Travis County Decide Andy Brown additionally discusses a voter-approved inexpensive childcare initiative that kicks off subsequent yr.
TRAVIS COUNTY, Texas — Establishing a Psychological Well being Diversion Heart has lengthy been a precedence for Travis County Decide Andy Brown.
And there’s an opportunity building may lastly start in 2025.
The Psychological Well being Diversion Heart is a spot the place these dealing with a psychological well being disaster would go as a substitute of jail.
That, in flip, would ease the burden on the county jail, which nonetheless homes a lot of folks with unmet psychological well being wants who’re ready for beds to open within the Texas state hospital system.
“When folks get arrested, the police right here in Austin and Travis County and the Sheriff’s Division may have one place to take folks,” Decide Brown instructed us on Inside Texas Politics. “They don’t have to know in the event that they’re getting diverted to remedy, or in the event that they’re being arrested essentially, they simply know that there’s one door the place they’ll take them.”
Decide Brown says funding has been put aside on the county degree.
They wish to find the middle on the campus of the Austin State Hospital off Guadalupe Road, however lawmakers must go a invoice permitting it.
Nothing can occur till then, so Decide Brown is hopeful building will begin quickly after the legislative session ends subsequent yr.
Decide Brown can be enthusiastic about inexpensive childcare in 2025.
Travis County turned the primary county in Texas and one of many first within the nation to go an inexpensive childcare initiative on the November poll.
Decide Brown says the slight tax improve will assist eradicate childcare wait lists for fogeys trying to return to the workforce.
“That’s a a number of thousand particular person waitlist. It’s a couple of 24-month wait listing for folks right here in Travis County presently,” the Decide stated.
Travis County voters noticed the necessity and handed the measure with almost 60% of the vote.
Yr one funding begins in January 2025.
Whereas Decide Brown says it should assist the economic system within the brief time period, long-term advantages embody diminished medical prices and higher highschool commencement charges.
“And within the second yr of it, our hope is to assist new suppliers pop up, particularly in locations in Travis County the place there are childcare deserts to ensure our economic system can proceed to flourish, that individuals who wish to enter that workforce can accomplish that and know that their youngsters have nice, high-quality childcare,” stated Brown.
