American Rescue Plan Act Funds Slated For Home Repairs in Four Dallas Neighborhoods

Up to $100,000 per household is available in federal grant funds for Dallas’ Joppa, Five Mile, Tenth Street Historic District, and The Bottom neighborhoods. The designated areas are all underserved communities that experienced disproportionately negative impacts from the COVID-19 pandemic, according to city documents. 

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) Neighborhood Revitalization Program is offering grant funds for home repairs in neighborhoods within Qualified Census Tracts throughout Dallas to “preserve affordable housing and increase livability.” 

The information was posted last week in the city’s “This Is Our House” e-newsletter. 

Catrice Robison, outreach specialist for Dallas Housing and Neighborhood Revitalization, said residents are more likely to remain healthy when they live in homes that are not in disrepair.

“Since the start of COVID-19, more residents have engaged in activities inside the home,” Robison said. “This has caused greater wear and tear on aging houses, which can create a difficult living situation.” 

Eligible Neighborhoods

The median home value is about $94,500 in Joppa (sometimes referred to as Joppee), a Freedman community established in southern Dallas in the late 1870s by freed slaves. 

The median home value in Five Mile Creek is about $91,420. The southern Dallas community is near South Lancaster and Simpson Stuart roads. 

Tenth Street Historic District is also considered one of the last remaining Freedman’s Towns in the U.S. The median home sale price in the Tenth Street Historic District is $325,000. 

The historically Black neighborhood known as “The Bottom” in East Oak Cliff was recently added to the areas designated for ARPA funding eligibility. Home listings in The Bottom are few, but land prices are listed between $18,000 and $215,000. 

Projects already are underway for several homes, city officials said. About $2 million is available to serve at least 20 homes. 

“Funding housing preservation at this level and by neighborhood allows for a visible transformation of the homes, communities, and lives of the residents who occupy them,” according to city documents. 

How to Apply

To qualify for ARPA grant funding:

• The home must be a single-family detached dwelling built in or before 1959.
• The homeowner must live in the home as their primary residence. 
• The home must be within one of the qualified neighborhoods. 
• The home must need eligible repairs. 
• Property owners who rent or sell to a tenant or buyer in the area who earns less than 80 percent of the Area Median Income also are eligible. 

For more information, call 469-799-2761 or email [email protected].