A Housing Resource Catalog will be presented to Dallas City Council next month, outlining a one-stop shop for all the programs and services offered through the city’s Department of Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization.
Assistant Housing Director Thor Erickson outlined the catalog for members of the council’s Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee on Tuesday, saying it is set for council approval on April 12 as a supplement to Dallas Housing Policy 2033.
“While a lot of our focus has been on drafting the new policy, our programs still need to be active,” Erickson. “If we just create a new policy and it doesn’t have programs, we have to work on where those programs live. That is what the Dallas Housing Resource Catalog is, so we can continue operations.”
Dallas Housing Resource Catalog
The housing policy creates a vision, identifies strategy areas, provides production infrastructure, and sets the preservation goals of the housing department, Erickson said. The initiatives by which they carry out that work is through the programs listed in the catalog.
“The bones of it remain the same,” Erickson said of the catalog.
Some language was tightened up, definitions were removed, and some programs, like the standalone senior housing program which wasn’t previously outlined in the comprehensive housing policy, were included in the catalog.
Director of Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization David Noguera addressed questions from several council members who asked why the policy and the catalog were being split and reformatted.
“The problem we have with the current policy is that there isn’t much policy,” Noguera said. “It’s about 13 programs and some ideas and some aspirational goals on what we’d like to achieve. What we’ve done with Dallas Housing Policy 2033, that’s been introduced, is we’ve drilled down into the specific things we want to accomplish from a housing perspective. This resource catalog provides the engine on how we get there.”
Council Feedback
District 2 Councilman Jesse Moreno, who chaired Tuesday’s Housing and Homelessness Solutions Committee meeting, asked about community engagement and assistance offered to those who need help filling out applications.
Erickson said the department works to build relationships with members of the community. They advertise times that they’ll be available at libraries and recreation centers in different communities to help with program applications.
District 12 Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn said she wanted to ensure the council is engaged when programs are added and changes are made to the catalog.
District 1 Councilman Chad West inquired about the timeline for standing up the Housing Policy Task Force. Noguera said the task force will be in place within about a year of approving the policy and hiring a consultant.
West said it’s imperative for that to happen as soon as possible.
“That’s very important because that’s who’s going to help us guide the future of the policy,” West said. “That’s a piece of engagement. Those are the key stakeholders in the city.”
