PATTERSON, La.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Apr 10, 2026--
There’s a larger transitional housing apartment complex available to residents of South Louisiana, made possible in part by a $1.17 million Affordable Housing Program (AHP) grant from the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas and Hancock Whitney. The banks today joined The Purple Lemon, a faith-based mission, to celebrate the grand opening of an expanded transitional housing development that assists people recovering from addictions and homelessness.
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The AHP grant, which was awarded by FHLB Dallas through Hancock Whitney, enabled The Purple Lemon to buy and expand an apartment building to 26 units of transitional housing. The upgraded community provides comprehensive supportive services—including counseling, job training, life‑skills education, support groups to help residents experiencing homelessness to achieve long‑term stability.
“The AHP grant is helping us change the trajectory for people working to rebuild their lives,” said Stacey Lancaster, founder and director of The Purple Lemon. “With this support, we were able to expand our housing and will be able to provide a safe environment for more residents during their recovery journey.”
AHP grants are awarded annually through FHLB Dallas member institutions to support the development and rehabilitation of affordable housing for low-income households.
“We are honored to support The Purple Lemon in expanding housing for individuals working toward long‑term recovery and independence,” said LaCarsha Babers, vice president and community outreach officer at Hancock Whitney. “We are proud of our relationship with FHLB Dallas that helped bring this project to life.”
The organization began in 2019 by providing food and outreach to people experiencing homelessness and a year later began housing individuals in a leased apartment and providing supportive services.
“The Purple Lemon’s commitment to supportive, recovery‑focused housing reflects the impact the Affordable Housing Program is meant to create,” said Greg Hettrick, senior vice president and director of Community Investment at FHLB Dallas.
About Hancock Whitney
Since the late 1800s, Hancock Whitney has embodied core values of Honor & Integrity, Strength & Stability, Commitment to Service, Teamwork, and Personal Responsibility. Hancock Whitney offices and financial centers in Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Louisiana, and Texas offer comprehensive financial products and services, including traditional and online banking; commercial and small business banking; private banking; trust and investment services; healthcare banking; and mortgage services. The company also operates combined loan and deposit production offices in the greater metropolitan areas of Nashville, Tennessee, and Atlanta, Georgia. More information is available at www.hancockwhitney.com.
About the Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas
The Federal Home Loan Bank of Dallas is one of 11 district banks in the FHLBank System created by Congress in 1932. FHLB Dallas, with total assets of $108.5 billion as of December 31, 2025, is a member-owned cooperative that supports housing and community development by providing competitively priced loans and other credit products to approximately 800 members and associated institutions in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico and Texas. For more information, visit fhlb.com.
FHLB Dallas, Hancock Whitney and community leaders gathered Friday, April 10, to celebrate the grand opening of an affordable transitional housing development in Patterson, Louisiana, that received a $1.17 million AHP grant.
BEIJING (AP) — Russian President Vladimir Putin praised his close ties with Chinese leader Xi Jinping and said their countries are partners in trade and international affairs as they opened bilateral talks Wednesday on his trip to Beijing.
Xi welcomed Putin with a ceremony at the Great Hall of the People only days after meeting with U.S. President Donald Trump. The quick succession of Trump’s and Putin’s visits highlighted Beijing’s growing role as an international superpower, experts say.
Putin greeted Xi warmly as they met for bilateral talks at the Great Hall of the People.
“My dear friend,” Putin said. “We are truly delighted to see you. We keep in constant touch, both personally and through our aides in the government.”
Xi also stressed the “political mutual trust and strategic cooperation” between the countries, according to Chinese state media. The two leaders have praised each other profusely in the past, with Xi at one point describing Putin as his “best and most intimate friend.”
Xi and Putin were set to focus on energy and security as well as their overall ties. The two sides agreed to extend a friendship treaty first signed in 2001, Chinese state media reported.
China became Russia’s top trading partner after Moscow’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Beijing has said it is neutral in the conflict while maintaining trade ties with the Kremlin despite economic and financial sanctions by the U.S. and Europe.
China is the top customer for Russian oil and gas supplies, and Moscow expects the war in Iran to increase the demand.
In his meeting with Xi, Putin stressed their countries’ economic ties.
“The driving force behind economic cooperation is Russian-Chinese collaboration in the energy sector,” Putin said. “Amid the crisis in the Middle East, Russia continues to maintain its role as a reliable supplier of resources, while China remains a responsible consumer of these resources.”
Xi stressed the need of “complete cessation of hostilities” in the Middle East, according to Chinese state media.
“An early end to the conflict will help reduce disruptions to energy supply stability, the smooth flow of industrial and supply chains, and international trade order,” Xi said.
A Russian presidential aide said earlier Russia’s oil exports to China grew by 35% in the first quarter of 2026 and that Russia is one of the biggest exporters of natural gas to China.
Putin also stressed China and Russia’s cooperation in foreign policy as “one of the key stabilizing factors on the international stage.”
“In the current tense situation on the international stage, our close cooperation is particularly in demand,” he said.
In February 2022, just weeks before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, China and Russia announced a “no limits” partnership during a trip by Putin to Beijing.
Beijing says it is neutral in the conflict, though in practice it supports Moscow through frequent state visits, growing trade and joint military drills. China has also ignored demands from the West to stop providing high-tech components for Russia’s weapons industries.
The two leaders are scheduled to sign cooperation agreements during Putin’s two-day visit.
But regardless of specific deals, the primary purpose of the visit is to reaffirm the countries’ ties as well as project Beijing’s image as an influential superpower, experts say.
“The optics matter,” said Steve Tsang, director of the SOAS China Institute at the University of London.
“The message is clearly one that China maintains friendship and strategic partnership with whichever power it likes, and the USA is just one of them.”
Putin and Xi both need to use their close ties in order to prop up their images at home, said Willy Lam, a senior China fellow at the Jamestown Foundation.
Putin “needs to tell his countrymen and the world that Russia has China’s support in terms of buying its oil and gas and other tangible and intangible financial support,” Lam said.
Meanwhile, for Xi, having both Trump and Putin visit in such close succession is a major source of credit with the country’s top Communist leadership.
Putin noted earlier this month that Moscow and Beijing have reached “a very substantial step forward in our cooperation in the oil and gas sector.”
“Practically all the key issues have been agreed upon,” he said. “If we succeed in finalizing these details and bringing them to a conclusion during this visit, I will be extremely pleased.”
Putin also praised their bilateral relationship as a crucial, balancing force in international relations.
“Interaction between such nations as China and Russia undoubtedly serves as a factor of deterrence and stability,” he said.
Moscow welcomes China’s dialogue with the U.S. as another stabilizing element for the global economy, Putin added.
“We stand only to benefit from this, from the stability and constructive engagement between the U.S. and China,” he said.
Mistreanu reported from Bangkok.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, and Chinese Premier Li Qiang shake hands during their meeting at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Kristina Solovyova, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a bilateral meeting at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping shake hands during a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, center, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcome ceremony at the Great Hall of the People, in Beijing, China, on Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Alexander Kazakov, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
Children holding Russian and Chinese flags walk ahead of a welcoming ceremony for Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing, China Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, left, walks with Chinese President Xi Jinping during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, foreground and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping attend a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Chinese President Xi Jinping inspect an honor guard during a welcoming ceremony at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (Maxim Shemetov/Pool Photo via AP)
