go to work or run errands.
鈥淲e fill the gap between independent and assisted living,鈥� said Barbara Dorsey, who runs the facility alongside her husband, Cedric Dorsey. 鈥淎dults can come here, they can get breakfast, lunch and dinner and be a part of different activities. They can also just sit around and watch TV.鈥�
The couple has invested about $125,000 to keep the center afloat, Cedric Dorsey, said. But in recent months, Dorsey鈥檚 House has faced financial difficulties that are harming the center鈥檚 abilities to continue its operations.
鈥淲e鈥檙e on the verge of having to close our doors because of a lack of funding,鈥� he said.
Barbara Dorsey spent over two decades working in home health care before she decided to launch her own adult day care center. Some of the neglect she witnessed adults with disabilities and mental health conditions suffer inspired her to search for a solution, Dorsey said.
Adults with disabilities are at a than the general population because they often depend on others for care, according to the Special Needs Alliance.
The Dorseys 鈥� who grew up in Stop Six and 鈥� were also inspired to launch an adult day care center to fill a gap and offer services that were missing in their southeast Fort Worth communities.
About 20% of the population living in the 76112 ZIP code , which is higher than of 13.4%.
Dorsey鈥檚 House operates community food drives every third Saturday of the month for its surrounding neighborhoods. The Dorseys disperse food, clothing, infant and adult diapers, and shoes.
Are you interested in donating to Dorsey鈥檚 House?
You may reach the adult day care center at 817-446-2444 or visit its site .
鈥淲e grew up poor. We grew up with nothing. If we would have had any kind of help, stuff like this, it would have made a difference,鈥� Cedric Dorsey said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e just trying to give back. There鈥檚 just not many of these (adult day care centers) here.鈥�
Cyrano Pierre Cole, 52, has been a client with Dorsey鈥檚 House for a few months. Cole, who grew up in southeast Fort Worth, said the owners have provided a safe place for him.
鈥淚 love to have friends here. Being around the ones who are friendly and stuff. Mrs. Dorsey and her husband are very respectful,鈥� he said.
For nearly a year, Dorsey鈥檚 House has struggled to secure funding contracts and grant opportunities from , the state agency that awards hundreds of resources and services to businesses.
The couple didn鈥檛 expect the process to take longer than a few months, Cedric Dorsey said.
鈥淲e pulled out of our savings account, we even took out a small loan, to keep us going. We ran out of funds right at the end of August,鈥� he said.
Dorsey鈥檚 House originally operated with six employees and nearly 60 clients. Because of budgetary restraints, the adult day care center has cut to one employee, a part-time nurse and 15 clients.
Cedric Dorsey, who works full time as a traffic systems supervisor with the city of Fort Worth, helps his wife two times a week with picking up clients from either their homes or group facilities.
鈥淓verything鈥檚 out of pocket 鈥� feeding them, field trips, picking them up,鈥� he said.
Concerned with their financial situation, the Dorseys began contacting several Fort Worth organizations in hopes of receiving assistance. The Morris Foundation, a private organization that makes investments in nonprofit agencies that focus on education, health care and social services, heard their call.
Kaitlin Guthrow, director of partnerships with Morris Foundation, visited Dorsey鈥檚 House and was blown away by the passion and dedication the adult day care center has for their community.
The Morris Foundation is making phone calls on behalf of the Dorseys to local organizations and leaders to help raise awareness about their services, Guthrow said.
鈥淭heir potential to scale is significant. It鈥檚 about, 鈥楬ow can we encourage folks to come on and check them out for themselves?鈥欌�� she said.
Although the Dorseys continue to face uncertainty with their financial future, they plan to keep their focus on providing the best services they can to their current clientele.
Maybe one day, Cedric Dorsey said, everything else can fall into place.
鈥淥nce the funding is set up, we鈥檒l be self-sufficient,鈥� he said. 鈥淚 guess the thing that keeps us going is that it鈥檒l work out.鈥�
David Moreno is the health reporter for the Fort Worth Report. His position is supported by a grant from Texas Health Resources. Contact him at david.moreno@fortworthreport.org or .
At the Fort Worth Report, news decisions are made independently of our board members and financial supporters. Read more about our editorial independence policy .
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