City Of Fort Worth: Memorial Service To Honor The Work Of Otis Thornton

Press release from City of Fort Worth:

November 11, 2021

In July, Otis Thornton, former executive director of the Tarrant County Homeless Coalition and director of the city’s Directions Home program, died after battling cancer. Thornton changed the way Fort Worth addressed homelessness, and his impact is still felt today.

Thornton worked for the City of Fort Worth from May 2006 to May 2015.

Friends and family of Thornton will gather for a silent memorial from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Monday, Nov. 15, in the Great Hall of First Presbyterian Church, 1000 Penn St. The service will remember Thornton for his untiring work benefiting people experiencing homelessness. Visitors should enter through the covered driveway doors.

Also, in remembrance of Thornton’s work, the Forever Home Fund has been established to support people who have exited homelessness and have found a place to call home. Funds will be used to ensure people stay housed by providing an array of services to keep people housed and avoid a return to homelessness. Funds can be used to provide homeless prevention rental support, job training to increase income, pay risk mitigation fees to landlords and transportation to assist with securing or keeping employment. Other appropriate uses may be approved as long as the expense is directly related to keeping a person housed.

Memorial donations to the Forever Home Fund are being accepted. 

Photo: Otis Thornton

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This press release was produced by City of Fort Worth. The views expressed here are the author’s own.