Cypress Edition | May 2025

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Cypress Edition VOLUME 16, ISSUE 9 MAY 9JUNE 9, 2025

TEXAS LEGISLATURE

Rep. Hull aims to reform child welfare system Local nonprots mixed on bill's potential impact

BY RYAN REYNOLDS

A new bill led in the Texas Legislature aims to level the playing eld for families involved in the state’s child welfare system. House Bill 2216, led by Rep. Lacey Hull, RHouston, who represents parts of Cy-Fair, would extend the legal standards Native American families receive under the Indian Child Welfare Act to all Texans. The bill raises the threshold for removing children from their homes and prioritizes placing them with relatives when possible. HB 2216 has drawn mixed reactions from local nonprot leaders. Vince Duran, CEO of Boys and Girls Country, said it reects a growing eort to keep children with their families. Lisa Johnson, executive director of Entrusted Houston, said she believes the bill would have little impact locally, as it pro- poses practices that are already happening.

Lisa Johnson, executive director of Cypress-based Entrusted Houston, organizes the nonprot’s resource center, which provides clothing, furniture and other essentials to children and families in foster care.

CONTINUED ON 18

COURTESY ENTRUSTED HOUSTON

Also in this issue

Impacts: Get the details about plans for a new Trader Joe’s store in Towne Lake (Page 6)

Government: Discover how a new Harris County Precinct 3 ood mitigation tactic works (Page 9)

Education: Find out why Cy-Fair ISD is expecting enrollment decline (Page 13)

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About Community Impact

Owners John and Jennifer Garrett launched Community Impact in 2005, and the company is still locally owned today with editions across Texas. Our mission is to provide trusted news and local information that everyone gets. Our vision is to build communities of informed citizens and thriving businesses through the collaboration of a passionate team. Our purpose is to be a light for our readers, customers, partners and each other by living out our core values of Faith, Passion, Quality, Innovation and Integrity.

Market leaders & metro team

Reporters Jovanna Aguilar Angela Bonilla Melissa Enaje Valeria Escobar Wesley Gardner Rachel Leland Emily Lincke Nichaela Shaheen Jessica Shorten Julianna Washburn Graphic Designers Richard Galvan Ellen Jackson Matt Mills Haley Velasco Aubrey Vogel Kevin Vu

Angie Thomas General Manager athomas@ communityimpact.com

Martha Risinger Jesus Verastegui Taylor White Ronald Winters Account Executive Ashley Green Senior Managing Editor Matt Stephens Senior Product Manager Kaitlin Schmidt Quality Desk Editor Sierra Rozen

Danica Lloyd Senior Editor dlloyd@ communityimpact.com

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Impacts

5 Autism Testing 4 Kids Autism evaluations and assessments are available for children ages 18 months to 7 years. • Opened Feb. 1 • 11240 FM 1960, Ste. 201, Houston • www.at4k.com 6 Goldfish Swim School The swim school provides lessons for children of all abilities from 4 months to 12 years old. • Opened April 1 • 24310 Hwy. 290, Ste. 100, Cypress • www.goldfishswimschool.com 7 The Little Gym The facility provides gymnastics and exercise classes for children between 4 months and 12 years old and hosts birthday parties, camps and parent-child classes. • Opened March 10 • 22314 FM 529, Ste. 1000, Cypress • www.thelittlegym.com 8 Burlington The department store offers clothing, footwear and accessories for men, women and children. • Opened March 28 • 10787 Jones Road, Houston • www.burlington.com 9 Fidelity National Title The full-service title insurance company handles the transactions and closings for real estate agents, investors and people looking to buy or sell a home. • Opened in March • 26321 Hwy. 290, Ste. 600, Cypress • www.fidelitytitlehouston.com 10 Pet Vet 365 The business operates daily and offers preventative, urgent, advanced, surgical, dental and behavioral care. • Opened May 5 • 9430 Fry Road, Ste. 400, Cypress • www.petvet365.com/cypress

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Now open

1 Walmart The 203,790-square-foot store offers groceries, household items, apparel, a pharmacy, a vision center and an auto care center. • Opened April 30 • 8927 Fry Road, Cypress • www.walmart.com 2 Nothing Bundt Cakes The franchise opened a new Copperfield location offering various sizes and flavors of bundt cakes for pickup and delivery. • Opened in early April

