The Dallas City Council has until mid-May to come up with an action plan for about $40 million in Community Development Block Grant and disaster recovery funds tied to specific uses and locations. The city also is facing a homelessness crisis, prompting leaders to surmise that there could be a win-win solution for a “tiny home village” in sight.
The idea for a tiny home village, specifically to shelter the unhoused, was proposed last month by District 13 Councilwoman Gay Donnell Willis. The city was originally allocated about $24 million in CDBG funds but a $16 million surplus was added for areas affected by a February 2021 winter storm.
Following a discussion at Wednesday’s council meeting, it appeared that the disaster recovery grant funds are typically used for “shovel-ready” projects that can be turned around in a short time frame.
So while the tiny home village isn’t entirely off the table, council members agreed they need a prepared builder or nonprofit organization to come forward in order for it to happen.
“I had asked if there was a way to see if we could do pallet homes or tiny homes with this funding that we received,” Willis said Wednesday. “It sounds like being very specific at this stage is not something we can do. It could be more limiting. However, I think philosophically, I would like us to look at more transitional-type housing that could help go in the direction we wanted to go.”
Willis is running for re-election May 6, challenged by political newcomer Priscilla Shacklett.
Dallas City Council Discusses Tiny Homes
A briefing was held April 4, but a quorum was not present, so council members were unable to ask questions or give feedback in response to a presentation from city staff.
The $16 million must be used for the restoration of infrastructure and housing, economic revitalization, and it;igation in the most impacted and distressed areas affected by the 2021 winter storm, explained City Manager T.C. Broadnax.
During a hearing Wednesday, no one from the public addressed the matter, but council members got the chance to talk about their ideas.
“I support tiny homes or single-room occupancy when it comes to housing,” said District 2 Councilman Jesse Moreno.
Moreno is running for re-election against Sukhbir Kaur.
In response to questions from District 11 Councilwoman Jaynie Schultz, who is running May 6 against daltxrealestate.com publisher Candace Evans, staff members said they recommend allocating the majority of the grant funds to new construction.
Cynthia Rogers-Ellickson, an assistant director in the Department of Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, said all projects go through a Notice of Funding Availability.
“We can add [single room occupancy] or tiny homes to that NOFA to see what we can get,” she said. “Because these funds are on a timeline — six years — we want to look for projects that are ready to go and can deploy and expend within the six-year term. We ask for shovel-ready projects, usually.”
Schultz said she liked the idea of letting the potential partners steer the conversation.
“What I really appreciate is us being able to turn to the professionals who do this and let them tell us what they can provide in this time with these funds, instead of us trying to sort of pound in what we think we want,” she said.
Tiny Homes and Pallet Homes
A tiny home is considered permanent housing and has a kitchen and bathroom whereas a pallet home is temporary and doesn’t have running water or separated rooms, Director of Housing and Homeless Solutions Director Christine Crossley explained during the April 4 briefing.
Dallas has in the past worked with a development partner on a tiny home village.
Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization Assistant Director Thor Erickson said the total budget for 50 tiny homes at The Cottages at Hickory Crossing was about $12.5 million and included land acquisition.
“When you exclude the land costs and do a look at the cost of the structures, they’re about $68,000 a unit,” Erickson said.
Crossley pointed out that there has been public criticism around creating “tiny home villages,” particularly in California, as it relates to housing the homeless.
“One of the overarching issues stems from the creation of these communities being followed shortly thereafter by policies further criminalizing homelessness across California, leading to fears of a possible national trend,” she said. “Other criticism of tiny or pallet home communities is that often they’re in remote areas so they don’t have as much access to transportation, stores, or employment.”
City staff members recommended that the council accept the grant funds and move forward with the timeline set forth by the budget office, submitting an action plan to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development by May 18.
The recommendation includes a suggestion to “continue with housing projects that are in alignment with established best practices concerning the creation of more affordable, permanent supportive housing to support our homeless response system.”
