Primary Department: Public Health Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Leah Barton - Executive Director
Secondary Department: N/A
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Transmittal
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): N/A - Not a grant item
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Transmittal by Public Health Services of a proposed countywide strategy to address food insecurity, with recommendations for addressing both short-term and long-term needs.
end
Background and Discussion:
Food and health are inextricably linked. Regular access to sufficient, nutritious food is foundational to physical health, mental well-being, and overall quality of life. Lack of access to adequate food, also known as Food Insecurity, is a key non-medical driver of health outcomes and reflects broader economic, infrastructural, and social conditions. In Harris County, food insecurity is widespread despite the region's economic strength. Approximately two in five households in Houston and Harris County are food insecure, nearly three times the national average. 65% of surveyed residents report worrying about running out of food in the past year. Food insecurity rates are highest among Black (53%) and Hispanic (47%) residents and among households earning less than $35,000 annually (59%). Community members living in food-insecure households are more than twice as likely to report poor or fair physical health, and nearly two-thirds report having at least one physical health condition. Economic pressures are a primary driver, with 44% of households falling below the ALICE threshold in...
Click here for full text