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Some Dallas residents who are hurting after last week's severe winter storm can now apply for the city's new Emergency Home Repair Program. The program also offers information to seniors and their families about nursing home facilities, selection and/or any related nursing home issues. These issues include, but are not limited to, isolation, elder abuse, health care and housing. Senior Services was created to help Dallas seniors maintain the highest quality of life possible by providing information / referrals on senior services, educational programming and other resources that support and promote financial and social well-being.
As the City programs have done nothing to help Ms. Mayes, a GoFundMe has been created to raise money for her home repairs. If you would like to contribute to her fundraiser, you can do so here. Mayes said she has received no help after applying twice to the City’s Major Home Rehabilitation Program, which offers a zero-interest forgivable loan to homeowners of up to $73,170. Living alone and on a fixed income, Jackson says to try to cover expenses and meet all of the criteria for the programs — it is not enough. DART Rides is a rider assistance program for registered residents of qualified cities or ZIP codes who are age 65 or over OR have a certified disability. The City of Dallas Senior Medical Transportation Program updated its client service model to provide clients an on-demand service in partnership with Dallas Area Rapid Transit through its DART Rides Rider Assistance Program .
City of Dallas Office of Homeless Solutions and partners work to bring neighbors in from the cold
Why can’t she get some of her CITY TAX MONEY BACK, of course you have no problem with her CITY TAX MONEY going to Goldman Sachs,her tax money don’t go to her, neighbors, family members, or church. In June, the City Council approved giving $18 million in taxpayer-funded economic incentives to Goldman Sachs to build a new office building in the city. Less than a year earlier , the City hired William G. Mundinger, a former Goldman Sachs executive, as the executive in residence for the Department of Sustainable Development and Construction .
She was denied the first time because she was unaware of a lien on the property when the City had previously cut her lawn. This year, she submitted the West Dallas TRP application prior to applying for HIPP, which disqualifies her from eligibility because HIPP does not allow applicants to receive funding from another program simultaneously. These improvement programs are helping to improve the housing quality to better the overall well being of residents, says Ashley Flores, who focuses on local housing inequities as a senior director at the Child Poverty Action Lab.
Age-Friendly Dallas Plan
The level of assistance for the Rehabilitation Program is limited to the amount required to address the rehabilitation work scope as defined by the city. This involves a low-cost loan to the homeowner that won’t exceed the maximum allowable funding level of $40,000. Some of the repairs included are the correction of code violations and elimination of specific conditions detrimental to public health and safety, testing and treatment/removal of lead-based paint/asbestos hazards. When her mother died in 2016, the house she inherited was in bad shape.
Atkins thinks the program is great, but fears that news of the program will not reach residents without the internet. An exemption removes part of the value of your property from taxation and lowers your taxes. As approved by City Council on April 13, 1988, the City grants a homestead exemption of 20 percent of the market value of residence homesteads or $5,000 whichever is greater. Additionally, the City grants an additional exemption of $107,000 on homesteads of taxpayers who are disabled or age 65 or older.
MainTitleHeaderHome Repair License
As co-director of her neighborhood association, Victory Gardens, Jackson learned about the West Dallas Targeted Rehab Program, a City of Dallas neighborhood revitalization effort designed to provide financial assistance for home repairs. Those who are eligible must be homeowners within the city of Dallas. They must have experienced damage to their homes since Feb. 11, when freezing weather temperatures occurred, causing harm to the life, health or safety of household members. And they must earn at or below 80% of the area median income, which is about $60,000 for a household of four, according to the city. Homeowners within the city of Dallas with household incomes at or below 80% of the area median income qualify as long as the damage to the home occurred during the winter storm and applicants reside primarily in the premises needing repair.
The program covers roofing repairs , exterior entry door , exterior windows , accessibility repairs and installation and more. The application period opens on Monday, November 4 and closes on December 13. However, staff encourages potential applicants to attend one of our orientation meetings below to learn about program requirements and how to apply. She also needs to replace deteriorating wood siding, and that will cost approximately $2,500. She receives government assistance for her utility bills and community help for grocery expenses but says she has managed to start saving “a little bit” of her Social Security disability insurance of $1,500 a month. Dallas City Council voted Wednesday to approve an Emergency Home Repair Program that allocates $2 million to organizations that will qualify low-to-moderate income homeowners for grants of up to $10,000.
Senior Affairs Commission
The Senior Services provides staff support to the Senior Affairs Commission . The Senior Affairs Commission is a 15-member advisory board appointed by the Mayor and City Council to help ensure the provision of services to the elderly.
She pointed out the other areas could have been covered as well, but it was not budgeted as part of the city grant. Without home insurance, Jackson no longer qualifies for the West Dallas TRP home improvement grant. Today, as she walks through her house, she carefully steps on the uneven floor of her living room where chunks of sheetrock are scattered all over her belongings. The city said it will do it's best to help residents with the biggest need and urges residents to apply. That call to make sure the program is accessible to residentson the losing side of the digital divide was echoed by resident Yolanda Williams, who called into the meeting. “My concern is that it is going to be very difficult to share this with equity,” Council Member Tennell Atkins said.
It’s been nearly two years, however, and the program hasn’t been able to spend those city tax dollars, despite the great needs among aging homes in the seven Census tracts of West Dallas the program targets. The Office of Community Care Senior Services caseworkers provide referrals and information to at-risk seniors needing resources for elder abuse, housing, health and dental care, utility assistance, transportation and other social services. Homeowners who lack funding to pay up front for repairs are eligible to apply through the city's nonprofit partners for assistance. Each nonprofit organization receiving grant funding from the city is required to administer case management and procure contractors. The maximum assistance amount provided under Minor Home Repair Grant Program is $10,000, which includes up to $5,000 provided by the city, and up to $5,000 in matching grant funding provided by the non-profit partner.
The applicant must also correct all code violations that exist on the property. At a Dallas City Council meeting, a 92-year-old woman approached the council to share that she has been living in poor conditions for years and has received no help from the city, despite twice applying to Dallas’ home repair program. The City of Dallas is helping to fund emergency repairs for low and moderate income residents whose homes were damaged during last week’s winter storms. The program launched in December 2020 with $2 million — enough to tackle repairs for at least 200 homeowners.
Jackson applied, hoping to qualify for its offer of up to $10,000 in home improvements for West Dallas homeowners. Erickson says the City requires homeowners insurance to protect its investment in the home, and the program also enforces a five-year deed restriction on the property. This means residents must maintain the repairs and live in the home — they can’t rent, sell or transfer the property for five years, according to the Comprehensive Housing Policy. Some make too much money, he says, and our open records request also shows repeated disqualifications for residents who didn’t have a clear title of home ownership or who didn’t respond to communication efforts from the department.
The maximum assistance amount provided is up to $10,000 in the form of a grant, which includes up to $5,000 provided by the City, and up to $5,000 in matching grant funding provided by the non-profit partner. There is no lien placed on the homeowner’s property and there is no affordability period. The program is currently limited to homeowners with incomes at or below 80 percent (80%) AMFI. Home Reconstruction Program provides the homeowner with a new home on their current property and assistance is provided in the form of a loan. The homeowner must certify annually the home is not for sale and is their primary residence until the loan is repaid to the city in full. Housing Reconstruction Program assistance is provided in the form of a loan.
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