The city of austins downtown austin community court, in partnership with integral care, will use grant funds to scale a mobile court pilot program to address barriers to accessing pathways to…

The City of Austin was awarded a $550,000 Project Grant from the U.S. Department of Justice's Bureau of Justice Assistance under the Criminal and Juvenile Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program (CFDA 16.745). The grant funding will be used to scale a mobile court pilot program that addresses barriers to accessing pathways to resolve outstanding cases and warrants, while providing immediate connection to case management and mental health services. The project will also create court navigation capacity through training for mental health and community partners, and deflect individuals in Central Texas with mental health disorders who are experiencing homelessness from the criminal justice system into housing-focused case management. This collaborative effort between the City of Austin and Integral Care aims to address existing service gaps and improve outcomes for individuals with mental health needs.

The city of austins downtown austin community court, in partnership with integral care, will use grant funds to scale a mobile court pilot program to address barriers to accessing pathways to resolve outstanding cases and warrants while providing immediate connection to case management and mental health services; create court navigation capacity through training for mental health and community partners; and deflect individuals in central texas with mental health disorders who are experiencing homelessness from the criminal justice system into housing-focused case management. The partnership with integral care will address existing silos and gaps in services that destabilize individuals in their housing and mental health wellbeing journeys by replicating and adapting in-house trauma informed best practices in the field. Funds will be used to (1) hire a full time project manager who will coordinate the matching resources such as court and cases management staff, handle logistics with partners, design and implement community training, and manage data processes like collection, data sharing, and analysis; (2) partially fund court staff time; (3) additional mental health services, and (4) support the delivery of mobile court events and training. There are no planned conference activities for the recommended award.