Primary Department: Universal Services
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Sindhu Menon, Executive Director & County CIO
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Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Transmittal
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Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
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Transmittal by Universal Services of an update of the 311 Homeless Encampment and Complaint Tracking.
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Background and Discussion:
On May 8, 2025, the Harris County Commissioners approved a motion to direct Universal Services to update the 311 System to align with the Flood Control policy for tracking homeless encampments and complaints. The Commissioners Court also requested a report back from Universal Services in September 2025. The goal is to ensure a consistent and coordinated approach to addressing homeless encampments in the floodway.
Phase II Progress Update:
The Project Team successfully completed the comprehensive routing map and finalized cross departmental alignment to establish a fully coordinated workflow. With 90% of the development now completed for HCPC 1, HCPC 2, and HCPC4, continued collaboration with HCPC3 remains underway, to finalize its process flow and ensure full integration into the unified model.
Key Milestones:
Engaged external partners (including the City of Houston and the Coalition for the Homeless) to assess collaboration and data sharing opportunities on 04/21/2026
Coordinated and met with Constables, Sheriff’s Office, Public Health, and HCD to clarify roles and responsibilities on 04/24/2026
Mapped Commissioner Precincts 1,2,3, and 4 intake, routing, and communication processes - Completed 4/27/2026
Business Requirements Document (BRD) have been signed by 3 of the 4 stakeholders - 06/22/2026
Grooming completed on 7/9/2026
Development started on 7/13/2026
Next Steps
10/2/26 - Development completion
10/8/26 - Quality Assurance Testing (Test Environment)
10/12/26 - User Acceptance Testing
10/16/26 - Bug fixes and retest
10/21/206 - UAT Sign Off
10/21/26 to 10/26/26 - Training
10/22/26 - Deployment begins
11/5/2026 - Go-Live
Expected Impact:
Once the new routing model is implemented, the updated workflow data will begin to populate in the existing Homeless Encampment Dashboard. Over a period of one month, the dashboard will begin reflecting the updated routing outcomes and statuses. We expect clearer and more reliable reporting by December 17, 2026.
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Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any):
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May 8, 2025 |
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To direct Universal Services to update the 311 System to align with a new policy for tracking homeless encampments and complaints. Coordination: Universal Services is required to work with: Sheriff's Office, Constable Offices, Flood Control District (FCD), Housing & Community Development (HCD), Public Health (PHS), Partners like the Coalition for the Homeless Additional context: The goal is to ensure a consistent and coordinated approach to addressing homeless encampments in the floodway. |
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September 18, 2025 |
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Harris County Universal Services (HCUS), in coordination with the Flood Control District, met with several internal and external partners-including the Sheriff’s Office, Constables, Housing and Community Development, Public Health Services, and the Coalition for the Homeless-to develop a strategy for updating the 311 system. |
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February 12, 2026 |
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Phase I of the initiative was completed on schedule by January 20, 2026. Harris County Universal Services (HCUS), in collaboration with the Flood Control District (FCD), finalized the development of the 311-intake form, which included map-based location pinning, required fields for encampment details, and options for uploading photos and documents. |
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May 14, 2026 |
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Phase II commenced after completion of the intake form and focused on documenting how all Commissioner precinct offices triage homeless encampment requests. The team mapped intake and communication workflows, clarified agency roles, engaged city and nonprofit partners to assess collaboration opportunities, and began establishing improved cross agency communication pathways. |
Location:
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Precinct(s): Countywide
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Anticipated Court Date: 9/17/2026
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Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department:
Liz Lo, Chief Operating Officer, Chief Operating Officer
Natali Hurtado, Director, Strategic Operations
Attachments (if applicable):
311 Transmittal