Housing

The Bill of Rights Applies Even If You Are Poor

The Bill of Rights Applies Even If You Are Poor

Volunteers Needed For Annual Count of North Texas Homeless Population

Volunteers Needed For Annual Count of North Texas Homeless Population

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Wiped Off the Map: Homeless Feel Lost in the Shuffle Waiting For Housing Assistance

By Jacob Vaughn
Jan 11, 2023

Rapid rehousing programs have drummed up a lot of hope among the homeless. But, three homeless residents in the city of Dallas say they've been waiting months for assistance, and that rapid rehousing isn't all that rapid.
Civil Rights Group Asks Court to Halt Dallas' Ordinance Banning Panhandlers From Medians

By Jacob Vaughn
Jan 10, 2023

The Texas Civil Rights Project sued the city of Dallas in December over an ordinance that would ban pedestrians, including panhandlers, from standing or sitting on medians narrower than 6 feet wide. Now, the civil rights group is asking for the city to be blocked from enforcing the ordinance until the lawsuit is resolved.
What to Look Out For in Dallas News in 2023

By Kelly Dearmore
Jan 2, 2023

With each year, the news in Dallas seems to introduce as many questions as it does answers. Bills filed in the Texas legislature, elections, proposed ordinances, all-day city council committee hearings and things of that nature are all certainly notable in their own way, but for the most part, we...
'Level the Playing Field': Texas Bills Seek to Regulate Institutions in the Housing Market

By Jacob Vaughn
Dec 28, 2022

Texas Rep. Gina Hinojosa filed legislation to slow institutional purchases of single family homes and create a registry to track the residential property they buy.
As Evictions Rise to Pre-COVID Levels, the Story of One Family's Life on the Edge of Homelessness

By Tyler Hicks
Dec 22, 2022

Angela Smith says her husband will not be happy about this story. She launched a GoFundMe, too, and he wasn’t too keen on that. “We both have a hard time asking for help,” she says. “He doesn’t want our burdens to become anyone else’s.” But the 55-year-old says she felt...
Dallas Tries a New Way of Providing Affordable Housing

By Jacob Vaughn
Dec 19, 2022

Dallas bought a luxury apartment complex called The Briscoe in an attempt to provide affordable rents to teachers, first responders and nurses.
Dallas Details Plan for Permanent Eviction Ordinance

By Jacob Vaughn
Dec 13, 2022

If passed, a permanent eviction ordinance in Dallas could give tenants up to 20 days to settle late rent with their landlord and stay in their home.
'Rental Navigators' Have Provided Vital Help to Dallas Residents Facing Eviction During the Pandemic

By Kelly Dearmore
Dec 12, 2022

While one recent report suggests that the City of Dallas is putting too much of its money into arresting, prosecuting and jailing its citizens, and not enough on providing what it calls Systems of Community Care, a different, new report says that Dallas is doing well in another area of...
The Pandemic Revealed New Strategies to Help Tenants Avoid Evictions and Homelessness

By Jacob Vaughn
Nov 23, 2022

Chantel Hardaway is a single mother of seven living in North Texas. On July 27, as she lay in a hospital after giving birth to a son, a Dallas County justice of the peace court took up her eviction case, and because she didn’t appear, the court ruled in the...
Two Sides to Every Rental: Dallas Looks to Regulate Short-Term Rentals in Neighborhoods

By Kelly Dearmore
Nov 22, 2022

In June, short-term rental company Airbnb announced a ban on so-called “party houses.” The Silicon Valley titan stated that the trial ban it placed on bookings for “open-invite” events and other crowd-attracting scenarios at properties hosted on its site in 2020 proved effective enough to turn into a permanent ban...
Dallas Considers Permanent Protections for Tenants While Also Cutting Eviction Timeline

By Jacob Vaughn
Nov 11, 2022

As people continue to struggle paying rent, Dallas is considering permanent protections against eviction.
Dallas Mayor Announces Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week

By Patrick Strickland
Nov 9, 2022

On Wednesday, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson will issue a proclamation declaring Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week for Nov. 12–20. Since 1975, communities and organizations around the country have used National Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week to bring awareness to the twin problems affecting so many areas in the U.S. “It...
Housing Forward Works to Put a Dent in DFW Homelessness, but Resources Are Strained

By Jacob Vaughn
Nov 7, 2022

The nonprofit Housing Forward and other organizations have been working to rehouse the homeless in Dallas-Fort Worth. But, through the Dallas R.E.A.L. Time Rapid Rehousing initiative, they're also trying to keep people and families from becoming homeless in the first place.
Watch: Tenant Named 'Danny Deadbeat' in Mock Trial for Texas Eviction Training

By Jacob Vaughn
Oct 31, 2022

Local eviction attorney Mark Melton came across a video from the Texas Justice Court Training Center showing a mock eviction trial. The fake tenant, who didn't show up, was named Danny Deadbeat.
Federal Lawsuit Claims Richardson-Based Company Is Driving Up Rent Prices

By Jacob Vaughn
Oct 27, 2022

Rents have been skyrocketing across the country. An investigation by ProPublica and a federal lawsuit filed earlier this month claim the Richardson-based software company RealPage could be to blame.
The City of Dallas May Offer Eviction Protections Beyond COVID-19 Pandemic

By Jacob Vaughn
Oct 19, 2022

The city of Dallas is working on a permanent ordinance that would offer protections to tenants facing eviction.
Dallas City Council Approves Elm Thicket-Northpark Zoning Change Limiting Size of New Homes

By Jacob Vaughn
Oct 14, 2022

On Wednesday, City Council finished a six-year long process of approving new zoning for the Elm Thicket-Northpark neighborhood. Some say the changes, restrictions on height and lot coverage of new homes, will help preserve the history of the neighborhood.
Dallas City Council to Vote on Zoning Changes Some Say Could Save Elm Thicket-Northpark

By Jacob Vaughn
Oct 12, 2022

Today, the Dallas City Council will vote on zoning changes that some say will help preserve the historically Black Elm Thicket-Northpark neighborhood.
Among Dallas/Fort Worth's Largest Cities, Plano Has the Most Expensive Average Rental Costs

By Patrick Strickland
Oct 12, 2022

It’s no revelation that rental costs are up across Dallas/Fort Worth. Rent has swelled over the last year – and it has continued to do so even as real estate prices have seen a gradual decrease. According to a new report by Apartment List, Plano has the most expensive average...
Priced Out: How Dallas' Soaring Rental Costs Fuel Homelessness

By Jacob Vaughn
Oct 4, 2022

With rents up, some tenants are worried about ending up on the streets.