Builders of Hope, Wesley-Rankin partner for new property tax assistance program
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A West Dallas resident holds a flash drive with photos of her home’s condition to include on her property tax appeal on Friday, May 5, 2023. Wesley-Rankin Community Center staff held a tax appeal workshop to help residents protest their increasing property taxes. Photo by Jeffrey Ruiz
Builders of Hope Community Development Corporation recently rolled out their new property tax assistance program through a partnership between Wesley-Rankin Community Center, to reimburse longtime West Dallas homeowners for property tax increases since 2020.
Applications are now available online and in-person at Wesley-Rankin for qualifying homeowners.
Already 77 people have applied for property tax assistance, says Stephanie Champion, a West Dallas resident and Builders of Hope chief of community development and policy.
Why did Builders of Hope launch a tax-assistance program for West Dallas?
Champion says that the program started as part of the organization’s anti-displacement work, as homeowners across West Dallas’ 75212 zip code cited rising property taxes as a major burden.
“Intrusive development is having two impacts on our neighborhoods: One, it’s completely changing the built environment, and two, it’s raising our property values and threatening to price people out of their homes,” Champion says.
So far Builders of Hope has raised $150,000 in funds through donations from the Dallas Foundation and the Lukirain Partners Fund, which is managed by the Dallas Foundation. They hope to ultimately raise $1 million, with the goal of giving longtime residents the choice to stay in their homes as redevelopment continues to drive up property values and taxes.
“The idea is, can we do it for the next 20 years?” says Builders of Hope president and CEO James Armstrong.
How does the tax-assistance program work for West Dallas residents?
For homeowners like Tina Mendez, Wesley-Rankin’s older adult outreach coordinator, these funds are critical because of the massive spike in property taxes she has seen over the past 10 years.
“With the gentrification, property taxes are going to rise, and it’s pushed a lot of people out who couldn’t afford housing anymore,” Mendez says. At her father’s house, “taxes have gone up from $600 per year to $4,500 per year.”
One particular concern the program hopes to address is maintaining generational wealth. Champion says many properties that are passed down through in families run into problems with delinquent taxes, or confusion with who is set to inherit the property.
“What we’re seeing in West Dallas is a lot of folks are inheriting homes that already have delinquent property taxes,” Champion says. “For a lot of folks, if they’re not able to pay that back tax bill, they may end up selling the property to pay the taxes … now they’ve lost the ability to build generational wealth from that property.”
Who is eligible?
This tax relief program is specifically for homeowners who meet the following criteria:
- Live in 75212
- Have lived at their current address for at least 10 years
- Make 80% or less of Dallas’ area median income
The area median income, or AMI, is calculated based on family size. For example, a family of four that makes $88,250 per year or less would be eligible to apply.
How does the application work?
Homeowners can complete the application online or in-person at Wesley-Rankin, and should expect to provide the following information:
- Address
- Homestead exemption status
- Number of people in your household
- Income of adults in your household
- Mortgage status
A homestead exemption is not required to apply for funds, but BOHCDC and Wesley-Rankin staff will help applicants to apply for and confirm eligibility for this exemption.
Mendez says that the application was very easy for both her and her father to complete.
“It was just a few questions, I answered it with my dad, and it took us less than 5 minutes — the whole process,” Mendez says. “A lot of the community trusts what [Wesley-Rankin] has to offer, so they come and ask questions, they feel comfortable asking questions to [staff].”
Champion says that 78 applications have been received and about half reviewed, with most of them eligible for the funds. The three applicants who are ineligible, she says, either don’t live in West Dallas, haven’t lived in West Dallas for at least 10 years, or their annual household income is too high.
Most of the applications are coming from west of Hampton Road in the La Bajada, Los Altos, Victory Gardens and Bickers Park neighborhoods, Champion says, and every West Dallas neighborhood has at least one applicant, except for Eagle Ford.
Some applicants will need help with issues such as homestead exemptions or the residency documentation needed to obtain an exemption, or an affidavit of heirship and title clearance, Champion says, noting that Builders of Hope and Wesley-Rankin will be assisting them and finding innovative ways to clear these hurdles.
How are funds distributed?
Rather than being given directly to the homeowner, if applicants are approved for assistance, the incremental increases between their 2020 and 2023 property taxes will be given directly to the Dallas County Tax Assessor as a credit on their account toward their 2024 tax bill.