3 JuiceLand The business offers plant-based meals, juice cleanses, tonics and wellness shots. • Opened April 11 • 9430 Fry Road, Ste. 600, Cypress • www.juiceland.com 4 Busta’s Burgers The menu features gourmet burgers, salads and grilled chicken wraps. • Opened April 1

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The Patch Boys The business provides drywall repairs, including plaster repair, drywall installation, popcorn ceiling removal and texture matching services. • Opened March 31 • www.thepatchboys.com

• Opening in June • 7440 FM 1960, Houston • www.cypressassistance.org

Coming soon

16 Amped Fitness The fitness center will offer a women-only section, cold plunges, red light therapy saunas, tanning, dry saunas and an athletic zone. • Opening this summer • 17340 Hwy. 249, Ste. 150, Houston • www.ampedfitness.com 17 Goodwill Goodwill sells gently used items such as clothes, home goods, furniture, electronics, jewelry and books. • Opening date TBD • 10760 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress • www.goodwill.org The Easthaven Collection A new series of single-family homes coming to Bridgeland Central will bring urban-inspired architecture. Construction begins this summer. • Opening date TBD • www.bridgeland.com

Coming soon

11 Party Mini Golf The family-friendly business will feature a 19-hole mini golf course, music from across decades, TVs and drinks. • Opening this summer • 14443 Vintage Preserve Parkway, Houston • www.partyminigolf.com 12 Luce Avenue Coffee Roasters The specialty coffee shop offers unique coffee drinks, freshly roasted coffee beans, fresh-baked pastries and breakfast tacos. • Opening in June

20 Trader Joe’s The store carries fresh produce, snacks, meat and seafood, frozen items, baked goods, beer and wine, and flowers and plants. Founded in 1967 in California, the national chain retailer is known for its branded products, including Mandarin Orange Chicken and Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups. A Texas Department of Licensing and Regulation filing shows construction will end in December. • Opening date TBD • 9715 Towne Lake Parkway, Cypress • www.traderjoes.com

• 20725 Tuckerton Road, Cypress • www.lucecoffeeroasters.com

13 Spanish Schoolhouse The Spanish-immersion center offers part-time and full-time preschool and kindergarten programs, summer camps, and after-school classes. • Opening in June

Relocations

18 Huemn After outgrowing its previous location at 118 Vintage Park Blvd., Ste. D, Houston, Huemn health optimization studio has moved to a larger space in Vintage Park. • Relocated April 8 • 130 Vintage Park Blvd., Ste. A, Houston • www.behuemn.com 19 FASTSIGNS The business is moving from Hwy. 290 with new ownership. It offers custom signs and visual solutions. • Relocation date TBD • 15932 Cypress N. Houston Road, Cypress • www.fastsigns.com

In the news

• 8231 Greenhouse Road, Cypress • www.spanishschoolhouse.com

21 Salt & Sugar Gastro Bar Owner Martin Garcia said the eatery has expanded with an outdoor patio and weekend brunch.

14 EōS Fitness The 24-hour fitness center will open at the former LA Fitness site. The gym offers group classes, strength training, filming space for content creators and more. • Opening in 2026 • 9244 W. Sam Houston Parkway N., Houston • www.eosfitness.com 15 Angels’ Attic Resale Store Cypress Assistance Ministries is opening a second resale store. The shop accepts donations of new and gently used products and resells them to generate revenue for CAM.

• 16010 West Road, Houston • www.saltandsugarhtx.com

22 Black Walnut Kitchen & Bar The cafe rebranded and got interior and exterior updates in early April. Breakfast, lunch, dinner will continue to be served.

• 10623 Louetta Road, Houston • www.blackwalnutcafe.com

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Government

BY RYAN REYNOLDS

Harris County Precinct 3 invests $11M in drainage projects 28,000 gallons per minute, creating extra space. The Cypress Park detention pond can hold up to 120 acre-feet of water, equivalent to about 60 Olympic-sized swimming pools, Ramsey said. Construction recently started on Precinct 3’s

