Dallas Targeted Rehab Program
What is the Targeted Rehab Program?
The Targeted Rehab Program is a set of grants offered by the City of Dallas Department of Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization to improve the exterior appearance of homes in specific Dallas neighborhoods. These grants are offered to residents who’s income is 80% or lower than the Area Median Income and have a clear title on their property. The grants also require that the house is a primary residence and that owners are current on their taxes and mortgage.
Benefits of the Target Rehab Program
The Targeted Rehab Program is ostensibly designed both to improve the livability of existing single family homes as well as improve neighborhood property values by improving the appearance of houses that are behind on repairs. This program may also be used to resolve existing code compliance issues as well as improve accessibility for disabled residents.
At the West Dallas Neighborhood Coalition, we are concerned is that these programs will be utilized to increase the drive toward gentrification and high density in our neighborhoods. Even if home improvement funds are distributed to families in need, gentrification can create a circumstance of unaffordability due to increased property taxes and other costs.
Its our position that the ultimate goal of any homeowner assistance program should be to keep families in their neighborhoods. On this page will discuss how to apply for TRP funds, as well as issues with the program and proposed solutions.
Improving the TRP Program
At the West Dallas Neighborhood Coalition we broadly support this program but are pushing for specific changes to increase accessibility. These changes include:
Property Tax Exemptions
Reduced Paperwork Requirements
Specific exemptions for non-current mortgage
Improved community outreach for program awareness
Increased program size
Property Tax Exemptions
Currently the TRP program is offered in two neighborhoods—West Dallas and the Tenth Street Historic District. West Dallas is an extremely diverse area, with rapidly rising property prices as well as many residents who live under the poverty line. At the West Dallas Neighborhood Coalition, we believe the combinations of these two factors leads to the absolute worst conditions for our neighborhoods.
While Dallas offers property tax exemptions for disabled homesteaders and those over 65, the rapid gentrification of West Dallas has the effect of displacing lower income residents who do not qualify for these exemptions. The West Dallas Neighborhood Coalition firmly believes that a diverse community is a vibrant one, and therefore any neighborhood rehabilitation program should also provide property tax exemptions for lower income residents. To utilize tax payer funds to beautify a neighborhood and then allow costs to displace residents is unconscionable and should be considered a perverse outcome of the TRP program.
Reduced Paperwork Requirements
Currently the TRP requires an extensive amount of paperwork to qualify. This includes:
Application
Mortgage Statement
Homeowners insurance
Property deed
Paystubs for all residents
Bank statements
Birth certificate for all residents including children
School registration for children
Copies of other sources of income
At the West Dallas Neighborhood Coalition, we believe these requirements skew the distribution of the funds through this program away from the people who need them the most. In its current state, this application is a barrier to the inclusion of households who may not have the resources to collect such extensive documentation.
This application also places a requirement for home owners with clear titles to carry insurance, something that can be unaffordable to many low income home owners.
We believe a significantly simplified application with verification of repairs would more effectively achieve the goals of this program.
Specific Exemptions for Non-Current Mortgage
The TRP program specifies that a current mortgage status be required to qualify for funds. While this clause is likely included to ‘protect’ the taxpayers investment, it again skews the distribution of assistance away from the residents who would benefit the most. Again, we believe that the primary goal of any neighborhood assistance program should be to keep existing residents in their neighborhood, and therefore should not exclude all residents who are in arrears on their mortgage. We believe that residents with disabilities, who are over 65 or have a household income below 60% of Area Median Income should qualify for funds regardless of mortgage status.
Improved Community Outreach for Program Awareness
When we discuss this program with residents of our neighborhood, we find that there is essentially no community awareness. Without searching through Dallas City websites, it would be difficult to know this exists. We believe more needs to be done to promote this program, including mailing information to homeowners who may qualify, and promoting the program through other non-digital marketing efforts.
Increased Program Size
At the West Dallas Neighborhood Coalition, we believe this program can be engineered to effectively distribute funds to provide measurable improvements in our community. However, we believe that $10,000 grants to 200 West Dallas households simply isn’t a large enough program to address the scope of the problem. We believe this program must be expanded to achieve its intended goals.