Harris County is in the process of building its first crisis center for children at risk of entering the foster care system.
The new facility, slated for completion in summer 2027, will be located within Burnett Bayland Park in Gulfton and will be operated under The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, the county’s behavioral and developmental disability care organization.
Amanda Jones, director of government and public affairs at The Harris Center, said in a news release that the new facility will help serve some of the most vulnerable youth in Harris County.
“This is a tremendous partnership between The Harris Center, Harris County, Precinct 4, Harris County Juvenile Probation, Harris County Resources for Children and Adults, the Health and Human Services Commission, and the Department of Family and Protective Services,” Jones said.
Funding the project
Harris County commissioners approved the $8 million grant from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission as part of its consent agenda July 10.
The grant will fund the construction of the new county facility, which will provide temporary, short-term housing and wraparound services for up to 16 children without placement, for up to 30 days.
Once the 30 days pass, the Texas Department of Family Services will assume custody of the children if they are unable to be connected with family members or other guardians, according to the news release.
Dates to know
The grant funding also includes renovation costs for an existing facility within the Precinct 4 park, so The Harris Center can house the children while the new facility undergoes construction.
Renovations on the existing facility are projected for completion by early 2026, at which point children can move in.
Measuring the impact
Each month, about 100 children in state care are classified as Children Without Placement, or CWOP, according to DFPS. These children often have complex needs, according to the state agency, and may be temporarily housed in motels, emergency shelters, or even government offices while awaiting placement.
In May, the state agency ranked the top five characteristics of individuals in CWOP and found that more than 60% identified with:
- Suicidal ideation
- Self-harm
- Psychiatric hospitalizations
- Physical aggression
Zooming out
The Texas Legislature has approved several reforms in the state’s child welfare system over the past decade to address high caseload numbers and turnover rates among case workers, Community Impact previously reported.
The DFPS reported a 38% decline in Texas foster care children since 2015, while Harris County’s foster care population has dropped 49%.
“Over the last several sessions, this committee has taken a leading role in the historic transformation of the Texas child welfare system, and because of your work, Texas is now an example for the rest of the nation,” Andrew Brown, vice president of policy for the Texas Public Policy Foundation, said at a May 7 Texas Senate committee hearing.
Emily Lincke, Danica Lloyd and Ryan Reynolds contributed to this report.
