A Dallas Megadonor, a New Nonprofit, and the War on ‘Housing First’

On October 15, 2024, the Texas Senate State Affairs Committee held a wide-ranging special hearing in the Capitol’s underground extension. The first subject was “addressing homelessness,” an issue that affects tens of thousands of Texans on any given night. Among those who testified were elected politicians, law enforcement officials, and service providers from major cities across the state, as well as Monty Bennett—a Dallas hotelier and major conservative political donor who lacks experience providing homeless services but has given at least $127,500 combined to the campaigns of six GOP lawmakers on that committee since 2015.

“I’ve taken up the charge to try to help my city with this big homelessness problem,” Bennett said. “There’s been a lot of great work, but the point is that it’s just not working, and I do believe that the state needs to get involved.”

Bennett’s criticism that afternoon was relatively measured compared with the language ...