The Texas governor’s comments came amid controversial changes to Austin’s ordinances, which many said criminalized homelessness. While San Antonio officials say they’ve reduced the visibility of people experiencing homelessness downtown, their overall numbers remain stagnant.
Juan Pablo Garnham
Juan Pablo Garnham covered urban affairs for the Tribune in 2019-21, focusing on the main challenges of the state’s largest metro areas — Houston, Austin, San Antonio, El Paso and Dallas-Fort Worth, where he was based. He previously worked as senior producer for the podcast In The Thick, editor of CityLab Latino and city hall reporter for El Diario in New York. He has also taught at the Craig Newmark Graduate School of Journalism at CUNY. He is from Santiago, Chile, and the Texas flag constantly reminds him of his home country.
Texas’ biggest cities scramble to figure out what the 2019 legislative session will cost them
Property tax reform and a ban on red-light cameras are among bills that will hit city budgets. Local officials across the state are trying to calculate just how much money they’ll forgo as the laws take effect.
Why homelessness is going down in Houston but up in Dallas
Although the view on the streets might tell a different story, Houston decreased its homeless population by 54% since 2011, according to an annual census. In Dallas, the trend is the opposite — and housing affordability might make the problem even worse.
“We need to be prepared”: The tough conversations immigrant families are having as deportation fears consume Houston communities
Although the president delayed an Immigration and Customs Enforcement operation targeting families with deportation orders, anxiety remains among the undocumented community of Houston.

