Dallas city leaders announce beautification project as part of initiative to reduce violence
DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Dallas city leaders announced a new public safety initiative they hope will crack down on crime in the Mill City neighborhood in South Dallas.
Abandoned houses, trash and blighted properties plague the neighborhood which city leaders said has turned from mostly home owner neighborhood to a renter community.
On Tuesday, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson announced a $100,000 grant through the mayor's Safe Communities Fund along with $50,000 from the District 7 discretionary American Rescue Plan Act to help fund this initiative.
Builders of Hope Community Development Corporation will be the ones in charge of using this money to implement this initiative.
"In order to build strong communities, those communities have to be safe," said James Armstrong, President/CEO of Builders of Hope Community Development Corporation.
Turning this neighborhood into a safer place for people to live and visit is the goal of this strategy.
Mayor Johnson pointed to the city of Philadelphia who used this tactic to reduce crime and he said it's working.
"Statistically significantly reduction of crime in areas where they had a lot of boarded up properties, dilapidated properties and lots with discarded trash," said Johnson.
According to the Dallas Police Department, Mill City has a problem with criminal activity. Since 2017, in Mill City, which has more than 5,000 households, reported more than 400 theft offenses, more than 400 property destruction offenses, nearly 300 burglaries, almost 200 motor vehicle theft cases, more than 100 robberies and over 550 assaults documented.
"We have criminologist that will tell you that across the country, the common dominator in these areas is are decay," said Dallas Police Chief Eddie Garcia.
Residents like Alendra Lyons have deep respect for this community, "When I was a kid it was a beautiful place."
But it's not the same place she remembers.
"When I came back 30 years later it was different, it wasn't good," said Lyons.
This new initiative gives Lyons and others who call this place home, hope for a brighter future.
"I want the kids that I work with that live here to stay here but I want it to be a place of safety and beautification," added Lyons.
Armstrong said this money will fix up to 80 lots, each costing $5,500 to $7,500.
City leaders hope this strategy will work in more neighborhoods in the future.