Tarrant County still millions left in rent assistance
- Tarrant County set aside $10 in CARES Act funds to help tenants make rent payments. About $7 million of these funds remain.
- The county is working to improve outreach, as many of its residents are not aware of the program.
June 2020 Issue
Dallas seeks to link affordable housing and transportation
Dallas is discussing a mobility plan to link affordable housing to job centers. The plan would place higher emphasis on adding transit and bikeway miles over roadway miles, resulting in better outcomes in key areas such as equity, housing, and economic vitality compared to other approaches.
According to Councilman Casey Thomas 17,000 Dallas families can’t afford a car. Councilman Tennell Atkins affirmed that many of his constituents spend a large proportion of their income to get to work.
December 2019 Issue
Dallas Releases its Equity Indicators Report
The City of Dallas Office of Equity released their 2019 Report: Dallas Equity Indicators. The Dallas Equity Indicators project was developed through a collaboration among the City University of New York’s Institute for State and Local Governance (CUNY ISLG), the City of Dallas, and the Center for Public Policy Priorities (CPPP) as a comprehensive tool to help Dallas understand and measure progress toward equity in our community. The Equity Indicators are designed to measure disparities in outcomes across 60 indicators grouped into five thematic areas:
- Economic Opportunity
- Education
- Neighborhoods and Infrastructure
- Justice and Government
- Public Health
In the Neighborhoods and Infrastructure section, the report discusses access to housing and housing affordability and services under the lenses of racial/ethnic disparities. Scoring in the low 30s out of a potential 100, this report states that “economic segregation in Dallas mirrors current and historical racial segregation. Decades of disinvestment in Black and Hispanic neighborhoods have culminated in substantial difference in basic housing conditions, neighborhood quality, and access to amenities.” The findings from the Equity Indicators can be used by residents, businesses, nonprofit leaders, City administrators, and elected officials to focus public policy efforts on creating opportunities and improving outcomes for all residents.
October 2019 Issue
HTC Resolutions of No Objection/Support
The City of Dallas recently released their new city policy for developers seeking resolutions of no objection/resolution of support for the Housing Tax Credit program. The policy seeks to support the broad goals of the Comprehensive Housing policy to do the following:
- Create and maintain affordable housing throughout Dallas,
- Promote greater fair housing choices, and
- Overcome patterns of segregation and concentrations of poverty through incentives and requirements.
The next application deadline for city council consideration is October 11, 2019.
Read more about their policy here.
August 2019 Issue
In late May, Dallas’ City Council amended the city’s Comprehensive Housing Plan (CHP) to add a Land Transfer Program. The Land Transfer Program incentivizes the development of affordable housing and the land for other uses according to the City’s development policies. This program will sell qualifying city-owned and foreclosed real property to for- and non-profit developers at less than fair-market value to build affordable housing and commercial development. Adding this program to the CHP will help the city meet its housing goal of over 6,000 housing units in three years. Click here for more information on the program and eligibility criteria.