With more than $11 million in taxpayer dollars on the line, Harris County Precinct 3 is piloting two ood control projects aimed at improving drainage via detention ponds at Cypress Park and Deputy Darren Goforth Park. “We now have another tool in our toolbox to help prepare for when a storm event happens,” Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey said. “We are using every technique we know about to try to keep water in the creek and out of people’s homes.” How it works At Cypress Park, the county is installing a manually operated valve system that allows crews to lower the pond’s water level ahead of major storms. The $6.7 million project is designed to reduce ooding from Cypress Creek by creating extra capacity in the pond before rain hits. Ramsey said the process begins two to three days before a forecasted storm, when crews open the valve to drain the pond at a rate of about

second pilot pond enhancement project at Goforth Park, where ocials are installing a pump system to provide additional detention for Horsepen Creek. Once complete, the park’s detention pond will hold up to 250 acre-feet of water. Ramsey said crews will pump the water level down between storms to create space ahead of the next rainfall. What’s next As of press time, the Cypress Park project was set to be completed by May, while construction at Goforth Park is scheduled to nish by the end of 2025. Ramsey said Precinct 3 will monitor the performance of both sites and use watershed mod- els based on past storms to identify areas where similar detention strategies could be eective.

Harris County Precinct 3 is piloting ood control projects at two Cypress-area parks to improve drainage.

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Education

BY DANICA LLOYD & RYAN REYNOLDS CONTRIBUTIONS BY HANNAH NORTON

Cy-Fair ISD received a “B” for the 2022-23 school year with 80 out of 100 possible points in the Texas Education Agency’s accountability ratings system for school districts statewide. The ratings were released April 24 after a delay due to lawsuits, TEA officials said. The announcement follows an April 3 ruling by Texas’ 15th Court of Appeals, which overturned a lower court’s injunction that had blocked the 2023 ratings for over a year. In September 2023, CFISD was one of over 100 school districts to sue TEA Commissioner Mike Morath, arguing the agency’s revamped accountability system was “unlawful” and would unfairly harm school districts. According to the TEA, 9.5% of districts earned an “A” rating, while 42.4% earned a “B.” About 33% received a “C,” 13.7% earned a “D” and 1.2% earned an “F.” Cy-Fair ISD earns ‘B’ rating for 2022-23 Cy-Fair ISD accountability ratings Since the A-F system launched in 2017-18, CFISD has only received three official ratings due to three years of State of Disaster declarations. 2017-18: Not rated due to Hurricane Harvey 2018-19: B (89) 2019-20: Not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic 2020-21: Not rated due to the COVID-19 pandemic

In a nutshell

the school year had already wrapped up. • The TEA changed accountability guidelines after State of Texas Assessments of Academic Readi- ness and end-of-course exams were completed. • An investigation is underway related to a new scoring system for STAAR tests that year, includ- ing an automated scoring engine using artificial intelligence. • The STAAR exam that year was required to be taken online “with an expectation that students in third grade and older would have expertise in manipulating online tools.” “Students are punished with no knowledge or control over the change in rules they were play- ing by. This is the equivalent of winning a close football game, then discovering your touchdowns were only worth three points each instead of six— so now you lost the game,” Killian said.

The state’s A-F accountability system was designed to measure whether students are ready for the next grade level and how well each district prepares them for success after high school, Community Impact previously reported. “For far too long, families, educators and com- munities have been denied access to information about the performance of their schools, thanks to frivolous lawsuits paid for by tax dollars filed by those who disagreed with the statutory goal of raising career readiness expectations to help students,” Morath said in an April 24 news release. TEA officials said the methods of calculating 2022-23 ratings were “updated to more accurately reflect performance.” CFISD Superintendent Doug Killian said the district participated in the lawsuit because: • The TEA didn’t release the accountability manual for 2022-23 to districts until Oct. 31, 2023—after

The breakdown

according to TEA data. Elementary schools averaged an 80, middle schools averaged an 85.6 and high schools aver- aged a 78.5.

CFISD schools with 50% or more economically disadvantaged populations averaged a 77, while campuses where less than half of the students were economically disadvantaged averaged a 90,

District snapshot, 2022-23

Cy-Fair ISD ratings by campus, 2022-23 A: 20 B: 24 C: 37 D: 6 F: 1

3rd largest school district in Texas 117,686 students enrolled 58% economically disadvantaged 11.5% special education

19% emergent bilingual 92.6% average attendance rate 21.7% missed 10% or more of the school year

2021-22: A (90) 2022-23: B (80)

SOURCE: TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT

What’s next

with the highest degree of transparency to deliver the best outcomes that we can for our kids,” Morath said April 22.

