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Eula Wilson stands with Felisa Conner, president and CEO of Frazier Revitalization, moments after learning that the nonprofit will build her a new home. Photo by Camilo Diaz Jr.<\/p>\n
Here\u2019s the gist:<\/p>\n
Frazier Revitalization<\/a>\u2018s Healthy Homes initiative aims to preserve affordable housing and prevent displacement in the Bertrand and Mill City neighborhoods of South Dallas by repairing or rebuilding homes for legacy residents that have been in their homes for at least 10 years. Wilson is one of two Mill City homeowners receiving a brand-new home through the program this spring.<\/p>\n A home assessment through Frazier\u2019s Healthy Homes program found unsafe living conditions, including mold, rotting wood, lack of hot water, and no functioning heating or cooling system. The nonprofit determined rebuilding the home was a better solution than repairing it.<\/p>\n The $150,000 project is funded primarily by an anonymous donor, with additional support from TREC Community Investors. Construction is expected to take between 90 and 100 days.<\/p>\n Wilson\u2019s story highlights the challenges some homeowners have faced navigating home repair assistance programs. While the City of Dallas works to relaunch its home repair programs<\/a> under a new administrator, nonprofits like Frazier Revitalization are stepping in to help residents with urgent housing needs.<\/p>\n \t\t\tShow more\n\t<\/p>\n After more than five years of applying for help through the City of Dallas\u2019 home repair programs<\/a>, Mill City resident Eula Wilson is finally getting what she\u2019s needed all along: not just repairs, but a brand new home<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n The rebuild, led by South Dallas nonprofit organization Frazier Revitalization<\/a>, comes after a home assessment through the Frazier Healthy Homes<\/a> program revealed unsafe living conditions. The decision to rebuild the home highlights both the gaps in the City\u2019s system<\/a>, and the growing role that community organizations are playing to fill them.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tabatha Levi, director of community engagement at Frazier Revitalization, said the organization first met Wilson two years ago at a \u201cTry It! Tuesday\u201d community workshop, a recurring monthly program hosted by the nonprofit.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen she started coming, she told me that she needed help with her house. And I said, \u2018What do you need?\u2019 And she said, \u2018Everything,\u2019\u201d Levi recalls. \u201cAnd that\u2019s all she ever said to me. So we did not know the extent of the repairs she needed.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n Over the last year, Wilson began sharing more about her experiences applying for help through the City<\/a>. Levi says Frazier has heard similar stories from other neighbors.<\/p>\n \u201cA lot of people come and talk about the City of Dallas, and how their repair program is somewhat restrictive,\u201d she said. \u201cWe get it, which is why we\u2019re not. We want to be able to help as many people as we can.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018This is going to be bigger than a rehab\u2019<\/p>\n When Dallas Free Press published an earlier story about Wilson<\/a>, it brought renewed attention to her situation. Dallas Free Press shared the story with Felisa Conner, Frazier\u2019s president and CEO, who sent it to Levi.<\/p>\n \u201cI just thought it was an info article to explain everything Eula\u2019s working through,\u201d Levi says. \u201cBut I still didn\u2019t understand the extent.\u201d<\/p>\n Frazier then scheduled a full home inspection of Wilson\u2019s home, including a plumbing scope and title search. This is part of their standard process for every homeowner, Levi says, regardless of whether they can ultimately provide support.<\/p>\n When Levi arrived with a general contractor from D L Construction Management<\/a>, Wilson was sitting on the porch with her sister and daughter, laughing together.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m thinking, \u2018OK, this is going to be bigger than a rehab,\u2019\u201d Levi says.<\/p>\n Levi\u2019s primary concern with Wilson\u2019s home is that it is not \u201csafe and healthy.\u201d She describes evidence of mold, rotting wood, and how sunlight seeps through the rafters. Wilson had been without hot water for years, and there was no functioning heating or cooling system.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou see the conditions,\u201d Levi explains, \u201cand how her spirit doesn\u2019t match her home. She is so warm, loving and kind. We know that she deserves to be in a space that represents who she is.\u201d<\/p>\n After the assessment, Levi says the contractor was explaining how much it was going to take to piece the home back together. Levi stopped him.<\/p>\n \u201cI told him, \u2018Just give me the numbers for a rebuild, and we\u2019ll see what we can do.