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Dallas needs a middle ground between homeless camps and ‘housing first’

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Dallas needs a middle ground between homeless camps and ‘housing first’


Though headlines this year announced that the homeless head count in Dallas County had gone down, many Dallasites were skeptical. They only have to look out their window to see tents, dirty mattresses and stolen shopping carts.

“This is a constant battle,” read a recent 311 complaint to Dallas City Hall.

In the past 30 days, Dallas’ 311 service has received more than 1,000 complaints about homeless encampments, records show. Residents and businesses complained about homeless people urinating and defecating on the sidewalk or other public places where children can see them. They complained about tents behind neighborhoods and apartments, under bridges and near retail stores, and reported unsheltered people cutting holes through highway fences.

Dallas’ “housing first” strategy to shut down a camp only once a permanent home has been secured for every camp resident is not quick enough to address the disorder that residents live with every day. The city simply cannot tolerate having people sleeping on the street or in wooded areas for days or weeks at a time. We need a middle ground, and the Dallas City Council is right to explore a pilot program for transitional housing options.

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According to a recent council briefing, these would be makeshift homes without foundations, making them temporary structures. Dallas isn’t pioneering anything here; other cities struggling with homelessness have provided a roadmap. Think of tiny, prefabricated homes and refurbished shipping containers arranged neatly on parking lots to create small communities or “villages.” City staff and council members recently visited transitional housing sites in Los Angeles and Atlanta, where nonprofits provide “wraparound” services for residents to get them job training and help them get apartments.

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Each person gets his or her own private unit, and it’s much quicker and cheaper for cities and nonprofits to set up these communities than it is to build an apartment complex or neighborhood.

There is some concern that transitional housing could distract from the city’s efforts to get more permanent supportive housing built. Dallas clearly needs both.

“We talk about what we’re getting: a roof over your head, a door that locks, something that’s waterproof, something that has electricity,” City Council member Jesse Moreno, chair of the council’s housing committee, said at a recent meeting. “And I just can’t understand how some folks can argue against this type of housing versus a tent on the streets.”

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Of course, there will be lots of complexities to sort through. There is the question of where the temporary housing would go and how operating costs would be covered, including social services and security. Dallas has some capital funds earmarked for homelessness to invest as seed money, and council members are interested in a two-year pilot program.

We have concerns about the idea of city-sanctioned encampments that would keep people outdoors, and we cannot tolerate city-sanctioned lawless spaces. The council has to carefully vet temporary housing options and potential private partners. What it can’t do is sit around the horseshoe and accept things the way they are now.

We welcome your thoughts in a letter to the editor. See the guidelines and submit your letter here. If you have problems with the form, you can submit via email at letters@dallasnews.com



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Dallas, TX

Dallas, Mesquite police investigate double murder-suicide

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Dallas, Mesquite police investigate double murder-suicide


A Dallas Police investigation into a double homicide continues after the suspected gunman was found dead from a self-inflicted gunshot wound in Mesquite, authorities announced.

Double murder-suicide investigation

What we know:

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Dallas officers responded to a shooting call in the 15800 block of El Estado Drive in Far North Dallas at 2:40 p.m. on December 11, 2025. The preliminary investigation determined that two people had been shot.

The victims were identified as 24-year-old Arlina Sander, who died at the scene, and 27-year-old Darvilease Washington, who was taken to a local hospital where he later died.

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Detectives quickly identified a possible suspect and a suspect vehicle registered in Mesquite. As Dallas detectives prepared an arrest warrant, they were notified by the Mesquite Police Department about a shooting in that city.

Suspect found dead in Mesquite

The suspect in the El Estado homicides was found dead in the 1000 block of Craig Drive in Mesquite, having suffered an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. The suspect’s vehicle was found in the driveway.

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The Dallas County Medical Examiner has identified the man as 44-year-old Jonathan Lakill Mantoy Jones. His time of death was just after 5 p.m., according to the M.E. report.

What we don’t know:

The motives and circumstances surrounding the offense are still under investigation. 

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Dallas Police ask anyone with information to contact Detective Paul Johnson at 469-271-6328 or via email at paul.johnson@dallaspolice.gov. 

The Source: Information in this article is from the Dallas Police Department.

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Dallas-Fort Worth might see some sunshine on Sunday. Will the coming week be cloudy?

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Dallas-Fort Worth might see some sunshine on Sunday. Will the coming week be cloudy?


After a gloomy Saturday, cold temperatures moved through Dallas-Fort Worth through the evening, though the area is expected to see some sunshine on Sunday.

Temperatures are forecast to reach a high near 43 on Sunday with early morning wind chills in the 20s or lower for parts of North Texas, according to the National Weather Service’s Fort Worth office.

Nighttime temperatures are likely to drop to a below-freezing 28, with wind gusts calming down in the evening after reaching as high as 30 mph during the day.

The coming week is expected to be somewhat sunny, barring some cloud cover during the night.

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Starting Tuesday, the weather is supposed to get warmer with daytime temperatures in the 60s and 70s.

The latest Dallas weather forecast from KXAS-TV (NBC5):

SUNDAY (HANUKKAH BEGINS): Partly sunny, breezy and much colder. High: 44. Wind: N 10-20 mph.

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MONDAY: Mostly sunny and chilly. Low: 28. High: 53. Wind: SE 5-10 mph.

TUESDAY: Mixture of sun and clouds, mild. Low: 43. High: 63. Wind: S 10-15 mph.

WEDNESDAY: Partly sunny and warmer. Low: 53. High: 71. Wind: S 10-20 mph.

THURSDAY: Plenty of sunshine, warm. Low: 56. High: 71. Wind: N 5-10 mph.

FRIDAY: Mostly sunny and pleasant. Low: 47. High: 67. Wind: SE 5-10 mph.

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Participants share their experience as BMW Dallas Marathon weekend begins.

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Participants share their experience as BMW Dallas Marathon weekend begins.


The BMW Dallas Marathon is in full swing this weekend. Events started Friday night and will run through Sunday.

Saturday morning included a 10K, 5K, and the kids’ 100-meter dash, but Sunday is the big day so many runners have been training for.  

From young runners to older runners, thousands participated in Saturday’s events, including one of Santa’s elves.

“Santa made me work today,” said John Schmidt, who participated in the 5K dressed as Santa’s finest.

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Myrna Besley came from Colorado to jog the BMW Dallas Marathon 5K on Saturday morning, pushing her grandson along the way.

“My daughter is a runner, we do this to go along with her, she’s way ahead of us, and she’ll be running in the marathon tomorrow,” Besley said.

Teachers Caroline Menzia and Emma Gayle took a break from the classroom to hit the pavement. 

“We work hard every day in our job, and I don’t know, we wanted to push ourselves outside of our work, to do something for us that we can accomplish,” said Menzia.

Organizers said while a lot goes into planning this event, it’s important for runners to enjoy the journey it’s taken to get here.

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“Have some fun, smile, it’s hard, getting to the finish line is not easy,” Jason Schuchard, president of the BMW Dallas Marathon, said. “But just relax, trust your training, and just remember to smile.”

If you’re one of the thousands of runners running on Sunday, organizers said to arrive early, stay hydrated, and stay warm.  

“Come early, park early, make yourself comfortable, you don’t want to stress out,” said Dr. Logan Sherman, chairman of the BMW Dallas Marathon. “It’s going to be cold, so bundle up and any clothes or any items you want to discard before you get to the start, please know that you can discard it on the side of the corral right before you’re about to take off.”

There will be many road closures in Downtown Dallas on Sunday from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, visit: https://dallasmarathon.com/. 

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