“A-F ratings are very public, and so that is a leadership challenge that our leaders bear, but this is the cross that we bear for being publicly funded and having the public’s children in our schools. It’s up to us to operate

The TEA remains blocked from issuing ratings for the 2023-24 school year due to a separate lawsuit, which is pending in the state appeals court. Morath also said the TEA intends to release ratings for 2024-25 on Aug. 15.

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Education

BY RYAN REYNOLDS

Cy-Fair ISD is expected to see a 1.1% enrollment dip from 118,057 to 116,757 students by 2034, according to a report demographics firm Population and Survey Analysts presented at an April 10 board meeting. PASA officials based their projections on job growth, socioeconomic trends, housing construction, and charter and private school plans. Although CFISD is expected to see a slight drop in enrollment, PASA President Stacey Tepera said the district is entering a new phase in its natural demographic cycle known as stabilization. Tepera said the trend is driven by several factors, including limited land for new housing, more students choosing alternative education options and fewer babies being born. “There’s not one simple answer to say what is happening to enrollment in this district,” Tepera said. “It’s very complicated, and there are lots of factors that go into it.” Enrollment to decline in CFISD

A closer look

Single-family developments

1 Bridgeland 2 Avalon at Cypress 3 Grand Mason 4 Dunham Pointe 5 Marvida

6 Bridge Creek 7 Elyson 8 Wisteria 9 Richfield Ranch 10 Crossing at Cypress Lakes

PASA projections show most of CFISD’s growth is focused in the western part of the district near the Grand Parkway, while student populations in many other areas continue to decline. Around 33,120 new housing units are expected to be built over the next decade in neighborhoods such as Bridgeland, Marvida, Avalon at Cypress, Dunham Pointe and Grand Mason, among others. Still, PASA demographer Angela Fritz said the district is about 91% built out as of 2025, which limits space for further housing development and future enrollment growth. “Many of these declining forces have been happening for years. They were just masked by this incredible … growth from new housing. And now that is tapering off, we’re beginning to see the impact of those declining forces more and more,” Tepera said.

Cy-Fair ISD

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SOURCE: POPULATION AND SURVEY ANALYSTS/COMMUNITY IMPACT

the specific details of the final policy. PASA reports the district has seen a 59% increase in students transferring to charter schools since 2017 compared to a 44% statewide increase. About 8% of students living in Cy-Fair ISD in 2023-24 did not attend CFISD schools.

Also of note

Projected Cy-Fair housing growth More than 32,000 new housing units are planned for Cy-Fair over the next 10 years.

About 7,000 students have transferred out of CFISD to pursue alternative education options such as private, charter and homeschooling, Tepera said. That number is growing by 400- 500 students annually and could increase by roughly 1,800 over the next five years, with eight new charter campuses expected to open in and around the district. Tepera said the impact of pending voucher legislation on CFISD enrollment will depend on

Multifamily units 17,187 Single-family units 13,812 Build-to-rent units 1,193

• 5,233 attended charter schools. • 3,064 attended private schools. • 944 attended other ISDs. • 725 attended virtual academies.

SOURCE: POPULATION AND SURVEY ANALYSTS/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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Education

BY RYAN REYNOLDS

Cy-Fair ISD projects $50M shortfall

“I really want to put some money aside as well to try to address and bring back

as many of those [bus] routes as we possibly can. Beyond that, it’s really just a case of, what are we going to get from the Legislature?” DOUG KILLIAN, CYFAIR ISD SUPERINTENDENT

With $1.2 billion in projected expenses, Cy-Fair ISD is exploring options to address a projected $50.1 million budget shortfall for scal year 2025- 26. CFISD Chief Financial Ocer Karen Smith said at the April 15 meeting the shortfall is due to a lack of state funding and an anticipated 1% drop in student enrollment, among other factors. A closer look Public schools in Texas have not seen an increase in the basic allotment of $6,160 per stu- dent since 2019, according to the Texas Education Agency. Smith said the current state funding formula does not account for cost-of-living increases or ination, which rose by 20% from 2019 to August 2024, according to a CFISD presentation on Feb. 6. To cut costs, CFISD administrators are rec- ommending reducing the number of unlled positions by 2%, which could save about $18 million, Smith said. The district is also considering

adjusting teacher allocations to match the pro- jected 1% drop in enrollment, potentially saving an additional $6.8 million. Smith said the district expects a $5.4 million increase in spending to cover a full year of trans- portation salaries and instructional software. Superintendent Doug Killian outlined several of his top priorities for the district, including: • A general pay increase to help with teacher retention • $1,000 stipends for teachers at economically disadvantaged campuses • Stipends to teachers in special education and other critical shortage areas • Using savings to address police ocers, parapro- fessionals, bus drivers and other positions What’s next CFISD ocials will hold a public budget work- shop May 22 and plan to adopt the budget June 23.

