Dallas, TX
Finding faith: People experiencing homelessness graduate from Dallas support program
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/dmn/WGRG3SCISFGGPDKJIJW6VHOU54.jpg?ssl=1 "Finding faith: People experiencing homelessness graduate from Dallas support program")
Amanda Steggall, 45, stood in black regalia in a packed room at Dallas Life, a faith-based shelter for unhoused people. She described the anger she felt when she and her two kids lost their housing and ended up at the shelter.
“I felt like there was just no hope,” Steggall said. “And there was just no getting out of it.”
When she found Dallas Life, Steggall said, it was hard for her family to be around so many other people and have to attend classes and stick to curfews and schedules. But eventually, the mother said, she found a job, a support system and a faith that guides her.
On Monday, friends and family of 11 graduates clapped and cheered when the black-robbed cohort held diplomas to their chests. Graduates moved their black tassels with a ’24 charm across their caps.
At any given time, about 100 people participate in the Homeless No More program, which holds several graduations throughout the year.
In about 10 months, Dallas Life’s faith-based Homeless No More recovery program teaches financial literacy, anger management and job-readiness skills to people who have lost their housing and relationships and need extra support.
Graduates are able to secure permanent housing and employment, a path toward re-entering society that looks different for each individual.
Mary Ann Sweeney, the director of the Homeless No More program, told the crowd of about 100 staff members, family and friends that she was proud of the graduates’ journey to overcome past fears and crises.
“God has been so faithful to each one of these graduates,” Mary Ann said. “God is the one who got them to this point. He’s the one that walked side by side. He’s the one who gave him the strength and the courage to stand firm and to follow through to the end.”
The Rev. Bob Sweeney, Dallas Life’s executive director and Mary Ann’s husband, designed the program that’s divided into four phases. The first three phases require participants to remain inside the shelter’s facilities, located near the Cedars neighborhood south of downtown.
Dallas Life, which started housing people in 1954, helps hundreds of men and women focus on their recovery with practical budgeting skills and spiritual healing that aim to repair relationships, Bob Sweeney said.
The faith leader said successful homelessness recovery programs give a person expectations and accountability. “You must have skin in the game,” Sweeney said. “You have to put your best foot forward toward recovery. I want them to walk in the door knowing it took a while to become whole.”
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Steggall lived at Dallas Life with her 14-year-old daughter and 6-year-old son, while her oldest, a 17-year-old son, lived with his dad in Idaho.
“It was hard on them being here at first,” Steggall said. “But just seeing all the struggles that we went through, I know we did it together.”
Steggall said her kids motivated her each day to find a path to stability. Now she works at Haystack, a burger restaurant in University Park, and is finalizing her housing. She and another mother who graduated from the program are searching for housing options as roommates.
“I had to do better for them,” Steggall said. “And, yeah, I think they’re very proud of their mom, and I think it means a lot for them to see me follow through and do something knowing that it was not just for them but for me, too.”
Ronnie Lee Owens, 58, had mixed emotions after graduating from the program. He’s excited to start a new chapter of his personal health, which improved over the past year he’s lived at Dallas Life, which he calls his safe haven.
After developing kidney disease, Owens said, he couldn’t work anymore and eventually lost his little red house, his truck and motorcycle. “I’m starting over again from scratch,” Owens said. “When your health goes bad like that, it’s out of your control.”
After the graduation ceremony, Aleisha Sanders, 44, celebrated with her son, daughter and granddaughter with hugs and cupcakes. Sanders said finishing the program felt like “getting a monkey off her back.”
Although she works in child care full-time these days, Sanders said she wants to put her cosmetology license and skills to work again. “I want to go back to a salon … working for someone and learning what’s news because I’ve been out for a couple of years,” Sanders said.
Sanders and her family live in a home in Mesquite. Her 1-year-old granddaughter, Bleu, has never known a stable home.
“For her whole life, we have been homeless,” Sanders said. “We lived in extended stays. We lived in the car until it got [repossessed]. Then we got into different shelters. It was a long, hard road.”
The Dallas Mavericks are in a tough spot. Through the early stages of the 2025-26 campaign, the Mavericks are a mere 4-12 and have one of the worst records in the NBA.
An unbalanced roster and plenty of injuries are making it more and more likely that the Mavericks won’t be able to dig out of this hole, even if Kyrie Irving is able to return from an ACL injury.
At this point, focusing on the future should be Dallas’s primary objective. The franchise only controls one of its own first-round picks through 2030, and that selection will fall this summer.
READ MORE: Mavericks deliver tough season-ending update on failed Nico Harrison signing
If there’s a path to regaining assets, the Mavericks must explore possibilities, including major moves that would break up the current team.
Trade Rumors Heating Up Around Mavericks’ Anthony Davis, Klay Thompson
It’s no real secret that the Mavericks would part with just about any player on their roster for the right price, including Anthony Davis and Klay Thompson.
According to Dallas Hoops Journal’s Ashish Mathur, Davis and Thompson are aware there’s reportedly “a high chance” the franchise trades them. Both players have been quite disappointing since being acquired by the Mavericks.
Davis was obviously the “crown jewel” in the trade that sent Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. He’s only played in 14 regular-season games since the deal due to a variety of injuries.
