Almas Muscatwalla Appointed to DHA Board of Commissioners

There’s a new DHA (formerly the Dallas Housing Authority) commissioner on board, and she’s taking her appointment very seriously. 

Community leader Almas Muscatwalla co-founded Faith Forward Dallas in 2015 to unite North Texans in social justice issues, including migrant and refugee matters, homelessness, gun violence, and racial equity. She recently retired as executive director.

When Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson asked her to serve on the five-member DHA board, she said she wanted to understand what the housing authority does before she signed up.

“My work has been more in the faith and cultural realm,” she said. “Through that, we addressed issues of homelessness and housing, but not directly. This is a whole new space. I did a lot of research on this organization and spoke with the chairperson so I could understand how the board functions.” 

Johnson said he was honored to appoint Muscatwalla to the policy-setting board. 

“Ensuring that working-class people have access to quality affordable housing in healthy and resilient communities is a top priority for our city,” Johnson said in a press release. “I am honored to appoint a strong and dedicated community leader such as Almas Muscatwalla to join the DHA board of commissioners to continue to make Dallas a welcoming place for all our families.” 

Almas Muscatwalla Believes in DHA’s Affordable Housing Programs

DHA provides quality affordable housing to low-income families and individuals through the administration of housing assistance programs. 

The board, Muscatwalla explained, sets policy and serves as the custodian of funds.

“We want to be diligent and very judicious about the way we use our funding to serve our clients,” she said. “I really like this qualifier of quality. That really speaks to what DHA is all about. I’m committed to this mission and this cause.”

The largest program DHA administers — and one of great importance to CandysDirt.com readers — is the Housing Choice Voucher program. 

DHA has 16,000 families who are funded, vetted, and in need of housing. Landlords interested in renting to HCV tenants can share their information with a DHA Landlord Services Team. It’s like online matchmaking, Muscatwalla said, where landlords can input information about their vacancies on DHA’s Bob.Ai platform and HCV renters can apply for those that meet their criteria.

Mark Melton, founder of Dallas Eviction Advocacy Center, told CandysDirt.com last week that voucher holders make excellent tenants.

“If you look at units that are voucher properties, there’s a misconception that they’re all poor and there’s a lot of crime that comes with them,” he said. “The fact is, a lot of these voucher holders are young, single mothers. If they lose that voucher, they’re screwed. They go out of their way to follow the rules and make sure there are no problems. They know they can’t afford a market-rate apartment. This is their only chance to raise their kids in a safe environment.”

Muscatwalla agreed. 

“I completely believe in people who use the voucher program that have the right attitude, the right intent, are driven, and are looking for a better quality of life,” she said. “They are the right kind of clients to have this type of housing. They’re getting some intervention through this voucher program — and they’re driven. They’re women. Sometimes when people experience poverty they lose hope. Sometimes they make difficult choices. We are responsible as a community to not put people in that situation, to eradicate poverty, to create opportunities for them to thrive.”

Could DHA’s Programs be The Solution to Homelessness?

It’s clear that Muscatwalla has a heart for those who need housing, regardless of their background or income. 

She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in childhood development from Bombay University. She’s lived in North Texas for 24 years and is currently enrolled in a graduate certificate program at Southern Methodist University. Her work with Faith Forward Dallas gave her an opportunity to bridge communities of faith and culture.

“Through Faith Forward Dallas, we were able to extend services related to social issues,” she said. “We were able to successfully bring the faith community together and collectively speak and offer a voice for some of these issues. I feel like I can bring that same experience to DHA. I’m very excited that DHA is all about solutions. It’s a very solution-based organization.”

Troy Broussard, president and chief executive officer of DHA, said the housing authority welcomes Muscatwalla to the “increasingly diverse and engaged board of commissioners.”

“We appreciate the mayor’s intentional focus on adding community leaders to our board who are invested in improving the affordable housing landscape across the seven counties DHA serves,” he said. 

One of the solutions to homelessness, Muscatwalla said, is affordable housing. 

“Food, shelter, housing, access to education, and access to healthcare are basic human needs,” she said. “Through our approach, we’re actively ensuring that people don’t become homeless, which is the first step to answering the other needs.”