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DALLAS - On Wednesday, April 1, the Mayor and City Council received an extensive briefing on a new, proposed housing framework, “Dallas is Home”, a policy that intends to build on the best practices of previous housing and homelessness policies while advancing a multipronged approach designed to meet the diverse housing needs of Dallas residents. The new framework outlines homeownership difficulties, challenges facing renters, dynamic interventions to curb homelessness in Dallas and the $100,000 million housing fund created at the Communities Foundation of Texas utilizing national and local data supplied by city staff and industry subject matter experts.
Dallas is stepping boldly into a defining moment for housing attainability, homeownership and direction to tackle different housing challenges at once. Today, the average renter spends 39% of his/her income on housing. More than 12,000 for-sale single-family homes are missing for median wage earners. Concurrently, existing affordable rental units continue to be replaced by higher-cost market-rate development.
“Dallas is Home” will guide the City’s housing efforts through eight strategic pillars, including citywide production of shelter, rental, and attainable for sale housing, preserving existing housing stock, directing investments to areas with the greatest housing needs, strengthening housing services and fair housing activities, prioritizing infrastructure and capital improvements, enhancing collaboration and coordination, and increasing engagement and education.
City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert stated, “This comprehensive approach to addressing our city’s housing needs speaks to the city council's commitment to drive opportunity for all residents especially around creating safe, thriving neighborhoods. “Dallas is Home” centers around people and the place in which they live, acknowledging that addressing the City’s housing crisis must be as diverse and complex as its challenges.”
This people-centered framework recognizes that addressing Dallas’ housing challenges requires solutions as dynamic and multifaceted as the city itself.
Momentum is building beyond City Hall as well. A powerful coalition of public, private, and nonprofit partners is coming together to focus on shared priorities such as preserving affordable units, tackling infrastructure gaps in the Southern Sector, and closing financing gaps for new development.
“We look forward to working closely with the City Council, residents of Dallas and our industry partners to craft a meaningful and impactful housing policy that aims to ensure our housing objectives are aligned with the different needs of our communities," said Thor Erickson, Director of the Office of Housing and Community Empowerment.
The briefing was presented by Dr. Cullum Clark (Bush Institute), Nia Duggins (National Association of Realtors), Ashely Flores (Child Poverty Action Lab), Sarah Kahn (Housing Forward), Nadine Dechausay (Communities Foundation of Texas), and Thor Erickson. In the months ahead, City staff will meet with council members and community groups to gather input and refine the proposal before presenting “Dallas is Home” for City Council consideration this fall.
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