$80,506 raised by 108 donors
95% complete
$85,000 Goal
Act exists to see neighborhood safety become a normal reality for everyone, regardless of where they live. To do this, we equip residents who live in high-crime areas to fight crime on their street using the civil justice system. Act's model pursues justice for these families who live in close proximity to high-crime properties by building trust with them and pairing them with highly skilled law firms to hold the owners of these properties accountable for the criminal activity. The goal of Act's model is to see safer, more peaceful neighborhoods, but crime reduction is only a piece of a community's transformation. We are motivated by Christ’s challenge to seek justice. Every family has the right to live in a flourishing community.
Exposure to community violence can have life-long effects on a child's development, and Act has spent the last fifteen years empowering families to remove these sources of their children's trauma. Improved safety also enables partner organizations to more effectively reach residents and work to address other systemic issues in their communities.
Crucial to our model are our partnerships with local neighborhood associations, churches, and nonprofits, as well as the Dallas Police Department, City Attorney's Office, and Code Compliance. Founded in 2009, Act is entering its second decade of impact with a newly adapted-for-scaling model that will expand our mission across the City of Dallas.
Since 2009, Act has empowered over 400 residents to shut down 245+ high-crime properties across West Dallas, South Dallas, South Oak Cliff, Pleasant Grove, and now Fort Worth.
To our knowledge, no other organization nationwide uses our community organizing and advocacy model. Act's vision is rooted in the understanding that for true peace to occur, we must seek the restoration of hope and peace alongside our clients and within their communities:
- Our clients' children witness the transformation of their parents as they switch from survival mode to action - and the impact is catalytic. In the words of one South Dallas client, "I do what I do so that my children can see that if you stand up for something, things can change."
- Clients receive the tools and education to independently maintain their neighborhood's safety.
Act seeks to educate neighbors about their rights, mobilize them into groups, and empower them to seek change together. Volunteer attorneys relentlessly pursue justice for these residents, holding owners of drug houses and other crime-ridden properties accountable.
We need men and women to come alongside us who are eager to stand for justice and see transformation in our city. Donors and volunteers (both legal and non-legal) are a huge part of our efforts to restrict crime and restore hope.
Act exists to make neighborhood safety a normal reality for everyone. To do this, we equip residents to fight crime on their street using the civil justice system.
Criminology research shows violent crime is highly concentrated in certain city blocks, disproportionately affecting low-income communities of color. Consistent across geography and culture, studies show that 50% of crime typically takes place at only 5% of properties in a city (Weisburd 2016). Place theories argue that crime “sticks” to these “hot spots” because of certain factors unique to the street segment. Families living in these areas near high-crime properties known as “drug houses” feel unsafe, like prisoners in their own homes.
As crime and violence spill out of drug houses, nearby families feel like prisoners in their own homes. Individuals must hide during random shootings, knowing their family and property can get caught in the crossfire of violent conflict. The fear associated with crime inhibits the neighbor relationships and civic engagement necessary for community flourishing. Many of our clients report distrust of the police or do not call 911 because they fear for their safety as a “snitch.”
Parents do not allow their kids to play outside due to drugs, prostitution, and even assault or murder on their street. Adverse childhood experiences like community violence—even indirect—traumatize children and impair every level of their development (Lynn-Whaley & Sugarmann 2017). Further, an absence of safety deters legitimate businesses and community development; issues such as poor education, healthcare access, and generational poverty continue.
Recent estimates for the total annual cost of crime in the US range from $2.6 trillion (Miller et al., 2021) to $5.76 trillion (Anderson, 2021), depending on exactly what is included. Importantly, according to Miller et al. (2021), violent crime accounts for 85% of the costs.
Crime is expensive! Act seeks to work with neighbors to inform them about their rights, mobilize them into groups, and empower them to seek change together. Volunteer attorneys relentlessly pursue justice for these residents, holding owners of drug houses and other crime-ridden properties accountable.
We need men and women to come alongside us who are eager to stand for justice and see transformation in our city. Donors and volunteers (both legal and non-legal) are a huge part of our efforts to restrict crime and restore hope.
Act exists to make neighborhood safety a normal reality for everyone. We do this by equipping brave men and women in communities to fight crime on their streets using the civil justice system.
As a Christian justice organization, Act pursues the reversal of the effects of sin at individual, communal, and societal levels. We are committed to studying how systemic racial inequities have shaped areas of our city and allowing that learning to guide our practices, to promote a culture of belonging where all staff and stakeholders are emboldened to exercise their gifts, and aspiring to be an organization that reflects the diversity of our city and the one (and diverse) Spirit-filled body of Christ.
Organization name
Advocates for Community Transformation
other names
Act
Causes
Public Safety
Operating Budget
$3,000,000 - $9,999,999
Counties Served
Dallas, Tarrant
BIPOC Serving
Black or African American, Hispanic or Latinx, Other
Equity Statement
Equity Statement
Address
PO BOX 225225