In East Dallas, a Cry for Help From Low-income Residents Displaced by High-priced Development

At Bryan Song Apartments, in East Dallas, the letters arrived Dec. 10. Tenants living in this Bryan Street complex — in the heart of a neighborhood that has seemingly gone from affordable shabby to overpriced chic in a moment's notice — were told they had 60 days to vacate the premises. "Peacefully," said the notice on Perry Guest Management letterhead, lest there be lawsuits.If you have driven around this area at all, if you have shopped at Jimmy's Food Store or dined on Vietnamese food at Mai's or simply driven between Lakewood and downtown, you know where this is going. If you've sat through just one Dallas City Council discussion about its toothless new comprehensive housing policy, you know how this story ends.An affordable apartment complex — painted a contemptuous shade of dull green in a fast-gentrifying neighborhood — is about to go high-end under a new owner. Which means people have to go — where, they have no idea. Just some place else. Now."It's real stressful, because most of the people that live here, they receive some sort of assistance," said Shatara Blackshire, who has lived at Bryan Song for three years with her son, now 9. She's among the majority of Bryan Song residents who have their rent subsidized with federal housing vouchers and cannot find another landlord willing to welcome them."We need help," Blackshire said.  Continue reading...