DALLAS - The City of Dallas' Dallas Housing Acquisition and Development Corporation (DHADC) and Communities Foundation of Texas (CFT) today announced a new partnership designed to significantly expand housing opportunities across Dallas. Through philanthropic support and strategic collaboration, this partnership will modernize and strengthen the City's land bank operations-an essential tool for increasing housing supply and housing access.
"Public-private partnerships are essential to tackling our most pressing needs as a city. By joining forces with Communities Foundation of Texas, we are continuing to drive opportunity by leveraging our strengths, expertise, and commitment to expand affordable housing options and improve quality of life for Dallas residents," City Manager Kimberly Bizor Tolbert said.
Established in 2004, DHADC has served as a vital mechanism for acquiring, holding, and transferring unimproved real property for the purpose of promoting the supply of affordable housing. Since its creation, DHADC has helped return vacant, tax-delinquent, and underutilized parcels to productive use, supporting both housing affordability and neighborhood stability.
Beginning in fiscal year 2027, DHADC operations will transition into the City's Office of Housing and Community Empowerment (OHCE), whose mission is to enhance the quality of life for all Dallas residents by coordinating housing, social, and community services to reduce homelessness, expand affordable housing, and promote opportunity through collaborative, data-informed strategies.
To support this transition, CFT will provide funding for a one-year, capacity-building initiative that will:
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Develop a five-year strategic plan focused on revenue generation, increased production, and new sources of developable lots.
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Explore mission-aligned partnership opportunities, including with entities such as the Dallas Community Land Trust.
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Increase internal efficiencies in DHADC's land acquisition and conveyance processes to accelerate housing production.
These activities are intended to position DHADC as a more effective, innovative, and high-impact tool for increasing housing supply and broadening access-especially for residents most burdened by rising housing costs.
"Communities Foundation of Texas believes that homes and neighborhoods are the foundation of a thriving community, shaping economic mobility, educational access, health, safety, and long-term well-being. We are committed to partnering with the City of Dallas, funders, and housing partners to accelerate progress and create lasting impact for residents," said Wayne White, president and CEO of Communities Foundation of Texas. "The land bank program has the ability to transform blighted and vacant properties into quality homes for families who have limited access to the housing market. The benefits of this effort have the potential to multiply across the community and generations."
"Land banks are powerful and innovative tools for expanding housing access. This partnership will allow OHCE to modernize DHADC, build strategic capacity, and better utilize land assets to deliver more housing, more efficiently, for the communities who need it most," said Thor Erickson, director of the Office of Housing and Community Empowerment.
"DHADC has demonstrated that strategically returning underutilized land to productive use can create affordable homes, strengthen neighborhoods, and expand opportunity for Dallas families," said Chris Christian, president of the Dallas Housing Acquisition and Development Corporation. "This partnership gives us the capacity to build on that foundation, modernize our operations, and establish a long-term strategy that moves more properties into development faster while protecting affordability. As Board President, I am excited about the opportunity to position DHADC for greater impact, stronger partnerships, and measurable results across our city."
