How a highway caused a housing problem ... which led to section 8 vouchers

 one key chapter in the story is the construction of R.L. Thornton Freeway directly through the middle of the neighborhood in the early 1950s.

The Road to Disinvestment: How Highways Divided the City and Destroyed Neighborhoods

The West Dallas housing project opened in 1955 and was a solution to the “Negro Housing Problem.” Across Dallas, individuals didn’t want black families in white areas. “…the need for additional low-income housing to keep blacks from moving into white areas” became known as the “Negro Housing Problem.” Dallas City Council member Roland Pells advocated for “an entire Negro city” to be built next to the Trinity River.” However, black leaders did not support this plan (Walker v. US Dept. of Housing & Urban Dev.,1989).

 

1955: Racially Segregated Housing Opens