The why
The program follows a March 2023 report that revealed Travis County has a significant number of individuals with mental illness being arrested for nonviolent offenses and repeatedly cycling through the jail system.
About 40% of all incarcerated people in Travis County Jail suffer from mental illness, Travis County officials said at a Jan. 23 Commissioners Court meeting. That number jumps to 70%-80% when accounting for people with substance abuse disorder.
The framework
The program will depend on many of the county’s existing public health and housing services.
The county will connect people experiencing a mental health crisis with peer support services at Via Hope and Communities for Recovery, and housing services through the Finding Home ATX initiative.
Integral Care—the county’s mental health provider—will expand its Psychiatric Emergency Services program to be open 24 hours. The walk-in clinic will be available to any adult having a mental health crisis, at any time, regardless of their ability to pay.
Integral Care will also establish a Therapeutic Diversion Program at the Genevieve Tarlton Hearon Respite Recovery building downtown. The 25-bed facility will provide wraparound services and 90 days or more of respite care depending on the person’s needs.
The details
The program is open to adults who need behavioral health services, including those who are already in the Travis County Jail system. People can be referred to the facility from the PES program, court judges, attorneys or Integral Care’s jail liaison.
Integral Care case workers won’t be assigned to more than five clients at a time to give more individualized care, officials said. The facility will offer an array services, including:
- Harm reduction
- Nutrition counseling
- Housing navigation
- Medical and psychiatric care
Robert Lilly, an Austin-based criminal justice organizer, spoke in support of the program during public comment. Lilly said he has been advocating for jail reform on behalf of his brother who has been in prison for 19 years.
“He's in prison for an incident that could have been addressed as a [mental] health issue and not a criminal issue. But it escalated to the point that he now faces legal ramifications,” Lilly said. “Nineteen years, and we could have addressed it on this side first. So my heart is invested in seeing us have a solution here today.”
The breakdown
The program will cost $23.7 million over the next three years. The funding will be split among state and local entities as follows:
- $6 million from Travis County
- $6 million from the city of Austin
- $5.5 from Central Health
- $2.2 from Integral Care
- $4 million from state grant, if awarded
