Report: Dallas rents are getting less affordable – The Texas Tribune

Housing Affordability Crisis in Dallas: A Sustainable Development Challenge

Overview

Dallas, Texas, the state’s third-largest city, is experiencing a significant shortage of affordable housing for lower-income families. This shortage is highlighted in a recent report by the Child Poverty Action Lab, which underscores the growing difficulty for vulnerable populations—including single parents, older adults, and renters of color—to secure affordable rental homes amid rapid regional growth.

Key Findings on Housing Affordability

1. Severe Shortage of Affordable Rentals: Dallas faces a deficit of approximately 46,000 rental homes affordable to families earning 50% or less of the area median income (AMI), which is $52,000 for a family of four. This shortage has increased sharply from 33,660 homes two years prior.
2. Cost Burden on Renters: Half of Dallas renters spend more than 30% of their income on housing, qualifying them as cost-burdened. This financial strain disproportionately affects:
   • 75% of single renters with children
   • Nearly 60% of all renters with children
   • Nearly 66% of older renters
   • 60% of Black renters and 51% of Latino renters
3. Decline in Low-Rent Units: Between 2021 and 2023, Dallas lost 51,000 rental units priced under $1,000 per month, representing about half of the city’s low-rent housing stock.

Factors Contributing to the Housing Crisis

• Rapid population growth in the Dallas-Fort Worth region increasing housing demand.
• Insufficient homebuilding to meet demand despite Texas leading the nation in housing construction.
• Rising costs for landlords, including insurance and property taxes, passed on to renters.
• Restrictive zoning laws limiting the construction of “missing middle” housing types such as duplexes and fourplexes.
• Economic pressures limiting income growth relative to housing costs.

Policy Responses and Initiatives

1. City-Level Actions:
   • Dallas City Council’s 2024 land-use plan encourages diverse housing types in traditionally single-family neighborhoods.
   • Adjustment of parking regulations to facilitate more housing construction with fewer parking spaces.
   • Approval of an $82 million housing bond to fund affordable housing projects.
   • Efforts to expedite building permit processes to reduce delays for developers.
2. State-Level Support:
   • Texas legislature eased restrictions to allow more apartment construction and smaller lot housing.
   • Legislative measures empower Dallas to implement zoning reforms to increase housing supply.
3. Community and Private Sector Initiatives:
   • Communities Foundation of Texas launched a $100 million campaign to build or preserve 5,000 homes over the next decade.

Alignment with Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

The housing affordability challenges and responses in Dallas directly relate to several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals:

• SDG 1: No Poverty – Ensuring affordable housing reduces poverty by lowering financial burdens on low-income families.
• SDG 3: Good Health and Well-being – Affordable housing contributes to better health outcomes by reducing stress and enabling access to essential services.
• SDG 10: Reduced Inequalities – Targeted efforts to assist renters of color and vulnerable populations help reduce social and economic disparities.
• SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – Promoting diverse, affordable housing options supports inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable urban development.
• SDG 17: Partnerships for the Goals – Collaboration among city officials, state lawmakers, nonprofits, and private foundations exemplifies effective partnerships to address complex social issues.

Conclusion

Dallas is confronting a critical housing affordability crisis that threatens the well-being and economic stability of its lower-income residents. Addressing this issue through comprehensive policy reforms, increased housing supply, and community investment is essential to achieving sustainable urban development and meeting the Sustainable Development Goals. Continued collaboration between government entities, private sector partners, and community organizations will be vital to creating a more equitable and thriving Dallas.

1. Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Addressed or Connected

1. SDG 1: No Poverty – The article highlights the struggles of lower-income families in Dallas to afford housing, directly relating to poverty reduction.
2. SDG 10: Reduced Inequality – The disproportionate impact on single parents, older adults, and renters of color points to issues of inequality.
3. SDG 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities – The focus on affordable housing, urban planning, zoning reforms, and housing supply relates to making cities inclusive, safe, resilient, and sustainable.
4. SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth – The economic pressures on households and the labor shortage affecting homebuilding connect to economic growth and employment conditions.

2. Specific Targets Under Those SDGs

1. SDG 1 – Target 1.2: Reduce at least by half the proportion of people living in poverty in all its dimensions according to national definitions, which includes access to affordable housing.
2. SDG 10 – Target 10.2: Empower and promote the social, economic, and political inclusion of all, particularly vulnerable groups such as renters of color, single parents, and older adults.
3. SDG 11 – Target 11.1: Ensure access for all to adequate, safe, and affordable housing and basic services and upgrade slums.
4. SDG 11 – Target 11.3: Enhance inclusive and sustainable urbanization and capacity for participatory, integrated, and sustainable human settlement planning and management.
5. SDG 8 – Target 8.3: Promote development-oriented policies that support productive activities, decent job creation, entrepreneurship, creativity, and innovation, including addressing labor shortages impacting housing construction.

3. Indicators Mentioned or Implied to Measure Progress

• Proportion of households spending more than 30% of income on housing costs (cost-burdened renters) – directly mentioned as a measure of housing affordability.
• Shortage of affordable rental homes – quantified by the number of rental homes affordable to families at or below 50% of area median income (e.g., shortage of 46,000 homes in 2023).
• Number and percentage of new affordable housing units created – e.g., 8,400 new apartments in 2024 with 16% targeted for low-income households.
• Supply of low-rent units under $1,000 per month – measured by the loss of 51,000 such units from 2021 to 2023.
• Housing cost burden among specific demographic groups – percentages of cost-burdened single renters with children, older renters, Black renters, and Latino renters.
• Changes in zoning and land-use policies – implied as an indicator of progress toward more inclusive housing development.

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

Source: texastribune.org