
Equity in Bond Planning
The Student and Family Resource Centers report was completed in collaboration with the Dallas Independent School District and HR&A Advisors. The report features Dallas ISD's Equity in Bond Planning project, an effort to make place-based investments in historically redlined communities so that students and their families have what they need to thrive.
Equity in Bond Planning is a project led by the Dallas Independent School District’s Racial Equity Office to develop concepts for Student and Family Resource Centers within the Lincoln, Roosevelt, Pinkston, and Spruce feeder patterns. The resource centers will be new or renovated facilities that can host programs to improve student performance and address community needs. The District recognizes that students face many out-ofschool factors that impact their education and is collaborating with the community to address these areas. Funding for the resource centers has been identified as part of the 2020 Bond Program. The Child Poverty Action Lab (CPAL) supported the Racial Equity Office with data analysis and community engagement for this project. Other key collaborators include HR&A Advisors, Concordia, and bcWORKSHOP. The report that follows was written under the direction of HR&A with input by Dallas ISD, CPAL, Concordia, and bcWORKSHOP.
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WIC Playbook
CPAL’s WIC playbook features prototypes designed to increase WIC benefit uptake in Dallas through human-centered design.
- The WIC program plays an important role in improving birth outcomes and containing health care costs. Every dollar spent on WIC leads to savings in health care costs from $1.77 to $3.13 within the first 60 days after birth.
- National data shows that in 2021, an average of 12.13 million moms, babies, and young children were eligible for WIC but only 51% actually participated.


Legal representation increases Dallas tenants’ chances of avoiding eviction
CPAL data underscores the importance of legal representation in eviction cases which keeps tenants housed.
- CPAL data reveals how courts rule in landlords’ favor 84% of time when tenants don’t show up; when tenants appear with legal representation, landlords win only 10% of cases.
- Through August, 28,845 evictions have been filed this year in Dallas County, an average of 119 per day, a 223% increase over the same period in 2021 and a 203% increase over the same period in 2020.

2024 Evictions in Dallas County: Understanding Filings, Outcomes, and Displacement
CPAL examines eviction cases in Dallas County in 2024, including record-high filings, varying courtroom outcomes, citation service methods, and the households ultimately
- In 2024, landlords filed 50,117 evictions in Dallas County – 200 per business day — the highest level in 25 years of available data.
- Across Dallas County in 2024, 52% of eviction cases favored the landlord, and 48% favored the tenant. However, case outcomes, especially in contested cases, varied by Justice of the Peace court.
- Ultimately, 17% of eviction cases ended with the execution of a writ of possession, meaning the tenants and their belongings were physically removed from the rental unit.