“We had a decit budget [for] this current budget, we’ll be looking at a

decit budget [for] the next budget, and of course, if you run decit budgets, ... you run out of money. That is denitely not sustainable.” JUSTIN RAY, CYFAIR ISD TRUSTEE

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COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

Transportation

BY LIZZY SPANGLER CONTRIBUTIONS BY MELISSA ENAJE

Under Senate Bill 2722—authored by Sen. Paul Bettencourt, R-Houston—excess Harris County Toll Road Authority revenue would be distributed to commissioner precincts based on the percentage of roads they maintain. Precinct 3 oversees 47% of unincorporated county roads, Commissioner Tom Ramsey said, while Precincts 1 and 2 each oversee 15%. Precinct 4 oversees 23% of unincorporated county roads. “I’m being severely underfunded,” Ramsey said during testimony to the Senate Transportation Committee on April 9. Bill targets toll road funds Breaking down the bill Under SB 2722, HCTRA toll road revenue would be required to go toward operating, expanding, maintaining, or administering a toll project or system; or to retire debt related to a toll project or system. Of the revenues that remain after paying the costs of the above: 70% goes to Harris County for road maintenance

On the other hand

Funding breakdown For Harris County’s fiscal year 2024-25, each precinct received the following amount from the county’s mobility fund:

While the HCTRA is responsible for operating and maintaining the safety, reliability and sus- tainability throughout Harris County’s toll roads, the county’s jurisdiction does not include feeder roads, county officials said. Harris County’s mobility fund utilizes its surplus HCTRA revenue to fund eligible transportation projects across all four county precincts. Precinct officials’ project oversight must fall under the umbrella of the Texas Transportation Code that includes costs related to the design, construction, maintenance, repair or operation of roads, streets, highways or other related facilities, according to county budget documents. The bill also would require independent audits to ensure toll revenue funding is allocated properly—a notion HCTRA Executive Director Roberto Trevino said already takes place through independent audits.

$79.8M

Precinct 1 Precinct 3 Precinct 2 Precinct 4

$39.9M $72.1M $68.6M

SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY OFFICE OF MANAGEMENT AND BUDGET/ COMMUNITY IMPACT

“There has been a lot of information shared by various agencies about the validity of this pro- posed legislation. This includes interpretations of HCTRA’s financials as well as its law enforcement and incident response services on the toll roads. Those testimonies do not reflect a true picture of HCTRA’s critical role in providing mobility options for the growing region,” Trevino said in a statement.

Before you go

Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones spoke out against the bill during Commissioners Court on April 10. As of press time, SB 2722 passed the Senate on April 29 and had been sent to the House, according to Texas Legislature Online. A companion bill, House Bill 5177, was left pending in committee as of press time.

During testimony before the Senate’s transportation committee on April 9, Houston Fire Chief Thomas Munoz and Houston Police Chief J. Noe Diaz testified in support of SB 2722. Christine Lee, the director of legislative affairs for Precinct 2, testified against the bill on behalf of Commissioner Adrian Garcia. Other officials who testified against the bill include Trevino and Adam Haynes, the policy director at the Conference of Urban Counties.

30% goes to Houston for reimbursement of toll road- related emergency services

95% of the funds must be allocated to commissioner precincts based on the percentage of roads owned and maintained 5% can be allocated to other county departments or projects

SOURCE: TEXAS LEGISLATURE ONLINE/COMMUNITY IMPACT

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CYPRESS EDITION

Rep. Hull aims to reform child welfare system From the cover

A closer look

In a nutshell

impact as she feels its measures are already being practiced. “I would really hope, at the very least, Repre- sentative Hull would know that ‘active efforts’ are definitely happening by the case workers, especially in Harris County,” she said. Overall, foster care numbers have declined over the past few years locally and statewide. Family Freedom Project, a statewide non- profit focused on defending parental rights and protecting families, reported Texas removed 55% fewer children from their homes in 2024 compared to 2018. Officials attributed this decline to state reforms.

