Builders of Hope Breaks Ground on $7.4M ‘Quality Attainable Housing’ at Trinity West Villas

Does James Armstrong ever sleep? The man with a plan for “quality attainable housing” in underserved pockets of poverty is at it again, this time delivering 36 mixed-income units at Trinity West Villas 

At an Oct. 1 groundbreaking ceremony, Armstrong, CEO of Builders of Hope Community Development Corp., highlighted the need for affordable housing and economic development in historically underserved communities.

“We are all aware of the challenges around housing affordability and the need for increased supply,” Armstrong said. “Though we historically have functioned as a single-family developer, we’re breaking ground on our venture into low-density multifamily development, aiming to diversify housing stock while creating sustainable housing solutions for our community.” 

The $7.4 million Trinity West Villas project is funded by the City of Dallas, The Real Estate Council Community Investors, JPMorgan Chase, and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. 

Trinity West Villas

The Dallas City Council in 2022 awarded $1.9 million in federal funds for the Trinity West Villas project. 

“Creating access to affordable housing for working families near the urban core is paramount to building a thriving city where people can live where they work,” Councilman Omar Narvaez said at the time. “I applaud the efforts of Builders of Hope Community Development Corporation for continuing to bridge the gap that exists between housing and affordability.”

Trinity West Villas will feature one-, two-, and three-bedroom units including efficiencies for 65-and-up senior citizens. The development is being billed as a “one-of-a-kind mixed housing stock” project with single-family and market-rate multifamily housing. The site is within a U.S. Census tract which has a history of environmental injustice, concentrated poverty, and consequential effects, officials said in a press release. 

“Grassroots organizations like Builders of Hope CDC are drivers of change in Dallas — and in communities around the nation,” said Michelle Thomas, head of local philanthropy for JPMorganChase, a longtime supporter of Builders of Hope.“Trinity West is an example of what happens when the business sector works with community partners to address entrenched disparities and empower our neighborhoods from within.”

Dallas Needs Affordable Housing 

Builders of Hope’s mission is to “build Dallas, and surrounding communities, by investing in people and the places in which they live through our proprietary community development model.”

The model for change includes constructing and preserving quality attainable housing, community transformation initiatives, cultivating public policy, and creating pathways to economic mobility. Since its inception, Builders of Hope CDC has developed over 500 single-family homes including four communities, and created over $25 million in wealth for low- to moderate-income families.    

“Recent data indicates that Dallas-Fort Worth will add over 21,000 multifamily units to its pre-existing count; however, affordable multifamily units built in Dallas proper will make up less than 20% of that count,” officials said in the Trinity West Villas press release. “Despite this steady supply of multifamily units, the market continues to be inadequate to support the demand caused by local job growth. The current ratio of new multifamily units to new jobs is 1 to 9, resulting in a lack of affordability.”

Other partners participating in the recent groundbreaking ceremony included Bank of Texas, Dallas Collaborative for Equitable Development, Greenleaf Ventures, and Re Studio.