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Bell County court backs letter of support for jail-based mental-health services grant projected to cover $250,000 of staffing
Summary
The court authorized a letter of support for a Sequential Intercept Model implementation grant by Central County Services to Texas Health and Human Services; staff said the grant requires no county match, would run calendar year 2025 if awarded, and is expected to cover roughly half of staffing needs for jail-based mental-health services tied to a diversion center and a 32-bed mental-health pod in a jail expansion.
Bell County Commissioners Court authorized a letter of support for a grant application by Central County Services to Texas Health and Human Services aimed at implementing Sequential Intercept Model (SIM) recommendations for jail-based mental-health services.
County staff (Speaker 1 and Speaker 5) told the court the grant requires no county match and, if awarded, would run during calendar year 2025. Staff said the grant application seeks funds to support staffing for jail-based services and projected it would cover about $250,000—roughly half—of the positions needed to operate the program. The court heard that the county is expanding jail capacity (staff mentioned a 700-plus bed expansion with a planned 32-bed mental-health pod) and is planning a diversion center offering triage, residential, and other services; the grant is intended to leverage and support those local efforts.
Miss Wardell (identified as present online) and Johnny (Speaker 5) answered procedural questions about timeline and the grant year.
Commissioner Schuman moved to authorize a letter of support for Central County Services’ application; Commissioner Woodson seconded and the court approved the motion.
Why it matters: The grant funds would support staffing for jail-based mental-health programs and post-arrest diversion efforts, potentially affecting service capacity for people in the criminal justice system who have mental-health needs. Staff said no county matching funds are required for this grant application.
Next steps: County staff and Central County Services will proceed with the application process; if awarded, funds would be available in calendar year 2025 and staff will coordinate implementation alongside the diversion center and jail expansion.
