Dear Friends,

Everyone deserves to feel safe in their communities, have access to health care, and hold agency over major life decisions such as whether or when to have children or whom to marry. Many generations of activists, lawmakers, and everyday citizens have devoted their life’s work to securing those fundamental human rights. They sacrificed their lives and livelihoods. They marched while others stayed home. And they spoke up when doing so came at an immense cost. Unfortunately, recent Supreme Court rulings made possible by a pernicious legacy of voter suppression pose the greatest threat to civil rights in recent decades.

The overturning of Roe v. Wade and the unraveling of gun restrictions will have repercussions across all states, cities, and counties, disproportionately harming women of color, young people, those struggling to make ends meet, the LGBTQ+ community, and other marginalized populations.

In Harris County, we are doing our part to stand up, speak out, and take action. On Tuesday, June 28, Commissioners Court approved my resolution affirming that abortion is essential health care and a human right rooted in the principles of freedom and equality. On June 14, colleagues supported my resolution calling for the state Legislature to hold a special session to address gun violence and school safety. But our work to protect people’s rights to reproductive health care and the ability to live in communities free of violence extends beyond legislative actions.

We will not back down in the face of these attacks on our values. Harris County is a place of inclusivity and diversity, where we protect the freedoms of individuals to reach their fullest potential. We believe all people should have access to reproductive care. We believe schools, neighborhoods, and businesses should be welcoming places free of violence. We believe families should have access to child care, and people should have the opportunity to pursue meaningful work. It’s that simple.

None of this work would be possible without the support of our communities. Thank you for making the following initiatives possible:

GUN BUYBACK PROGRAM SET FOR JULY 30
Even though overall crime rates are down, gun violence is plaguing our community. From 8 a.m. to noon July 30, I will join Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner in a gun buyback program at Wheeler Avenue Baptist Church, 3826 Wheeler Ave.

VIOLENCE INTERVENTION PROGRAM LAUDED
We’ve increased law enforcement budgets across the board, but now we are taking action to address the root causes of crime. Harris County’s Office of Community Health and Violence Prevention Services and its inaugural programs were recognized by Center for American Progress (CAP) for approaching gun violence from a public health perspective.

“Harris County treats gun violence as a public health issue,” the article states. “They engage in multipronged violence intervention programs that include identifying vulnerable individuals in neighborhoods and even in hospitals to divert them from high-risk activities; sending ‘credible messengers’ out to the community to mediate disputes and provide pathways for resources to connect individuals with the help they need; and addressing root causes through ‘coordinated care teams’ made up of caseworkers from a variety of disciplines who work with individual clients and connect them with services such as mental health counseling, drug treatment, employment, and exiting gangs.”

WORKING FAMILIES GET SUPPORT
Before and during the pandemic, Precinct One and Harris County created programs to help working families struggling with issues such as housing, childcare, and low wages. These actions have included:

• A $15 minimum wage on all Harris County building construction projects and multi-family housing construction
• Consideration of contractor safety record in awarding bids
• Consideration of health care in awarding bids

On housing, the Houston-Harris County Emergency Rental Assistance Program has provided over $280 million in rental assistance to almost 70,000 households impacted by COVID-19 since the program launched in February 2021.

Other initiatives include Harris County, the City of Houston and private donors working with the Coalition for the Homeless in 2020 to create the Community COVID Housing Program (CCHP), which is a $65 million plan to serve 5,000 people experiencing homelessness over two years to limit the spread of COVID-19. Also in 2020, Harris County invested nearly $1 million of CARES Act funds to increase access to justice for renters at risk of eviction through the Housing Legal Services Initiative.

We have also invested millions of dollars in childcare access. The Contracted Slots Pilot Program (CSPP) is a three-year, $50 million initiative designed to establish up to 1,000 new slots in high-quality child care centers by contracting with existing centers to open new classrooms. Slots will be exclusively available to children ages 0 to 4 who live in Harris County areas with a high social vulnerability, or who are members of families facing economic hardship.

BUILDING AN ECONOMY WHERE EVERYONE GETS A SHOT
Harris County has made progress in utilizing underserved firms in its procurement process. MWBE utilization has been increased by 119% since the county’s disparity study was released two years ago, according to the Department of Economic Equity and Opportunity’s MWBE Utilization Report for the period of June 2021 through February 2022. Progress is still needed, but we are well on our way.


Sincerely,

REMEMBRANCE PARK: IMPROVING PARKS