Six years ago, in the face of swift neighborhood change and the ongoing threat of displacement in West Dallas, Builders of Hope CDC started a journey to understand the history of neighborhood displacement in Dallas and to seek out solutions that could be implemented. It was quickly discovered that displacement is much more complicated than shrinking housing affordability and is more deeply rooted than present-day increases in land values.
We learned that the fight against displacement must be as diverse as its drivers and must begin with a commitment to prioritize people over progress and growth – and by addressing systemic barriers through corrective policy.
Dallas has a tainted history of neighborhood displacement. Little Egypt. State-Thomas Freedman’s Town (also known as Short North Dallas). Little Mexico. These are the names of the first Black and Brown communities in Dallas that are no more. Their existence was created by racially oppressive policies that spurred segregation and were then chipped away by disruptive change.
Families in those communities were displaced and with them their culture, stories, wealth, and social capital. What’s left? Highways and historic markers, airports and entertainment districts. High-rise apartments and wealthy communities. In some cases, you can still see remnants of homes that remind us of the right to stay.
These historical realities are the backdrop of current-day shrinking affordability – a main driver of displacement. West Dallas, East Oak Cliff, Elm Thicket/North Park, Vickery Meadow, Tenth Street, Hamilton Park, and South Dallas are all communities currently experiencing various levels of gentrification, or neighborhood change, which has led to displacement of families.
Our studies found that over the past 10 years, affordability for Dallas homeowners has shrunk from 44% of housing stock in 2012 to 12% in 2022. In the same timeframe, affordability for renters decreased from 50% of rental units to 30%.
By 2032, the typical Dallas renter will only be able to afford 21% of rental units, while Dallas homebuyers earning the median income will only be able to afford less than 2% of homes on the market.
These findings create an urgency to act, and the following Toolkit is a foundational guide. As affordability becomes increasingly out of reach vulnerable households in Dallas feel the pressure. Displacement is a progressing problem, and time is of the essence if we want to ensure our workforce have the dignity to live where they work and that neighborhoods are preserved.
Author Peter Moskowitz gives my favorite summary of the danger of inaction in the face of displacement in his book, How to Kill a City: Gentrification, Inequality, and the Fight for the Neighborhood:
“Gentrification brings money, new people, and renovated real estate to cities, but it also kills them. It takes away the affordability and diversity that are required for unique and challenging culture. It sanitizes.”
We hope the following Toolkit spurs thoughtful conversation and active participation and investment towards efforts to preserve the rich diversity and history of our city and restore the right to stay for all residents.
With Love for The People,
James A. Armstrong III
