Twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, Together Louisiana's Community Lighthouse strategy is being recognized as a national model for disaster preparedness. Bloomberg News highlighted the initiative for "strengthening the capacity of local communities to respond to emergencies."

Hurricane Katrina was one of the most catastrophic storms in U.S. history, displacing millions and leaving many in oppressive heat without power or clean water. One of those displaced was Bianchi Hughes, who was just nine years old when she and her mother fled to Mississippi. They had to leave her father behind at a hospital that later flooded and permanently shut down after its generators failed.

Now, Hughes serves as a leader and the director of disaster relief with Together Louisiana. 

In a shared commitment to building bridges of integration, reconciliation, and fraternity, The West/Southwest IAF participated in the Third Fratelli Tutti Synodal Meeting. The gathering took place in Washington D.C. on July 28-29 and was sponsored by the Latin American Episcopal Council (CELAM), and the Pontifical Commission for Latin America (PCAL) through the Bridge Building Initiative, in collaboration with the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).

Those in attendance included West/Southwest IAF Co-Director Joe Rubio, Secretary of the Pontifical Commission for Latin America Dr. Emilce Cuda, Bishop Daniel E. Flores of Brownsville, as well as labor representatives, entrepreneurs, and social organizations across the Americas.

Responding to pressure from The Metropolitan Organization (TMO), the City of Houston has issued demolition orders for two long-vacant buildings, one of which is a strip mall that has been abandoned for over 30 years.

COPS/Metro is gaining significant traction in its fight against Project Marvel, the city's multi-billion dollar proposal for a publicly-funded downtown entertainment district and Spurs stadium. 

With a track record of moving tens of thousands of adults from poverty-level jobs into living wage careers, the West/Southwest IAF Labor Market Intermediary Programs are a testament to the power of organized people to deliver economic mobility. Last week, directors from seven of these programs participated in the Workforce Directors Convening in Houston:

• VIDA (Rio Grande Valley)
• Project QUEST (San Antonio)
• Capital IDEA (Central Texas)
• Capital IDEA (Houston)
• Project ARRIBA (El Paso)
• NOVA Workforce Institute of Northeast Louisiana
• Arizona Career Pathways

In response to changes in immigration law enforcement and the upsurge in ICE detentions and deportations, Dallas Area Interfaith (DAI) is developing a legal representation strategy for people in detention.

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ACTION Tulsa, a nonpartisan nonprofit organization, hosted an event this week at Congregation B’nai Emunah titled “Who Is My Neighbor?” The event focused on dispelling myths about immigration and featured the story of Mohammad Paiman Faqirzada, an Afghan immigrant who resettled in Tulsa in 2021.

Over a year after Hurricane Beryl and a derecho windstorm made thousands of homes uninhabitable, TMO (The Metropolitan Organization) leaders and allies persuaded the City of Houston to boost funding for home repair from zero to $100 Million, using federal disaster recovery dollars. 

While the restaurant industry has poured massive resources into national and state campaigns that pretend to help workers but really cut pay, New Yorker named Coloradans for the Common Good (CCG) as a key group that successfully protected tipped workers despite these deceptive practices.

Working hand in hand with workers, unions, and local businesses, CCG stopped every version of a dangerous bill that would have forced cities to slash wages for tipped workers or stripped towns of the right to set fair, local minimum wages. Introduced in March 2025, this bill targeted wage gains in Denver, Boulder, and Edgewater. CCG organized a press conference and gave legislative testimony with Towards Justice, CWA 7777 and the Colorado AFL‑CIO, making it clear: tipped workers deserve fair wages on top of their tips—not shrinking paychecks. As a result, lawmakers backed down and removed the worst parts, preserving both workers’ pay and local control.

Together Louisiana led the charge to ensure Black representation in Congress after the legislature failed to draw districting maps that reflected recent demographic changes. 2020 Census data showed the black population of Louisiana increased while the white population decreased. Nonetheless, the state maintained five white and one black U.S. congress members. Despite consistent requests from residents to redraw congressional lines and create the opportunity to elect a second black congressperson, the legislature refused.