Primary Department: Sheriff
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Ed Gonzalez, Sheriff
Secondary Department: Choose an item.
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Position
Project ID (if applicable): ARPA_REENTRYWEC
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
Request by the Sheriff’s Office for approval to update the funding source of 2 positions from Fund 2651 to Fund 1000 effective October 17, 2026.
end
Background and Discussion:
The Little Baker facility, now known as the Women’s Empowerment Center, has been repurposed to house a maximum capacity of 500 minimum- and medium-security women Harris County Jail inmates. HCSO started this facility to ameliorate crowding at the main jail facility and implement holistic approaches to meet the needs of the female jail population. With additional access to resources, HCSO has been able to offer wrap-around reentry and social services that are gender- and trauma-informed, and that set these women up for success upon their release. In March of 2023, Commissioners Court approved the use of ARPA funds to add two full-time Clerk positions to support administrative functions and logistical support through December 2026.
Following recommendations from the ARPA Steering Committee, on April 16, 2026, Commissioners Court approved the submission of requests for ARPA Priority Programs and their inclusion in the Fiscal Year 2027 General Fund Continued Level of Service and Spending (CLSS) projection, starting in October 2026. This included the continuation of funding for these two Clerk positions under the General Fund. This court action requests approval to move the two Clerk positions from ARPA (Fund 1651) to the General Fund (Fund 1000).
Expected Impact:
The approval of the continuation of these two roles will ensure successful execution of Re-entry supports and services for women at the Women’s Empowerment Center. These staff will continue to help operate smooth and efficient systems, coordinating needs assessments, case management, and service provision for re-entry programming.
Alternative Options:
The positions remain in the ARPA-fund through December 2026 and do not transition to the General Fund.
County Strategic Plan Goal: 1. Make Harris County safer and more just.
County Strategic Plan Objective: B: Reduce criminal legal system exposure that does not advance public safety.
Justice/Safety Initiative (Goal 1): D1: Enhance reentry program support.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): Choose an item.
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): Choose an item.
Health Initiative (Goal 4): Choose an item.
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): Choose an item.
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): Choose an item.
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
09/17/2026 |
480 |
Approval of the inclusion of ARPA priority programs in the FY27 Budget identified through the CLS/S process. |
|
04/16/2026 |
188 |
Approval of requests for ARPA Priority Programs and their inclusion in the Fiscal Year 2027 General Fund Continued Level of Service and Spending (CLSS) projection, totaling $14,028,138. |
|
02/26/2026 |
124 |
Approval to direct the ARPA Steering Committee, ARPA Focus Area Teams, and respective Harris County Departments to develop and submit Current Level of Service (CLS) requests for high-priority programs in the ARPA Portfolio in alignment with the Fiscal Year 2027 budget process, totaling $13,945,480.00. |
|
03/14/2023 |
13 |
Approval of two positions effective March 25, 2023, to assist with program coordination and administration functions at the Women’s Empowerment Center, funded with $565,974 in ARPA Local Fiscal Recovery Funds. |
Location: Women’s Empowerment Center
Address (if applicable): 1307 Baker St., Houston, TX 77002
Precinct(s): Countywide
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
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|
|
Current Fiscal Year Cost |
Annual Fiscal Cost |
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|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
Recurring Expenses |
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Funding Sources |
|
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Existing Budget |
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|
|
|
|
1000 - General Fund |
$154,985 |
$ |
$154,985 |
$167,900 |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Existing Budget |
$154,985 |
$ |
$154,985 |
$167,900 |
|
Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
|
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
Total Funding Sources |
$154,985 |
$ |
$154,985 |
$167,900 |
|
Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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|
Labor |
Non-Labor |
Total |
No. of Grant Years |
|
Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
$ |
$ |
$ |
|
|
Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new Position Control Numbers (PCN)s) |
|
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Current Position Count for Service |
- |
- |
- |
- |
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Additional Positions Request |
- |
- |
- |
- |
|
Total Personnel |
2 |
- |
- |
- |
|
County Attorney’s Office Legal Review (for Harris County Code Items only) |
|
CAO Reviewer Name and Title |
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CAO Review Completion Date |
Click or tap to enter a date. |
Anticipated Court Date: 10/15/2026
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): 10/17/2026
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Celina Diaz, Director of Inmate Education and Reentry, Sheriff’s Office
Attachments (if applicable): 3441s