So far this year, Davis has appeared in five games, averaging 20.8 points, – tied for the second-lowest mark of his career – 10.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists, 1.6 steals, and 1.2 blocks. He’s missed the last 11 outings due to bilateral Achilles tendinosis and a calf strain.
Davis is signed through the 2027-28 season and is making north of $54 million this season. The 32-year-old is a 10x NBA All-Star and won a championship with the Lakers in 2020.
Thompson is in the second season of a three-year/$50 million contract, joining the Mavericks via sign-and-trade from the Golden State Warriors in 2024.
The veteran sharpshooter has fallen off a cliff this season. Thompson was removed from the starting lineup earlier this season. He’s averaging a career-low 9.7 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.8 assists. Thompson is only shooting 34.7% from the field and 31.3% from three-point range.
Thompson is a 5x NBA All-Star and he won four titles with the Warriors.
Parting ways with a handful of veterans would give the Mavericks an opportunity to fully focus on building around Cooper Flagg.
READ MORE: NBA expert believes Mavericks’ situation is most ‘dire’ it’s ever been
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Major League Soccer today announced FC Dallas’ 34-match schedule for the 2026 MLS regular season. FC Dallas opens its 31st season at Toyota Stadium on Saturday, Feb. 21, against Toronto FC.
Beginning in 2026, all FC Dallas MLS matches will be available to stream for Apple TV subscribers at no additional cost.
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Key items of the schedule
Long road stretch: Dallas will play nine consecutive road matches during Toyota Stadium renovations, the longest stretch in club history. This will kick off before the league’s pause for the 2026 World Cup in May and wrap up at the end of August.
FIFA World Cup break: The league will pause its schedule for the World Cup from May 25 through July 16.
No interrupted playoff schedule: Following Decision Day 2026 on November 7, the league will observe the November FIFA window before beginning one month of uninterrupted 2026 MLS Cup Playoffs action, culminating in 2026 MLS Cup. The complete postseason schedule will be announced at a later date.
First time against Charlotte: While the two clubs met in the 2023 Leagues Cup, FC Dallas will get its first match against Charlotte FC in league play when they visit the Queen City in early October.
Against the East: Including Charlotte and the opener against Toronto, Dallas will also face Nashville SC, D.C. United, the New York Red Bulls, and the Columbus Crew. Dallas last faced Toronto, D.C. United and the Red Bulls in the 2024 regular season and last faced Nashville and Columbus in 2023. Dallas will visit Charlotte FC for the first time.
Copa Tejas: There will be a pretty long stretch between games against the Houston Dynamo in 2026, with the first coming in March and the follow up in Houston in October. On the other hand, Dallas will see Austin twice within a month’s time.
Halloween game: Yes, Dallas will play a game on Halloween night. I believe this could be the first league game for Dallas on Halloween, but don’t hold me to that.
Wednesday night soccer: There will be seven mid-week games in the regular season for FC Dallas in 2026.
DALLAS – A Dallas police officer has been placed on administrative leave as the department’s Internal Affairs Division investigates a fatal crash from earlier this year.
An attorney representing the victim’s family says a lack of transparency has only fueled their frustration.
Officer on leave after fatal crash
What we know:
According to Dallas Police Chief Daniel Comeaux, Senior Corporal Jaime Castro was placed on administrative leave last Friday. The department would not provide further details, saying only that the internal investigation remains active and ongoing.
DPA President identified
The backstory:
The case dates back to March 15, when Atianna Washington was struck and killed while crossing the 2500 block of West Northwest Highway. Police said the vehicle involved stopped at the scene.
FOX 4 cameras captured Castro, wearing a white T-shirt, speaking with other officers and shaking hands at the scene that night.
Castro, a 26-year veteran of the department, joined the Dallas Police Department in 1998 and is currently assigned to the Operational Technology and Alarm Unit.
He was elected president of the Dallas Police Association in January after serving on its executive board since 2016.
Questions on driver’s identity
What they’re saying:
Attorney Scott Palmer, who represents Washington’s family, said the family has struggled to get answers from police.
“When there’s an investigation into one of their own, an internal affairs investigation, we typically don’t get a lot of information,” Palmer said. “We don’t get reports, we don’t get body cams. So, it’s frustrating.”
Palmer said questions about who was driving the vehicle that hit Washington have lingered since the night of the crash.
“There’s always been an open question in my client’s mind, and in ours, as to who was driving,” he said. “The crash report says it was the girlfriend,” said Palmer.
Police have not identified Castro’s girlfriend, and no criminal charges have been filed in the case.
Internal investigation status
Dig deeper:
When contacted by FOX 4 on Thursday, Castro’s attorney declined to comment.
Palmer said he believes the internal affairs investigation is now gaining traction but expects the process to move slowly.
“There’s a lot of questions, very few answers,” he said. “She is the victim here. She’s young. She’s no longer able to speak for herself. That’s why the reports and the witness statements are all important. But we have a loss of life here, and this is critical, this is serious.”
What’s next:
Dallas police have not said whether the internal affairs investigation is directly related to the March crash.
FOX 4 has requested body camera video, incident reports, and internal police records connected to the case.
The Dallas County District Attorney’s Office has not yet said whether the case will be presented to a grand jury.
The Source: Information in this article was provided by FOX 4’s Casey Stegall.
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