Sarah Smith covered housing, mental health, poverty and religion for ProPublica's South unit. She previously worked on the Houston Chronicle’s metro desk, where she investigated the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s failure to oversee one of its biggest private housing contractors. Before the Chronicle, she worked at the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, where her investigation into abuse and cover-ups in independent fundamental Baptist churches led to arrests across the country. She also has worked as a legislative relief reporter for the Associated Press in Mississippi and as a fellow at ProPublica, where she investigated Mississippi’s failure to get defendants timely mental health evaluations and Connecticut’s flawed domestic violence laws, resulting in statewide reforms. She is a Livingston finalist and a Deadline Club Award winner.