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In South Dallas, a grilled cheese restaurant filled with hope as nearly $7 million in grants from Wells Fargo were announced to support affordable housing, job creation and the restoration of the historic Forest Theater.

“This is more than a financial gift,”said Chris Simmons, pastor of Cornerstone Baptist Church.“It is an investment in the people here in South Dallas and their families and, particularly, in the future of our neighborhood. For too long, here in Dallas and particularly in South Dallas, we have carried the weight of disinvestment and neglect.”

Dozens piled into Ruthie’s Fueled by Good on Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard for the announcement of the $6.8 million in grants, philanthropic support expected to encourage collaboration between several area nonprofits. Mayor Eric Johnson, Wells Fargo CEO Charlie Scharf, Simmons, Terry Flowers, headmaster at St. Philip’s School and Community Center, andElizabeth Wattley, Forest Forward’s president and CEO, all spoke of the significance of the announcement Thursday.

“We know that when businesses invest in local communities, everybody wins,” Johnson said. “This has been a team effort, and I see a lot of people in this room that I know have put in a lot of work.”

Scharf said the funding will benefit seven not-for-profit organizations. These include PeopleFund, Empowering the Masses, Innovan Neighborhoods and BCL of Texas.

“We’re taking a holistic approach to community development,” Scharf added.

Community leaders and stakeholders saw speakers present illustrations of a dance studio space at the Forest Theater, two affordable-housing apartment buildings, and The Pot Baked Potato Bar. The crowd tried grilled cheese sandwiches from Ruthie’s, baked potatoes and other food offerings from nearby.

The investment, hopefully, will remove doubts about the promise, purpose and potential of the neighborhood, Flowers said. The investment, he said, will help “defy our community’s most critical enemy, nihilism, hopelessness” and serve as a catalyst for projects to cross the finish line.

He pulled the curtain on a rendering of the potato bar. It’s in a space that was once one of 48 liquor stores that were within a four-block radius of Ruthie’s, Flowers said.

“It will be transformed from a vice to vitality for the community,” he said, adding that nearby residents will be able to invest in it. He said it will belong to the community, less than two miles from downtown.

Thursday was filled with inspiration and excitement for the community, said Darlene Goins, head of philanthropy and community impact for Wells Fargo.

“This feels like a movement for the community to really transform it into something that is as vibrant and rewarding as the people that call it home,” she said.

Several guests said they were excited to see the energy and collaboration happening in the area. Former council member Diane Ragsdale, a longtime community advocate on Forest Forward’s board, said the morning was a major result and “manifestation of substantial work and progress.”

Matrice Ellis-Kirk, board chair for Forest Forward, said, “This speaks volumes about the opportunity that exists.”

Wattley, the Forest Forward president, stood at a podium and told attendees that the investment had raised her confidence in the restoration of the Forest Theater, with it expected to come back to life next year.

The theater aims to offer employment and leverage its position to support the community. It’s expected to offer a wide selection of amenities, including multiuse studio space and a rooftop bar.

Wattley revealed a rendering of the new construction, expected to support a dance studio and serve as a multifunctional space for the community. The work will provide more than 1,100 construction jobs. The support from Wells Fargo will allow Forest Forward to create a “talent bank,” Wattley said, allowing the theater to support neighborhood artists with gigs and work.

“We are going to be able to employ people,” Wattley said. “We will serve as a database for musicians, artists, where you are going to be able to source. People call us all the time: ‘Do you know a muralist? Do you know a saxophonist?’”

With all the new development, questions are being raised around where workers will live, said Simmons, the Cornerstone pastor. He showed a rendering of two apartment buildings that will be renovated and offer 15 and 28 units each.

“We really believe that urban renewal does not have to equal urban removal, and that individuals who are committed to the neighborhood should not be pushed out based on price,” Simmons said.

The area has seen hardworking families struggle to find quality housing, he said. The Wells Fargo investment will allow the group of organizations to “take tangible steps” toward revitalization.

Simmons said the funding will help build and rehabilitate affordable homes, put residents on a path to homeownership and empower families to create generational wealth.

“We’ve seen vacant lots and abandoned homes where there should be life and laughter and opportunity,” Simmons said. “But today, we celebrate a new chapter, one of hope, renewal and partnership.”

This reporting is part of the Future of North Texas, a community-funded journalism initiative supported by the Commit Partnership, Communities Foundation of Texas, The Dallas Foundation, the Dallas Mavericks, the Dallas Regional Chamber, Deedie Rose, Lisa and Charles Siegel, the McCune-Losinger Family Fund, The Meadows Foundation, the Perot Foundation, the United Way of Metropolitan Dallas and the University of Texas at Dallas. The News retains full editorial control of this coverage.