Under a program to rebuild houses for people with low-income, the city of Dallas awarded $825,000 in federal funds to Kenneth Williams,
a Fort Worth pastor and home-builder, in 2015. But the homeowners,
which included mostly older and disabled residents, now say they have
been victimized with houses that have leaks, lack rain gutters, and a
host of other problems. The program, originally created to provide a
better quality of life with housing for these residents, has been
shelved.
According to The Dallas Morning News,
a simple background check would have revealed that Williams misstated
his financial history on his application and had been barred from doing
similar work in Fort Worth.
The
story of how Williams, the senior pastor at New Spirit of Prayer church
in Fort Worth, came to work for the city is emblematic of problems that
have dogged the Dallas housing department.
Officials there have a
history of being sloppy with federal money and failing to vet whom they do business with, even though providing housing that’s affordable for poor and working-class families is one of Dallas’ most pressing needs.
How a Pastor With an $825k Housing Fund Built a Nightmare For Dallas Homeowners - theGrio
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