DAI tenant advocacy for improved conditions in low-income Bachman Lake apartment complexes continues to pay off, partly due to increased collaboration with bilingual housing code inspectors. Spanish speaking Dallas Area Interfaith leaders have been at the forefront of action, including meetings with City officials and educational meetings with residents.
“It was all our initiative. We had to reach out and push for these meetings because families said ‘enough,’” said Ericka Ventura of Dallas Area Interfaith.
After meeting [with DAI], the city held information meetings in Spanish to educate tenants about their rights, explaining how to report issues through the 311 line, city website and a mobile app. City officials also took reports in person.
Dallas’ Department of Code Compliance has been working with...tenants, holding community meetings to listen to their concerns. Ventura said that over time, more families began to attend community meetings, speak up about their problems and spread the word.
[Photo Credit: Liesbeth Powers, The Dallas Morning News]
Bachman-area Tenants See Improvements after Pushing Dallas Code Compliance for Help, The Dallas Morning News [pdf]
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