Harris County commissioners voted this week to develop a program that addresses behavioral well being and social welfare points in an effort to scale back legislation enforcement intervention.
Commissioners authorized 16 new employees positions to assist the county’s Holistic Help Response Group (HART) and Relentless Interrupters Serving Everybody (RISE) packages. The unarmed, cell disaster response models as a part of the HART program will serve all unincorporated components of the county, which incorporates Houston, as a part of the enlargement.
Jimmy Nguyen, a disaster intervention specialist and subject supervisor for the county, mentioned the HART program is about caring for individuals.
“We meet individuals on the worst days of their lives, and we stick with them by way of the journey,” Nguyen mentioned. “We’re there for the disaster and we’re there for the restoration.”
Commissioner Rodney Ellis mentioned the county has responded to greater than 20,000 non-violent, psychological health-related 911 calls for the reason that HART program launched in March 2022. This system operates with 11 groups, every composed of 1 disaster intervention specialist and one licensed EMT.
“HART is getting individuals the assistance they want after they want it most, reducing our jail inhabitants, serving to clear court docket again logs and lessening the DA’s case logs, releasing up time for legislation enforcement and EMS for true public security and medical emergencies which they’re higher outfitted to deal with,” Ellis mentioned.
The HART program has been working in Precinct 1 and Precinct 4, that are represented by Ellis and fellow Commissioner Lesley Briones, respectively. It’s now increasing throughout the county.
This system is a part of Harris County Public Well being.
“We need to be sure that we’re offering care not cuffs the place applicable and in occasions of disaster the place it has nothing to do with crime,” Briones mentioned. “We’re connecting individuals to the assist they want, not reserving them in our already overcrowded jail.”
