Intern: Housing Big Bet

Job Title: Intern: Housing Big Bet
Department: Housing Team
Employment Type: Part-Time; Non-Exempt
Program Dates: June 15 - July 31
Location: Dallas, TX (Hybrid)
Reports To: Director of Housing Impact

Who We Are:

The Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL) is built on a simple but often overlooked truth: children's outcomes aren't shaped by any single system, but by how multiple systems interact around place. Yet the way we've built our public systems — housing, schools, health care, job supports, neighborhood safety — treats each of those as a separate problem, missing how they compound into overlapping advantages or overlapping burdens in the places children grow up. Since 2018, CPAL has operated as an unofficial R&D department for Dallas, rethinking how data can be integrated into public systems, community programs, and neighborhood life to break cycles of intergenerational poverty.

CPAL's approach focuses on issues that meet two critical conditions: first, they shape childhood experiences in ways that evidence shows influence adult economic outcomes; second, they can be meaningfully addressed using resources and rulemaking authority that already exist locally — empowering communities to act without waiting for state or federal policy changes.

Five design principles guide our work:

1. Start with children and families, and work backward to systems. Change begins with understanding on-the-ground experiences of children and families, then reverse-engineering systems, policies, and processes to improve those experiences. This ensures solutions are grounded in actual needs rather than institutional assumptions.

2. A problem well stated is half a solution. Systemic problems often feel intractable and too big to solve until they’re sharply defined. Real change happens when problems are made concrete, actionable, and replicable.

3. Systems are like a string of Christmas lights. When everything works, the whole string lights up. But one burnt-out bulb — missing data, a confusing process, a broken handoff — can take the rest with it. The burnt-out bulb can change, but finding and fixing it is a repeatable exercise.

4. Have a bias for action. Perfect is the enemy of good. CPAL takes concrete steps forward with the best available information rather than waiting for certainty. We learn by doing and course-correct along the way.

5. Test, learn, and iterate. CPAL experiments fast and iterates with intention. Feedback loops and rapid evaluation help us identify what’s working and amplify insights with the greatest potential.

Overview of Position:

Interns on the CPAL Housing Team will contribute to two CPAL housing initiatives.

1. Voucher Acceptance in DFW

In 2020, the Inclusive Communities Project reported that only 7% of apartment complexes surveyed reported accepting Housing Choice Vouchers (HCVs). HCVs are a federal program to provide rental assistance for low-income renters. However, in Texas, landlords are not required to accept HCVs. As a result, many voucher holders face difficulty utilizing their voucher, and many lose their voucher before they can find housing.

During the summer of 2026, CPAL hopes to conduct a comparable survey and generate fresh data insights into HCV acceptance and the experience of HCV holders in the Dallas area.

2. Homestead Exemption Assistance

Recent analysis by CPAL indicates that tens of thousands of potentially eligible homeowners in Dallas County do not claim the homestead exemption, a lucrative property tax break. Homeowners who may be eligible for but have not yet claimed the homestead exemption are disproportionately located in low-income, majority Black, and majority Latino neighborhoods.

CPAL plans to conduct neighborhood- and ZIP code-level efforts to notify homeowners that they may be eligible and to assist homeowners in claiming their homestead exemption.

Responsibilities:

Voucher Acceptance in DFW

• Call apartment complexes to collect information on voucher acceptance
• Keep organized records on voucher acceptance, to be used for analysis in a future report
• Assist with sampling and survey design

Homestead Exemption Assistance

• Provide basic support to homeowners who request help on their homestead exemption applications
• Keep organized records of the support provided, to be used for future analysis
• Schedule appointments with and maintain a professional calendar for homeowners seeking support

What makes a Housing Intern successful:

• Show a ‘bias to action,’ meaning they are willing to jump into a project, learn quickly, and adapt as needed
• Be organized and understand the importance of accurate and reliable data for future analysis
• Understand how their efforts will influence future housing efforts and help families with their housing challenges.
• Demonstrate an interest in Dallas housing issues

Qualifications:

• Completion of at least 3 years of high school
• Genuine interest in housing issues in Dallas
• Experience using Google Forms and Google Sheets
• Professional proficiency in reading, writing, and speaking English

Program Details:

• Program Dates: June 15 - July 31
• Work Hours: 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
• Hybrid Schedule:
  • On-site in Dallas (required): Tuesday – Thursday
  • Remote: Monday & Friday

Disclaimer

CPAL does not provide legal or tax advice, does not provide property tax consultant services, does not act as a homeowner’s agent, and does not communicate with appraisal districts on a homeowner’s behalf.

Volunteers can assist homeowners only with preparing homestead exemption applications and collecting required documentation. Volunteers should not provide legal or tax advice, should not act as a homeowner’s agent, and should not communicate with appraisal districts on a homeowner’s behalf. All applications and inquiries must be submitted directly by the homeowner.

Volunteers can explain form questions, help the homeowner enter their own information, and review the form for completeness. They should not opine on eligibility beyond restating the criteria found on the form and official instructions, and should not make representations to the appraisal district.

Volunteers must not accept any payment, gratuity, or benefit from homeowners. Staff may be salaried by their organizations, but organizations should not charge homeowners for these services or accept contingent or success-based fees tied to the exemption outcome.