It was that kind of neighborhood, that kind of childhood.
Dennis moved 14 to 16 times - she'd lost count - by the time she graduated from Lincoln High School.
But this time was different.
She was not only moving out Wednesday morning - but up, on to a new life, and into her own apartment in South Philadelphia, a firm step into a beautiful future.
The Eagles last week won an international award as sports team of the year for their commitment to community service. There is perhaps no better symbol of that service than the opportunity they gave Korinne Dennis.
Dennis' relationship with the Eagles really began in second grade at Smedley Elementary in Frankford. A new program had been started to encourage reading - The 100 Book Challenge - and the Eagles Youth Partnership soon supported it and funded it.
Dennis didn't have books in her home. She received a starter pack of books and kept getting more from the library, trying to reach 100. She remembers getting pizza coupons because she read so much, and remains a voracious reader today.
Her father, in addition to being a Dallas Cowboys fan, was largely absent in her life - though he has reappeared more lately. And her mother, let's just say, wasn't the best role model.
"Don't do as I do," Wendy Umbra, 41, Dennis' mother, still tells her. "Do one better."
Dennis did way better. She ignored distractions of the street, and other dangers from all around. Mother and grandmother say they knew Dennis would be the family's first in college.
They had big doubts about Dennis' childhood dream to become the first female quarterback of the Philadelphia Eagles.
"She's got long arms," said her mother, "a really long reach. I didn't know how far she was going to go with that. She left it alone, thankfully."
Dennis needed a long reach to climb out of one life and into another.
