| UNFAIR PARK | Illustration by Sarah Schumacher BY JACOB VAUGHN N 44 For some in Dallas, city subsidized affordable housing isn’t all that affordable. As of June, the estimated median income THE BIG TEASE TIFs are intended to incentivize private owadays, the phone at the Texas Tenants’ Union rings off the hook: Eviction courts are packed, and people are facing triple-digit rent spikes despite their incomes remaining the same. “There is nothing that is helping them at this point,” Sandy Rollins, the Texas Tenants’ Union’s executive director, said of renters. One option, although not especially help- ful, is what is known as the “affordable” units provided in the city’s tax increment fi- nancing districts, or TIFs. The trouble is that what the city calls “affordable” housing and what people in need can actually afford to pay “are two different things,” Rollins said. And that’s assuming a qualified renter can even locate one of the so-called affordable units to begin with, as the city offers little help in matching tenants with available housing. investment in neighborhoods with low property values. New development boosts property values, which means more prop- erty tax revenue, but TIFs allow developers to keep a portion of the added tax revenue — the “increment” — and use that money to support continued development in the TIF district. That’s the incentive. There are 19 TIF districts in Dallas, ac- cording to the city’s website. The funds can go toward different things, such as improving retail and restaurant space, art galleries or of- fice space. It can also go toward residential units. Some housing developments that re- ceive TIF funding must set aside 20% of their units for families making less than 80% of the area median family income (AMFI). In 2016, the city created a policy that re- serves half of those affordable units for peo- ple with government vouchers intended to help low-income people pay their rent. for a family of four in Dallas is $89,000. So, the maximum amount that a family of four can make to qualify for the TIF program is $71,200. Their rent in the “affordable” units is capped at 30% of that, or about $1,418 a month for a two-bedroom apartment before utilities. The thinking is the new housing develop- ments shouldn’t displace low-income earn- ers who see their rents spiral as their neighborhood gentrifies thanks partly to the city’s helping hand. But Rollins said that’s exactly what’s hap- pening in Dallas. TIFs often go into low-in- come neighborhoods, usually home to people of color, boosting property values. That leads to higher rents across the board. “The ripple effect through the commu- nity and the result is the more affordable housing stock disappears,” Rollins said. “If [developers are] getting public dollars there should be public benefit.” But that public benefit seems doubtful in the TIF program. Consider someone on a fixed income, for instance. “The average So- cial Security check is about $1,550 a month,” Rollins explained. “Those folks should be paying maybe $500 a month in rent. Those units don’t exist. They’re not created by this TIF program.” What does affordability look like then in the TIF program? One Dallas resident said learning an answer to that question was a gru- eling process. She and her family moved into an affordable TIF apartment only to fine themselves still struggling to make ends meet. As it did for many, the pandemic put Mary, who asked that we use a pseudonym, and her family in a financial squeeze. Her husband has been the primary breadwinner while she’s stayed home to care for their two chil- dren, she said. Their income bracket made them eligible for housing assistance, but get- ting into a city-subsidized “affordable” >> p6 MONTH XX–MONTH XX, 2014 MAY 19–25, 2022 DALLAS OBSERVER DALLAS OBSERVER | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | MOVIES | CULTURE | NIGHT+DAY | FEATURE | SCHUTZE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS | CLASSIFIED | MUSIC | DISH | CULTURE | UNFAIR PARK | CONTENTS dallasobserver.com dallasobserver.com
