Posting Language
Title
Approve an ordinance amending the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Austin Municipal Court Operating Budget Special Revenue Fund (Ordinance No. 20240814-007) to accept and appropriate $550,000 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program for the Downtown Austin Community Court Mobile Court Capacity Building and Training Program. Funding: A City match of $80,556 is required and is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Downtown Austin Community Court Operating Budget.
De
Lead Department
Community Court
Fiscal Note
Funding in the amount of $550,000 is available from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance FY24 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program. A City match of $80,556 is required and is available in the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Downtown Austin Community Court Operating Budget. A fiscal note is attached.
For More Information:
Robert Kingham, Court Administrator, Downtown Austin Community Court (512) 974-1394; Chris Anderson, Court Operations Manager, Downtown Austin Community Court (512) 974-4878.
Additional Backup Information:
This action will accept $550,000 in grant funds from the U.S. Department of Justice Bureau of Justice Assistance FY24 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program and amend the Fiscal Year 2024-2025 Austin Municipal Court Operating Budget Special Revenue Fund (Ordinance No. 20240814-007) to appropriate $550,000 for the Downtown Austin Community Court (DACC) Mobile Court Capacity Building and Training Program, for the grant period of October 1, 2024 - September 30, 2027.
The FY24 Justice and Mental Health Collaboration Program is intended to support cross-system collaboration to improve public safety responses to and outcomes for individuals with mental health disorders or co-occurring mental health and substance use disorders who come into contact with the criminal justice system.
Approval of this item will enable the DACC, in partnership with Integral Care, to use grant funds to scale the Mobile Court 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 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 well-being journeys by replicating and adapting in-house trauma informed best practices in the field.
City Council allocated resources to fully implement DACC’s Mobile Court program and expand Homeless Services resources in the budget for fiscal year 2024-25. Due to these investments, DACC is able to meet the matching requirements for this grant through in-kind contributions of staff time. These grant funds will complement and enhance Mobile Court implementation efforts by providing resources for a robust planning process and strengthen services by expanding partnerships and resources for mental health services for Mobile Court participants. The planning phase during the initial period of the grant will help determine how to most effectively use resources to meet grant objectives and best serve program participants and set Mobile Court up for success long-term by bolstering resources to allow for deeper exploration of Mobile Court location options and strengthen connections to mental health resources.
The General Fund will not be required to contribute additional funds beyond those currently budgeted to this grant. When the grant funds expire, the department’s need for continuing funding will be evaluated and may be denied.