Neighborhood Support
Neighborhood Support
Twenty-three percent of Dallas’ population lives in poverty. A shortage of affordable housing and food deserts in parts of the city worsen the problem. The role of Dallas Leadership Foundation (DLF) through our DLF Neighborhoods program is to help leaders transform the neighborhoods they call home.
What We Do
Working in isolation won't lead to transformed communities. The aim of our Neighborhoods department is to equip local leaders in their efforts to reduce crime, increase community engagement, promote safety, and improve housing. DLF rallies these leaders to dream and collaborate.
When members of the community reach out to us, we start by using DLF’s own Neighborhood Vitality Assessment to determine the overall health of their community by measuring employment opportunities, education resources, safety controls, volunteerism, and health needs of residents.
Currently, we work in 13 target areas on a weekly basis to improve their vitality scores, create a list of community assets, establish and/or support Home Ownership Associations, and plan cleanup days, health fairs, surveys, prayer walks, and more.
Our team doesn’t dictate what the dreams for our neighborhoods should be; we let the community tell us what they hope for and then work in partnership with local leaders to leverage resources to bring about the desired change.
Hamilton Park
The Hamilton Park Way documentary details the history of and pride in the Hamilton Park community, a planned Black community in North Dallas, Texas, that was created out of a lack of housing and several bombings that occurred around the city. Stories are captured that reflect communal and individual stories from original homeowners to current residents and from former community leaders to current ones.
In the film, Mary & Thomas Jefferson, aka "Mayor of Hamilton Park" and former president of Hamilton Park Civic League, explain that it was one of the best things getting involved with Dallas Leadership Foundation over two decades ago.