West Dallas Homestead Preservation Initiative at Wesley-Rankin
Dallas’ most vulnerable neighborhoods continue to be impacted by gentrification and housing/commercial development. In rapidly gentrifying neighborhoods like West Dallas, the surge in property taxes, up by 1,200% in under a decade, poses severe financial burdens on low-income homeowners. Wesley-Rankin is working to support West Dallas residents with their homestead, property taxes, and heirship issues.
The Why
West Dallas is experiencing rapid commercial and residential development, risking displacement for its legacy residents with few affordable housing options in our City. West Dallas (75212) homeowners face stark challenges:
- Between 2016 and 2018, lot values increased by 900%.
- 1,000+ homes lack homestead exemptions, putting families at risk of higher tax burdens.
- Over 200 properties have cloudy titles, complicating ownership and creating further risk.
- Over 6,000 properties have recently become tax delinquent, with 400+ owing more than $10,000.
By focusing on education, legal support, and financial assistance, our program addresses systemic barriers that prevent families from aging in place and maintaining ownership of legacy properties.
By listening to residents’ concerns at community meetings and during one-on-one intakes, Wesley-Rankin designs services that address specific homeowner challenges, from clearing title issues to understanding complex exemption requirements. It is vital for the Center to leverage its strengths in rapid response, social capital, and adaptable programming to address the urgent housing needs of legacy West Dallas homeowners so they can preserve their homes and continue accessing Wesley-Rankin’s programs.
The How
Homeowners can schedule an intake interview with the Housing Program Specialist, who completes an onboarding application capturing key demographic information, relevant history, and eligibility for various programs. Based on need, applicants are either served in-house or referred to a program partner like Legal Aid of Northwest TX (e.g., for legal support). The Housing Program Specialist maintains ongoing communication with clients, ensuring smooth service provision and continued support through referrals.
The Housing Preservation Initiative exemplifies Wesley-Rankin’s mission to empower families by bridging critical gaps—in this case, enabling homeowners to preserve generational wealth and stability through housing security.
Services Include:
- Educational Workshops: Join us to learn more about crucial topics for homeowners and renters like financial literacy, estate planning, code compliance, and more.
- Property Value Appeals: Our team will educate you on the purpose and process of value appeals in Spring and connect you with resources that can help you file your appeal.
- Homestead Exemptions: Don’t know what a homestead exemption is? Need to file or refile? We can help!
- Heirship & Inheritance: West Dallas homeowners can access resources to create an estate plan or to complete the heirship claim process.
- Property Tax Relief: Wesley-Rankin is excited to partner with Builders of Hope in launching the Property Tax Assistance Program (“PTAP”). Qualifying, legacy West Dallas homeowners can access funds to provide immediate relief for increasing property taxes.
Impact
- 12 educational workshops on topics like homeownership preservation, financial literacy, exemptions, home value appeals, estate planning, common code violations and more (childcare is always provided to alleviate barriers)
- 145 households served through property tax appeal season.
- 20 homestead exemptions filed.
- $109,439.18 in tax relief funds distributed to 76 households, preventing delinquency, for 2023 property tax bills.
- For the 72 non-delinquent 2023 applicants, the total value of preserved wealth in assessed values was $16,610,790.
Resources and Press
The Impacts of Heirs’ Property on Homeowners in North Texas – Asset Funders Network
https://www.bohcdc.com/anti-displacement-toolkit
https://www.dmagazine.com/frontburner/2024/05/the-story-of-a-bridge-and-the-land-rush-it-created/
💸 Imagine: No property tax payments in 2025
Want to Partner with Us?
We invite partners from various fields to contribute their expertise and resources to support legacy homeowners in West Dallas. Areas where partners can make an impact include:
- Heirs’ property resolution: Assisting with title research, identifying heirs, and clarifying ownership.
- Legal and technical support: Guiding residents through processes like affidavits of heirship and property tax exemptions.
- Community education: Leading workshops on topics like estate planning, financial literacy, and homeownership preservation.
- Resource development: Strengthening networks with local law firms’ pro-bono efforts, financial institutions, and housing advocates.
Have another idea of how you can help our cause? Please reach out!
