• CPAL in the news

Eviction less likely for Dallas County tenants who get a lawyer — but most don’t have one

KERA - By Christopher Connelly - January 2024

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A study of Dallas County eviction cases found most tenants lose their cases, forcing them out of their homes and leaving a permanent mark on their record that makes it harder to find housing in the future.

The Child Poverty Action Lab observed nearly 1,300 eviction cases over a nearly six-month period, providing a picture of how eviction cases play out that is rarely seen because courts produce little public data.

The nonprofit found renters rarely have legal representation, though they fare significantly better when they have a lawyer. Their landlords are far more likely to have a lawyer. The study also shows evictions are adjudicated at a blistering pace, with judges taking about four minutes, on average, to rule.

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  • Closing the Gap: The $25M Initiative Aiming to Improve Maternal Outcomes Across DFW

    In the face of discouraging maternal health data in Texas, TCU and UT Southwestern have joined forces to launch the North Texas Maternal Health Accelerator. Since December 2024, 11 philanthropic organizations have committed nearly $25 million to address maternal morbidity, preterm birth rates, and other maternal health conditions at a crucial time for the accelerator.

    • The $25 million commitment from 11 partners across the region comes at a key time for the MHA initiative, which was poised to secure $15 million in federal funding from the Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health’s (ARPA-H) Health Care Rewards to Achieve Improved Outcomes program, an outcomes-based payment model that would have released funds based on measurable impact. When the new administration cut the budget on the eve of the funding being distributed this summer, the future of the MHA was in jeopardy.
    • Despite the lack of funding, MHA forged ahead with one of its goals: reducing severe obstetric complications by more than 20 percent over three years and developing economic models that reward maternal health improvements.
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  • CPAL Launches Mobile Clinic to Enhance Family Planning

    In partnership with Parkland Health, CPAL's Trust Her team launches a mobile clinic to enhance family planning services for Dallas College students.

    • Partnering with Parkland Health Foundation, Dallas College, and philanthropic partners led by the W.W. Caruth, Jr. Fund at Communities Foundation of Texas, a Trust Her mobile clinic has been launched in North Texas to continue CPAL’s work to improve maternal health by helping ensure women and families have the resources they need to plan for their futures.
    • This barrier-free clinic is designed to meet women literally where they are, and to provide same-day access to birth control regardless of ability to pay.
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  • How Big Data Turned an Empty South Dallas Lot Into a Vibrant Plaza

    Alongside community partners, CPAL transformed an empty parking lot into a vibrant plaza and place of positivity.

    • These efforts are aligned with the work of sociologist Patrick Sharkey whose research shows that community organizations–alongside positive activities–can significantly reduce violent crime in their neighborhoods.
    • In 2019, the Malcolm X & Marburg area was the epicenter of violent crime in DPD’s southeast patrol division. By 2021, this area had dropped from the highest risk cell in the patrol division to the 463rd.
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