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n Our reporting approach<\/p>\n What do Dallas residents need from journalists when it comes to housing?<\/a><\/p>\n That question has guided our housing coverage for years. Through conversations with residents, nonprofit leaders and community advocates, we repeatedly heard that one of the biggest challenges facing homeowners was accessing the resources needed to repair and remain in their homes.<\/p>\n Those conversations led to the creation of our\u00a0Home Repair Resource Guide<\/a>\u00a0and an ongoing reporting project examining how Dallas\u2019 home repair programs work, who they serve and where residents encounter barriers. Since the City paused many of its home repair programs in 2024, we\u2019ve continued following the story \u2014 tracking policy changes, documenting residents\u2019 experiences and reporting on what comes next.<\/p>\n This story is part of that continued effort.<\/p>\n \u2018Everybody deserves a safe and healthy home\u2019<\/p>\n They did not tell Wilson right away. Instead, Levi took the findings back to Frazier\u2019s leadership. When she presented the photos to Connor, Levi was direct.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s a total knock down. I\u2019m not a [general contractor], but I know that her home is not safe. I know her home is not healthy. And everybody deserves a safe and healthy home to live in.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n The cost of Wilson\u2019s new home is estimated at $150,000. Most of the funding comes from an anonymous donor, Levi says, with additional support from TREC Community Investors<\/a>. D L Construction Management<\/a> is building the home at cost as a way to give back to South Dallas.<\/p>\n The project is currently waiting on the City of Dallas permitting process. Construction already began on the project, and the contractor estimates about 90 to 100 days to complete.<\/p>\n Frazier\u2019s team offered to place Wilson in temporary housing arranged by DL Construction Management. However, she is opting to stay with her son, Chris Wilson, instead.<\/p>\n \u201cD L Construction Management has built a property over here in South Dallas, and the people are going to now use it like a hotel house,\u201d Levi explains. \u201cThey bill us for the monthly cost, and we pay that through the budget that we have for each project.\u201d<\/p>\n Frazier Healthy Homes: A solution for preserving affordable housing<\/p>\n The Frazier Healthy Homes<\/a> initiative aims to preserve affordable housing, circumvent gentrification, and help build generational wealth. Their goal is to positively impact 90 homes owned by legacy homeowners, which means they have been in their homes for more than 10 years. They support neighbors in the Bertrand and Mill City neighborhoods of South Dallas living in unsafe and unhealthy conditions.<\/p>\n Levi says the scope of repairs has grown significantly since the program began. Initially, they thought the rehabs were going to cost about $15,000 each. Then, they bumped the scope to $35,000, then $50,000, then $85,000 \u2014 it kept going up.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cYou go in thinking, \u2018Oh, it\u2019s just a roof,\u2019 or \u2018They just need a new foundation.\u2019 No, it\u2019s plumbing, electrical, floors, foundation, soffit, fascia \u2014 it\u2019s all of that stuff that goes into making a home safe and healthy.\u201d<\/p>\n Wilson is not the only neighbor receiving a brand new home this spring. Frazier is rebuilding another home in Mill City as well, located just around the corner from Wilson\u2019s home.<\/p>\n Once a homeowner is accepted into the program, they\u2019re invited to a \u201csigning appointment,\u201d which also serves as a design session. Homeowners can choose everything from exterior colors to flooring and finishes.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re able to do things that maybe they didn\u2019t get to do 35 or 60 years ago, but they\u2019re able to do that now. They didn\u2019t inherit this. It\u2019s brand new, and it\u2019s their picking.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition to rebuilding homes, Frazier is launching a new partnership with the North Texas Food Bank<\/a> to help furnish them. The food bank receives returned and gently used or slightly damaged furniture from Nebraska Furniture Mart that normally would be discarded, but this partnership will allow Frazier to fully furnish the homes.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen they move back into their home, then they\u2019re able to really live in a home that\u2019s safe and healthy. I keep saying that,\u201d Levi says. \u201cYou know, a dining room table is more than just a dining room table. It\u2019s a place for family. That\u2019s what builds community.\u201d<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/Ms.Eula-10.07.25-09-1600x1067.jpg\")
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