Inconsistent standards and poor communi- cation often lead to unnecessary separations, Duran said. By adopting ICWA’s family-first principles, he said the bill would give all Texas families the same legal protections. “Many times, kids were removed a little too quickly based solely on the testimony of an angry 12-year-old or based on family members who were going to make false allegations because there was a divorce or some type of legal action,” Duran said. On the other side, Johnson, who started Entrusted Houston to support foster and adop- tive families, said HB 2216 may not have much

The Indian Child Welfare Act, passed in 1978, protects Native American children by requiring strong evidence before removal and prioritizing placement with family or tribal communities to preserve cultural identity. HB 2216 would extend these protections to all Texas families by requiring the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to make “active efforts,” rather than the current “reasonable efforts,” to reunite children with their families. The bill also raises the standard for terminating parental rights from “clear and convincing evidence” to “beyond a reasonable doubt” and prioritizes placing children with relatives. “My bill, as in ICWA, requires an appropriate— albeit limited—service plan providing resources that can help the parent protect their due process rights while still ensuring safety and welfare of the child,” Hull said during a March 25 hearing. “That plan could be limited to counseling or parenting classes and would in no way include visitation due to safety concerns.”

Children in substitute care*

Foster care students in Cy-Fair ISD

Texas Harris County

500

48,889

50,000

331

400

40,000

27,405

300

30,000

159

200

Foster care reform efforts

20,000

5,640

2,389

100

December 2015: A federal judge declares the Texas foster care system “broken.” May 2017: Senate Bill 11 creates the Child Protective Services Legislative Oversight Committee; House Bill 871 makes it easier for state agencies to work with faith-based organizations. January 2020-December 2021: Statewide, 21 facilities housing 13 or more children are shut down or have their licenses revoked. September 2021: The Texas Legislature funds $83.1 million in SB 1 to hire 312 caseworkers; HB 5 allots an additional $90 million to the DFPS. October 2021: Gov. Greg Abbott approves a new panel to analyze the rising number of foster care children without a placement. Jan. 29: Hull files HB 2216. June 2: Lawmakers convene for the final day of the regular session.

10,000

*WHEN A CHILD IS REMOVED FROM THEIR HOME, SUBSTITUTE CARE CAN INCLUDE FOSTER CARE, GROUP HOMES OR PLACEMENTS WITH RELATIVES. SOURCES: TEXAS DEPARTMENT OF FAMILY AND PROTECTIVE SERVICES, TEXAS EDUCATION AGENCY/COMMUNITY IMPACT

Who it affects

Duran said Boys and Girls Country plans to pilot a program supporting single mothers and their children in 2026. The nonprofit, which houses children from families in crisis, also helps guardians strengthen their parenting skills and trains local teachers on supporting children from traumatic backgrounds. Between Oct. 1, 2023, and Sept. 30, 2024, 85 children lived at Boys and Girls Country. During that time, the organization received more than 500 calls for help and reunited 14 children with their caregivers. Entrusted Houston supports children awaiting foster care placement during this transitional period. The nonprofit also assists caregivers through its resource center and hosts a yearly holiday drive, which served more than 2,800 children in 2024.

Former Cypress Christian School student William Swan said he spent several years in the foster care system growing up because his biological family was “very dangerous.” He was separated from his brother for over a year before their case worker ultimately helped get them adopted into the same family. “It was very hard for me because I didn’t get to reach out to my brother sometimes, and we lost contact for a little while,” he said. “I believe [HB 2216] could do some good. I believe it could potentially help with keeping a family together, [but] I think it just depends on the case.” Agencies in Cy-Fair are supporting families in alignment with the Family First Prevention Services Act of 2018, which focuses on helping children stay safely with their families, reduc- ing the need for foster care placements.

In 2025: 41.8% of DFPS-involved children are in kinship settings 90.5% of emergency reports get a face-to-face response within 24 hours

31.3% is the turnover rate for Child Protective Investigations employees 91.8% of nonemergency reports get a face-to- face response within 72 hours

COMMUNITYIMPACT.COM

BY RYAN REYNOLDS CONTRIBUTIONS BY EMILY LINCKE

What they’re saying

Get involved

Entrusted Houston www.entrustedhouston.org • Serve in the resource center • Donate clothing, baby supplies and furniture Boys and Girls Country of Houston www.boysandgirlscountry.org • Mentor and tutor children • Collect and help organize donations, including clothing and toiletries Presbyterian Children’s Homes and Services www.pchas.org • Support the organization’s special events • Host a drive to collect needed items BEAR…BE A Resource www.bearesourcehouston.org • Help out during events • Donate BEAR bags, hygiene packs and school bags Family Ties www.familytiesfrs.org • Offer community outreach, administrative and fundraising support • Serve at events and in the youth mentoring program How to help

