Department: Purchasing
Department Head/Elected Official: Paige McInnis
Regular or Supplemental RCA: Regular RCA
Type of Request: Contract - Amendment
Project ID (if applicable): N/A
Vendor/Entity Legal Name (if applicable): Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative
MWDBE Contracted Goal (if applicable): N/A
MWDBE Current Participation (if applicable): N/A
Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: Exempt - Sole Source
Request Summary (Agenda Caption):
title
Request that the County Judge execute an amendment to a sole source exemption agreement and a renewal option with Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative in the additional amount of $100,000 to amend language concerning payment terms for coordination services for immigration programs for Housing and Community Development Houston Immigration Legal Services Collaborative for the period of January 30, 2025 - January 29, 2026, with no increase in the total contract amount, Justification for 0% MWDBE Participation Goal: Exempt - Sole Source.
end
Background and Discussion:
More than two million people living in the United States are currently facing removal from the country in immigration
court, and millions more are at risk of being placed in removal proceedings at any time. Despite the complexity of
immigration law and the devastating consequences of deportation, and unlike in the criminal legal system, people facing
removal do not have a legal right to representation at government expense if they are unable to afford it. As a result,
nearly 1.3 million people are currently facing deportation without legal representation in the immigration court system.
Many more face removal without ever setting foot in an immigration court, and the Department of Homeland Security
(DHS) reported nearly 240,000 total removals in FY 2020, most likely done without legal representation for the people
being removed.
In Greater Houston, there are almost 100,000 cases pending in Houston’s four non-detained immigration
courts, and 90 percent of people go unrepresented. The average non-detained case takes between 560 to
1,218 days to resolve, leaving the lives of these families hanging in limbo for years. Such uncertainties are
particularly harmful to the children of Harris County, half of whom live with an immigrant parent, and one in
six has a parent who is without lawful immigration status.
The legal services proposal currently provided by the County that includes ILSF for detained adults, SSIL for
survivors of crime, human trafficking and domestic violence, and new programs in development serve to
provide a comprehensive network of immigration legal services from intake, referral to legal representation to to securing immigration relief to the ultimate step of integration through the naturalization. This is a complex
system that requires centralized program coordination to make the most efficient use of public resources
while ensuring that members of our immigrant community can effectively access the service equitably and in
dignity. A Program Coordinator plays a key role in evaluating program efficacy through sound data collection
and analysis to continuously improve programming and build a framework for its sustainability.
Expected Impact:
Harris County seeks a vendor to coordinate the implementation of the following immigration legal services
programs: the existing Immigration Legal Services Fund (ILSF), Survivor Services in Immigration Law (SSIL), and
Immigration Naturalization Legal Services Fund (INSF) including non-detained immigration legal
representation, naturalization assistance, and an Immigrant Resource Hotline. A coordinator will ensure
services are streamlined and the vendors are coordinating with one another and local partners to ensure
access to services for all.
Alternative Options:
None
Alignment with Goal(s):
X Justice and Safety
_ Economic Opportunity
_ Housing
_ Public Health
_ Transportation
_ Flooding
_ Environment
_ Governance and Customer Service
Prior Court Action (if any):
|
Date |
Agenda Item # |
Action Taken |
|
01/30/2024 |
403 |
Financial Authorization |
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Location: N/A
Address (if applicable): N/A
Precinct(s): Countywide
|
Fiscal and Personnel Summary |
|
Service Name |
Coordination Services for Immigration Programs for Harris County Housing and Community Development Department |
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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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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Current Budget |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Additional Budget Request (Requires Fiscal Review Request Form) |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Additional Budget Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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Total Funding Request |
$ |
$ |
$ |
$ |
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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 |
- |
- |
- |
- |
Anticipated Court Date: 10/08/2024
Anticipated Implementation Date (if different from Court date): N/A
Emergency/Disaster Recovery Note: Not an emergency, disaster, or COVID-19 related item
Contact(s) name, title, department: Toi Babineaux, Director, Community Resilience Programs Housing and Community Development; Gisselle Zapata; Senior Buyer, Purchasing
Attachments (if applicable): Letter