Dallas nonprofit builds affordable lower and middle income housing
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Builders of Hope, a Dallas nonprofit, is building new homes for lower- and middle-income families.
- All eight houses Builders of Hope constructed last year, in the Mill City neighborhood just south of Fair Park, were priced between $165,000 and $185,000, according to The Dallas Morning News.
Why it matters: For years, local leaders have struggled to find a way for lower- and middle-income residents to afford housing and for homeowners in gentrifying neighborhoods to keep their current homes amid skyrocketing prices.
Context: In Dallas, the City Council is considering a new plan that would address racial equity, taking into account historic discrimination, especially along the north-south divide.
- It’s virtually impossible to find a new home for under $200,000 in the region.
Details: The waiting list of pre-qualified buyers for Builders for Hope homes has more than 200 names.
- Buyers must make below the Dallas median household income.
- The group also works with neighborhood associations and provides small grants to neighborhood schools to boost student learning and provide home repair support.
What they’re saying: “Many times, people invested in these communities when it was not desirable,” the nonprofit’s president and CEO, James Armstrong III, told the DMN’s Dianne Solis. “Self-determination is needed and it is cultivated by Builders of Hope.”
- Our thought bubble: If this model could be replicated across the city, we’d be a lot closer to solving our affordable housing crisis.
What we’re watching: Dallas City leaders will host four community meetings on the racial equity audit.
- 7pm Jan. 17 at Wilshire Baptist Church, 4316 Abrams Road.
- 6pm Jan. 18 at the Juanita Craft Recreation Center, 4500 Spring Ave.
- 6pm Jan. 19 at the Nash-Davis Recreation Center, 3710 N. Hampton Road.
- 6pm Jan. 20 at the Thurgood Marshall Recreation Center, 5150 Mark Trail Way.
Worthy of your time: Check out Solis’ entire feature about Armstrong and Builders of Hope.