Cortney Coleman vividly remembers the scenes and activities of his childhood in public housing in Ensley.

The community center at the former Tuxedo Court was his haven, a place with sports facilities and role models, opening up the path to a world far beyond the confines of his small community.

Decades later, Coleman wants to bring the same experience to youth and residents in Bessemer.

Now the executive director of the Bessemer Housing Authority, Coleman is leading a $5.7 million initiative to build a multipurpose “Dream Center” to deliver essential services and educational opportunities to public housing residents and the broader community.

With seven communities serving about 3,000 residents, Coleman said the Bessemer Housing Authority is among just a few of its size without a community gathering space.

“We don’t have anywhere for kids to go to do any type of athletic activities, nor do we have space where we can hold any type of programming,” he said. “We want to fill that gap.”

The proposed 13,500 square-foot building is planned for development on the northeast side of 1515 Fairfax Ave., adjacent to the housing authority’s central office.

The three-story building is expected to include a commercial kitchen, multipurpose auditorium, classroom space and even a bowling alley.

“This addresses a lot of this for this community and delivers transformative change, not only for the housing authority, but to the entire city of Bessemer,” Coleman said.

The housing authority has already begun a capital campaign to recruit support from all levels of government and corporate partners.

The authority currently has $1 million in hand for the project in addition to $25,000 a donor donation. Coleman has also presented his vision to Bessemer city officials.

“We believe that once the city gets involved it will be really easy for us to go out and touch the county, the state and a lot of our other stakeholders,” Coleman said.

A groundbreaking is planned for June.

Derrick Moore, a resident of the city’s public housing, said the Dream Center would provide more opportunities for young people.

Moore, 25, is a recent graduate of YouthBuild, a housing authority program that provides job training and educational opportunities for teenagers and young adults. YouthBuild participants learn vocational skills in construction, health care, information technology, and hospitality.

“I’d want to see something dealing with the youth,” Moore said regarding the new center and its programs. “We just want the kids to get along more, to put down the guns and pick up the sports.”

Coleman said the center would enable the housing authority to partner with other agencies and educational institutions to bring resources directly to residents.

“We wanted to bring all the resources to one place so we can eliminate one of the biggest barriers we have, which is transportation,” he said.

The commercial kitchen would serve a revenue source to pay for the center’s operations. The cooking space would also be used as an educational area where residents may receive nutritional meal classes from area chefs, Coleman said.

Coleman said the Dream Center will be a central hub where residents may access educational, health, and social services.

“We believe that providing a safe space for creativity will breed results, and this center is a bold step towards a more empowered and self-sufficient community,” he said.