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Dallas Holding Virtual Town Hall Meetings to Determine HUD Spending

City of Dallas Announces Virtual Townhall to Determine HUD Spending
Laptop with virtual meeting on-going on a desk with a notebook and mug. | Image by rfranca

The City of Dallas has announced a series of virtual town hall meetings to provide the opportunity for community members and non-profit organizations to give feedback on how the City should spend the annual Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant funds available through federal programs. The meetings are being offered virtually to allow everyone an opportunity to voice ideas and opinions. The next virtual town hall will be on January 10, 2022.

“Resident and partner feedback plays a vital role in developing the HUD Annual Action Plan, and the Neighborhood Public Meetings provide residents the opportunity to comment on how they feel the HUD funds should be used in their community,” a spokesperson for the City of Dallas said in an emailed statement. “Since all consultations and resident feedback is considered when developing the City’s Action Plan, it’s important that the community is involved in developing the City’s vision for community development and housing actions in the Action Plan.”

“The HUD grant funds are primarily used for home repair and developing new affordable housing units,” the statement from the City reads. “HUD also has a limited category where the City is able to use these funds to address some human and social needs in our community, where the City can focus HUD funds on child care that provide assistance from birth, up to the age 12. This includes a partnership with Dallas schools for out-of-school programming.

The City also uses these funds to “address the needs of those experiencing homelessness and individuals and their families affected by HIV or AIDS.”

HUD funds are generated through appropriations legislation at the federal level, distributed to cities with populations in excess of 50,000. The appropriations bill that approves funds for the 2022-23 fiscal years was passed in July 2021 and went into effect on October 18. In total, $82.9 billion was authorized for national HUD funding.

The funds help provide affordable housing through the construction of new units and vouchers that can help offset housing costs for low-income and disadvantaged residents. Funds are also available to non-profit organizations for help with homelessness and other programs that assist Dallas residents in need.

The City of Dallas is currently in the process of identifying projects that will provide the most benefit to low and medium-income residents and offers solutions to the ongoing housing crisis in the region. According to a report by The Dallas Morning News, housing prices in the Dallas and North Texas area have increased by at least 18 percent over 2020, while demand has continued to outpace availability. 

The dates for the virtual town hall meetings are as follows: 

  • January 10 at 10 a.m.
  • January 11 at 5 p.m.
  • January 13 at noon
  • January 13 at 6 p.m.
  • January 20 at 6 p.m. – Telephone Townhall

Residents and non-profit organizations interested in participating in the town hall meetings virtually can access them on the City’s website. The City must submit the final plan for how HUD funds will be used by August 2022.

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