Primary Department: Juvenile Probation
Primary Department Head/Elected Official: Henry Gonzales
Secondary Department: Choose an item.
Secondary Department Head/Elected Official:
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Grant - Award
Project ID (if applicable): Pilot_GY26
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Texas Juvenile Justice Department
MWBE Contracted Goal (if applicable):
MWBE Current Participation (if applicable):
Justification for 0% MWBE Participation Goal: N/A - Goal not applicable to request
Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): 0%
Justification for 0% Grant Indirect Costs Rate (if applicable): Grantor does not allow indirect cost capture
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request by Juvenile Probation for approval to accept from the Texas Juvenile Justice Department grant funds in the amount of $100,000, with no required match, for the FY26 Vocational Pilot Program.
end
Background and Discussion:
The Opportunity Center, operated by the Harris County Juvenile Probation Department (HCJPD) offers an integrated educational and vocational training program for justice-involved youth aged 16 and older. This project addresses the critical gaps that contribute to poor outcomes for this population, particularly in education, employment readiness, and community reintegration.
The target population includes youth under HCJPD supervision who are disengaged from traditional education systems and face significant barriers to employment, often due to trauma, family instability, learning gaps or prior justice involvement.
Expected Impact:
The Vocational Project Discretionary State Aid grant was created to comply with Section 223.001(c), Human Resources Code. The grant is for juvenile justice programs and services, including regional programs and services, that are provided in a non-residential setting and that are evidence-based and designed to improve a juvenile probation department’s ability to serve youth locally, improve outcomes, and decrease the likelihood of out of home placement or commitment to TJJD.
Alternative Options:
The vocational services requested in this grant budget for the Opportunity Center would be paid out of the general fund budget if the grant funds were not available.
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): B3: Increase school-based juvenile justice diversion and other interventions.
Infrastructure Initiative (Goal 2): N/A
Economy Initiative (Goal 3): N/A
Health Initiative (Goal 4): N/A
Climate/Resilience Initiative (Goal 5): N/A
Housing Initiative (Goal 6): N/A
Additional notes related to the Strategic Plan:
Prior Court Action (if any): N/A
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Precinct(s): Countywide
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Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
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Service Name |
Charter School-ETC (The Opportunity Center Pilot_GY26) |
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Total Existing Budget |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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Total Funding Sources |
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Grants - Proposed Budget (For Grants Items only) |
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Local Match Source - Existing Budget: Choose an item. |
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1 |
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Local Match Source - Additional Budget Request: Choose an item. |
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Grant Funds Applied for/Awarded (Total) |
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$100,000 |
$100,000.00 |
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Personnel (Fill out section only if requesting new PCNs) |
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Current Position Count for Service |
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Additional Positions Request |
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Total Personnel |
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Anticipated Court Date: 10/16/2025
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): Click or tap to enter a date.
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or ARPA related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Kelly Barron, Manager of Grants and Special Projects, Juvenile Probation
Attachments (if applicable): Notice of Award, Grant Application, Budget Spreadsheet