Government
BY MELISSA ENAJE & KELLY SCHAFLER
Harris County clinic to open $9M health lab The Quentin Mease Clinic, located nearly 3 miles east of the Texas Medical Center, will be on the receiving end of just under $9 mil- lion in federal dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act. That funding will support the opening of an outpatient gastroenterology lab after Harris County Commissioners approved the agreement in December. Why it matters More than 3,000 patients end up waiting for a colonoscopy due to maximum capacity constraints, according to court documents. The money will be used to create additional capacity for colonoscopy procedures and support the purchase of equipment and software licenses, according to county administration o cials.
Harris County approves $4M in eviction legal aid An additional $4 million in federal funding will be used for legal aid and eviction services for qualifying applicants in Harris County’s 16 evic- tion-handling courts after county commissioners approved an agreement at a Dec. 19 meeting. The big picture According to Harris County’s O ce of Adminis- tration, the new money brings a total of $8 million for two agencies that handle the legal needs for eviction cases in the county—Lone Star Legal Aid, a nonpro t law rm that provides free legal services, and Neighborhood Defender Services. The rst $4 million was approved in March 2023 using federal American Rescue Plan Act funding. The impact Harris County has been facing an eviction surge after rental assistance programs ended at
“Even with our additional eviction dockets, the surge is creating a
bottleneck that impacts our ability to hear all civil cases in a timely manner.” LASHAWN WILLIAMS, PRESIDING JUDGE FOR HARRIS COUNTY CIVIL COURT AT LAW NO. 3
7,371 eviction appeals cases were reported by the Harris County Civil Courts at Law during the rst 11 months of 2023, more than double the prepandemic caseload of 3,568 recorded in 2018.
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY CIVIL COURTS COMMUNITY IMPACT
the start of 2022, according to a report by the consulting rm January Advisors. While there are 16 JP courts, only four county civil courts hear their appeals. With the additional funding, Harris County residents facing eviction will now be able to meet with an attorney or legal aid representa- tive at all 16 courts.
Harris County Precinct 4 creating Katy-area community, mobility plan Harris County Precinct 4 Commissioner Lesley Briones hosted the rst of three public forums Jan. 20 with the hopes of gaining insight from resi- dents on where the biggest gaps and opportunities are to improve transportation, housing, infrastruc- ture and community spaces, Briones said. set to move forward throughout this year. The details “The end goal is this community-led vision for a comprehensive list of capital projects that will help mobility, connectivity, economic develop- 10 90
Katy East Community Plan and Mobility Study area
6
10
ment [and] reduce ooding,” Briones said. O cials said the second and third meetings could happen in April and June, respectively.
The feedback from the event will be incorpo- rated into the Katy East Community Plan and Mobility Study, which kicked o in October and is
99 TOLL
N
SOURCE: HARRIS COUNTY PRECINCT 4 COMMUNITY IMPACT
Let my experience guide yours! BUYING OR SELLING YOUR HOME?
SCAN FOR
SCAN FOR AUTOMATED HOME VALUE
CLIENT TESTIMONIAL VIDEOS
Direct/Text: 713-851-4871 Charlie@CharlieRussoRealty.com www.CharlieRussoRealty.com
CHARLIE RUSSO BROKER ASSOCIATE
1411 Avenue A, Katy, TX 77493
9
KATY NORTH EDITION
Powered by FlippingBook