Working Title with Zach Sams
Fixing Downtown Dallas: Homelessness, Crime & What Comes Next
Downtown Dallas has faced some serious challenges in recent years — from homelessness and crime to struggling businesses and concerns about whether people still feel safe coming into the city. On this episode of The Working Title Show, Mark Nunnley joins the conversation to talk about the work being done to change that. Mark shares how his career with the Ashford Group of Companies eventually led him into civic work focused on downtown Dallas, including efforts to better understand and reduce unsheltered homelessness. He discusses the data-driven approach being used to track homelessness and crime, the progress already made in the central business district, and why accountability matters if Dallas wants to create lasting change. The conversation also explores **Pathways Dallas**, a developing initiative inspired by San Antonio’s Haven for Hope model, designed to bring shelter, mental health services, addiction treatment, and other resources together in a more coordinated way. They also get into the bigger picture: public safety, city services, taxes, infrastructure, Deep Ellum, the future of downtown, and what it will take for people to feel confident investing, living, working, and spending time in Dallas again. If Dallas wants a stronger downtown, the path forward starts with tackling the issues people can see and feel every day — and making sure the solutions actually work.