Entrusted Houston serves 300-400 children each month, and nonprofit officials said that wouldn’t be possible without the collective support of individuals, churches, businesses and community organizations. “We have definitely seen an increase over the years, and the calls have only been growing in numbers lately,” Johnson said. Duran, an ordained minister and church board member, encouraged anyone interested in supporting foster families to reach out to their local churches. He said many churches in Cy- Fair offer post-adoption support services. He said churches view supporting foster and adoptive families as a form of ministry, helping the state shoulder the responsibility of caring for children who have been removed from their homes. Boys and Girls Country and other organizations are always looking for volunteers, Duran said.

“Poverty situations alone will no longer constitute neglect [under HB 2216].” REP. LACEY HULL, RHOUSTON

“This is more of a crisis than people realize. It’s not until they have a family member or loved one

get involved with the CPS system that they realize how dysfunctional it is.” VINCE DURAN, CEO, BOYS AND GIRLS COUNTRY

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CYPRESS EDITION

Dining

Events

BY JOVANNA AGUILAR

Urban Skillet serves up gourmet halal burgers After winning an award for the best halal gour- met burger in California, Urban Skillet owner Omar Qureshi opened its rst Texas location in Cy-Fair. What’s special about it? With roots tracing back to Pakistan, Qureshi said he moved to the U.S. when he was 8 years old. Years later, after operating Urban Skillet with his family for over 10 years, he moved to the Houston area to expand the family business. Qureshi said the way halal meat is processed creates the distinct juicy avor his burgers oer. During this process, meat is slaughtered humanely and processed with care and respect for the animal and consumer, Qureshi said. “I really want to [have] the best burger in Texas on the halal community side, so I just want every- body to try us and rate us,” Qureshi said.

Fajita Fest Check out local fajita vendors while enjoying live music, games and a bounce house at Clark Henry Park. • May 24, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. • Free (admission) • 7804 Equador St., Jersey Village • www.fajita-fest.com ‘Willy Wonka’ Bridgeland High School Theatre presents “Willy Wonka,” a play based on the 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.” • May 23-24, 7 p.m.; May 24-25, 2 p.m. • $20 (admission)

May

Dueling Pianos Enjoy a high-energy night featuring live music, comedy and pizza at the Jersey Meadow Convention Center. • May 16, 7-10 p.m. • $15 (admission) • 8502 Rio Grande St., Jersey Village • www.jerseyvillagetx.com Texas Hold ’em Poker Night The Daly Round hosts a poker night with cash prizes for three lucky winners. • May 17, 8-11 p.m. • $100 (buy-in for $1,500 in chips) • 11734 Barker Cypress Road, Ste. 116, Cypress • www.thedalyround.com Chamber luncheon and business expo Demographer Susan Cates speaks at the Cy-Fair Houston Chamber of Commerce’s monthly membership luncheon. Held at the Berry Center, this event also includes a business expo. • May 20, 10 a.m.-noon (expo), noon-1 p.m. (luncheon) • Free (expo admission), $35-$45 (luncheon) • 8877 Barker Cypress Road, Cypress • www.cyfairchamber.com

Burgers at Urban Skillet contain a half-pound of meat.

• 10707 Mason Road, Cypress • www.bridgelandhstheatre.org

PHOTOS BY JOVANNA AGUILARCOMMUNITY IMPACT

Wine tasting and horse races Enjoy a wine-tasting event while watching horse races at the Sam Houston Race Park. • May 24, 5 p.m. • $20-$30 (admission) • 7575 N. Sam Houston Parkway W., Houston • www.shrp.com

June

‘Vintage Hitchcock: A Live Radio Play’ Stageworks Theatre presents a play about spies, murder and love in the style of a 1940s radio broadcast. • June 6-7, 13-14 and 20-21, 7:30 p.m.; June 8, 15 and 22, 3 p.m. • $26-$38.75 (admission)

249

10130 Grant Road, Ste. 204, Houston www.urbanskilletla.com

• 10760 Grant Road, Houston • www.stageworkshouston.org

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