AUSTIN, Texas — A local organization is getting $1.45 million from Austin to expand access to mental health and substance abuse programs.
The federal grant money comes from the U.S. Department of Justice to strengthen the Downtown Austin Community Court's "mobile court" program.
On Thursday, Austin City Council approved the funding, and several organizations and city leaders supporting the program say they plan to use that money to continue breaking down barriers for people who need resources.
Officials said $500,000 of the money would go toward training case managers on how to check online court cases and deepen partnerships with mental health organizations over the next three years. Another $900,000 will expand the mobile court services, and strengthen connecting people to substance use services over the next four years.
“The advantages of a mobile court program were clear from the start,” Councilmember Natasha Harper-Madison said. “It would allow us to leverage our existing resources and complement the jurisdiction expansion to provide more geographically dispersed options for people across Austin. And it would alleviate barriers for those seeking services by connecting them within their own communities."
The organization's mobile court launched in October 2023 to offer people a different option from their brick and mortar office at the One Texas Center. Operations Manager Robert Kingham said they help populations experiencing homelessness, substance abuse problems, or mental health illness. He added that coming into an unfamiliar building with security may discourage people from seeking help.
Instead, the organization takes its services on the road where staff physically meet clients who may have had run-ins with the law where they are.
“For us, going to them and offering to check their justice involvement, to check if they have any open cases with us, to provide that peace of mind to them," Kingham said. "Then those folks who do have an open case or an open warrant, we're able to immediately connect them to a judge."
Since its launch, the mobile court has checked court cases for more than 1,000 people, docketed 156 cases, and eliminated 46 warrants. The additional funding is a pivotal step in making it easier for people to access resources in a safe, respectful environment.
“At the end of these grant periods, I'm confident that we'll be in a place that will we will have the most effective, efficient and robust mobile court program that we're able to have,” Kingham said.
Alfredo Reyes, an organizer with Vocal Texas, said the mobile court has already helped change his life. Last year, Reyes was homeless with a substance abuse problem, and a criminal record.
“It's very hard and very frightening to go on to get service, not knowing if you're going to get arrested, or who knows what,” Reyes said. “So, for a long time there, I didn't get help because I was afraid. But I was able to see the Downtown [Austin] Community Court, was available to me and looked up my background, and be able to talk to me about what I could or couldn't do.”
Reyes said they helped him connect to services that put him back on medication, and find permanent housing. He's also now employed.
According to the organization, the funding also helps strengthen its partnerships with Integral Care, Austin-Travis County EMS, and the city’s Homeless Strategy Office. Their mobile court clients are usually the same ones who are served at other organizations.
“Access to the critical mental health support, access to the substance use services, access to helping people get access to their vital records in their vital documents ... These are all things that people experiencing homelessness need as they're trying to navigate off the streets and into housing,” Austin Homeless Strategy Officer David Gray said. "Thanks to these federal funds coming into our community, I have extreme faith and confidence that the Downtown Austin Community Courts mobile court program will have an even greater impact for the people who we're all trying to serve."
If you need help from the Downtown Austin Community Court, you can call 512-974-4879 or go to their office at the One Texas Center on Barton Springs Road. They say anyone who comes is eligible to get help.