BOHCDC announces Small Business Resources & Job Training coming to West Dallas through DCED partners

On Tuesday, September 29th through a virtual community meeting, Builders of Hope Community Development Corporation in partnership with The Dallas Collaborative for Equitable Development rolled out several exciting resources geared towards the creation of affordable housing, small business development and lending, and job training for West Dallas residents. Over the past 10 years the West Dallas community has felt its fair share of growing pains with mounting pressure of gentrification coming from big box multi family units and the development of the most eastern West Dallas neighborhood Trinity Groves. As a result, property values have increased more than 40% year over year, entry lot prices have increased from $15,000 to $60,000 while small businesses owners and residents are left to figure out how to survive the steady changes of their neighborhood.

It is with this lens that The Real Estate Council embarked on a year-long Community Driven Growth Initiative with the support of JPMorgan Chase PRO Neighborhood funding to hear from community residents what they would like to see in their community. After thousands of hours of planning and numerous listening sessions, TREC Community Fund published the Community Driven Growth Equitable Development Plan- an essential roadmap for Dallas’ equitable development. While the plan is extensive and loaded with research and statistics, the community made it very clear that what they did not want was another plan.

In October 2019, The Real Estate Council Community Fund received one of seven investments nationwide from JPMorgan Chase & Co.’s PRO Neighborhood program to lead the Dallas Collaboration for Equitable Development- a $6 million investment aimed to inject resources into three neighborhoods, the Forest District, the Bottoms, and West Dallas.

“I applaud the Real Estate Council for defining what equitable development looks like and advocating for residents in these historically disinvested neighborhoods be partners in the development of their neighborhood rather than just sitting by and watching. Equitable development is community development led development and that is what we need in West Dallas” said James Armstrong III, President & CEO of BOHCDC.

Alongside partner organizations Dallas College, LiftFund, and Texas Mezzanine Fund, the DCED will focus on housing and real estate development, jobs and wealth creation, and community ownership and leadership opportunities.

“It will take all of us- business, civic and nonprofit organizations- to address these historic inequities and work to prevent further disinvestment for the future of our city and our region. We must address the fact that where a person lives does not influence their future success or lack thereof” quoted Linda McMahon President & CEO of The Real Estate Council.

More information about the resources being offered can be found here: https://recouncil.com/dced/