The Inclusive Communities Project (ICP) resource page is for individuals and organizations seeking information about racial and economic segregation and its relationship to housing opportunities. Through its research and compilation of information and data from various sources, ICP can help the student, advocate, and policymaker understand how the issues of race discrimination, housing, education, health, and economic opportunity are related.
Below are links to selected websites, articles, and other organizational sites that deal with the issues of housing, race, and opportunity.
All federal, state and local fair housing laws prohibit discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, familial status, national origin, and disability. In addition, some Texas cities (Dallas, Austin, and Fort Worth) extend the protection to include sexual orientation. Generally, it is not against Texas or local law for a private landlord to refuse to participate in the Section 8 program or rent to someone because they have a Section 8 Housing Voucher. However, landlords with affordable housing developed using the Low Income Housing Tax Credits are prohibited by federal law from discriminating against applicants because they have a Section 8 voucher.
HUD, the Civil Rights Division of the Texas Workforce Commission, and local Fair Housing Offices in cities enforce fair housing laws, primarily through an administrative process. In addition, a person who believes they have been the victim of discrimination can get a lawyer and file a private lawsuit. There are many excellent sources of information about fair housing law and how it is enforced. The links below are to several good ones:
- HUD: https://www.hud.gov/program_offices/fair_housing_equal_opp/online-complaint
- Texas Tenant Advisor, Discrimination Statutes: www.texastenant.org
- Texas Workforce Commission, Civil Right Division: https://www.twc.texas.gov/partners/housing-discrimination
- Dallas Fair Housing Office: https://dallascityhall.com/departments/fairhousing/Pages/default.aspx
- Legal Aid of Northwest Texas https://internet.lanwt.org/locations/dallas
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program is the largest affordable rental housing program in Texas. Close to 260,000 families live in over 2,500 LIHTC properties across the state. These properties are owned by private investors who receive tax reductions to provide housing for low-income families and individuals earning less than 60% of the Area Median Income. Click Here for a list of affordable housing in the DFW area.
Renter Resources
For general assistance – Dial 211 or https://www.211.org/
For information on how to apply for Section 8 Vouchers in the DFW area:
- Arlington: Housing Authority – City of Arlington (817) 275-3351
- City of Dallas: DHA Housing Solutions for North Texas (469) 249-9012
- Dallas County: DCHHS | Dallas County Housing Agency (214) 819-1871
- Fort Worth: Fort Worth Housing Solutions (817) 333-3400
- McKinney: McKinney Housing Authority (972) 542-5641
- Mesquite: Mesquite Housing Division (972) 216-6424
- Garland: Applying for Housing | Garland, TX (972) 205-3393
- Grand Prairie: Grand Prairie Housing and Neighborhood Services (972) 237-8176
- Plano: Plano Housing Authority (972) 423-4328
- Tarrant County: Housing Assistance Office (817) 531-7640
For information on High Opportunity Areas: Opportunity Moves
For information on available rental properties:
- Affordable Housing: Affordable Housing
- Zillow: Rental Listings – 9,515 Rentals | Zillow
Research and Data
To help you understand your community and the trends in your region, state, or the United States in general.
- Brookings Institution: https://www.brookings.edu/
- Information from the Census: https://data.census.gov/cedsci/
- Institute for Urban Policy Research: https://urbanpolicyresearch.org/
- Joint Center for Housing Studies: https://www.jchs.harvard.edu/
- Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies: https://jointcenter.org/
- Kirwan Institute for the Study of Race and Ethnicity: https://kirwaninstitute.osu.edu/
- Open Communities Alliance: https://www.ctoca.org/
- Othering & Belonging: https://belonging.berkeley.edu/
- Poverty and Race Research Action Center (PPRAC): https://prrac.org/
- Texas State Data Center and Office of the State Demographer: https://demographics.texas.gov/
- Urban Institute: https://www.urban.org/
Civil Rights/Fair Housing Advocacy Organizations
National
- Center on Budget & Policy Priorities: https://www.cbpp.org/
- Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under the Law: https://www.lawyerscommittee.org/
- NAACP Legal Defense Fund: https://www.naacpldf.org/
- National Fair Housing Alliance: https://nationalfairhousing.org/
- Opportunity Agenda: https://www.opportunityagenda.org/
- The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund: https://www.maldef.org/
- Unidos US: https://www.unidosus.org/
Texas
- Austin – Austin Tenants’ Council: https://www.housing-rights.org/
- Disability Rights Texas: https://www.disabilityrightstx.org/
- North Texas Fair Housing Center: http://www.northtexasfairhousing.org/index.php
- San Antonio – Fair Housing Council of Greater San Antonio: http://www.myfairhousing.org/
- Texas Civil Rights Project: https://txcivilrights.org/
- Texas Low Income Housing Information Service (Texas Housers): https://texashousers.org/
- Texas Tenants Union: https://txtenants.org/
- The Civil Rights Project at UCLA Proyecto Derechos Civiles: https://www.civilrightsproject.ucla.edu/research
Other Advocacy Related Organizations
- Business and Professional People in the Public Interest: https://www.bpichicago.org/
- HELP USA: https://www.helpusa.org/