The Dallas Housing Authority has been granted $5 million in federal taxpayer money to allow more families that participate in the Housing Choice Voucher program to rent in “high-opportunity areas.”
“The receipt of mobility grant funding will be transformative in DHA’s ability to assist families in transitioning to high-opportunity areas,” DHA CEO and president Troy Broussard said in a news release. “At DHA, we believe everyone deserves a place to call home with access to great schools, job opportunities, transportation, healthy food, and health care resources. Access to high-opportunity areas is critical to the success of our families, allowing everyone the chance to thrive.”
DHA is one of seven public housing agencies that receive funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.
“The funds are designed to enable PHAs to provide critical housing mobility counseling and financial assistance to support families’ housing choice,” the release read. “The highly competitive grant approval process required DHA to submit a comprehensive mobility plan for HUD review.”
HUD’s Housing Choice Voucher program is designed to help “very low-income families, the elderly, and the disabled to afford decent, safe, and sanitary housing in the private market,” according to the agency’s website.
“Since housing assistance is provided on behalf of the family or individual, participants are able to find their own housing, including single-family homes, townhouses, and apartments. The participant is free to choose any housing that meets the requirements of the program and is not limited to units located in subsidized housing projects.”
According to the release, “DHA has 90 days to create a comprehensive implementation plan detailing how the grant funds will be maximized to help North Texas families find affordable housing in high-opportunity areas through mobility counseling, housing search, and financial assistance.”
“We are excited that HUD found merit in our competitive application and proposed mobility plan to support the families we serve,” Broussard said. “We look forward to implementing a comprehensive plan that will enable us to continue to be a catalyst for positive change in the lives of our clients, breaking down barriers and providing access to greater opportunities and brighter outcomes.”
DHA serves more than 55,000 residents in Dallas, Tarrant, Collin, Kaufman, Denton, Rockwall, and Ellis counties. The average rent for tenants is $239.