Harris County children’s services asks court to fund clinician to meet rising teen caseloads

Joel Levine, executive director of Harris County Resources for Children and Adults, told Commissioners Court the department is seeing growing demand among teens and young adults entering care and aging out of foster services and asked the court to add one county‑funded therapist to remove grant restrictions on client eligibility. "Our current therapist has a caseload of 20 and has seen over 163 clients in the past quarter," Levine said during the morning budget presentation.

Levine described existing programs including a full-service transition center at the Hay Center (50 apartments in phase 1, land for a potential second 50-unit phase) and a new SAMHSA grant the department began this year, "$1,800,000 a year" for social, emotional and substance‑use services in three school districts. Commissioners asked follow‑up questions about turnover, cost‑of‑living adjustments and how foundation fundraising could support non‑staff program needs. Levine said the department has a waiting list for therapy services and expects pressure to increase as contracted partners shift to community‑based care. The presentation closed with a request that court offices remember the department’s statutory Child Welfare Board and the role county funding plays in programs that grants cannot fully cover.