Dallas Leaders Consider Using Disaster Recovery Grant Funds For a ‘Tiny Home Village’

A proposal last week to accept additional Community Development Block Grant funds evolved into a larger discussion of how those dollars can be used to spur alternative housing options and shelter the homeless. 

City leaders revealed Wednesday that an additional $15,967 is available to the City of Dallas in disaster recovery funds, adding to the standard CDBG allocation and bringing the total amount from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development to $40,000. 

District 13 Dallas City Councilwoman Gay Donnell Willis asked that the matter be placed on the March 21 agenda of the Housing and Homeless Solutions for further discussion. A public hearing on the matter is slated for April 12. 

The city has a proposed preliminary budget of about $12.5 million for new construction of residential units using grant funding, Willis said. 

“I started asking questions about an opportunity for tiny homes,” she said.  

It appears that “tiny homes” — small cottages that cost less than $50,000 and can be used as accessory dwelling units — meet the criteria for CDBG purposes, Willis said, but she wanted to discuss the matter further at the committee level. 

Willis is seeking re-election to her council seat in May, running against Priscilla Shacklett.

Housing And Homelessness Solutions

The CDBG program aims to develop viable urban communities by providing “decent housing,” a suitable living environment, and expanding economic opportunities, primarily for persons of low-to-moderate income. 

Available to nonprofits, for-profits, city departments, and local government corporations, criteria ensure that the development meets one of three needs: benefits low-to-moderate-income residents aids in the prevention or elimination of slums and blight or meets an urgent need. 

District 12 Councilwoman Cara Mendelsohn, a member of the housing committee, said a “tiny home village” has been discussed but funding has never specifically been allocated for such a development.

“This seems to be a really reasonable missing solution in our community for all the encampments that we have,” she said. “Often we’re told by staff that they’re not going to remove people from an encampment because they have nowhere to put them, especially in the Rapid Rehousing Program, so there’s no apartment available. We can easily create, with these dollars from HUD, immediate locations where someone could come off an encampment, be given a pallet where they’ll have privacy … and wraparound support services.”

All the providers of the city will have a focus on where such people can go to become independent again, the councilwoman added. 

“I don’t think it’s the universal solution for homelessness, but I do think it’s missing in our continuum of care,” Mendelsohn said. “I would love to see us allocate some money for this service.”