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Harris County, TX, April 22, 2026, Harris County Commissioners voted last week to take the next step toward permanently funding nine of the most impactful programs originally created under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

“While most local communities relied on ARPA dollars to plug budget holes or fund one-time programs, Harris County used the money as an investment in our future. We used it to fund new programs that built on established best practices and tackled our community’s most urgent needs, from workforce development to strengthening mental health care. With federal funding due to run out at the end of this year, we’re working to secure some of the most impactful ARPA programs in our budget now so we can fund these life-changing programs in Harris County for years to come,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo.

Harris County received $915 million in federal ARPA funding in 2021. Commissioners Court designed ARPA programs with the intent that the most effective programs would be transitioned to the county budget, or set for a tax rate election in the case of Early Childhood Education, for long-term funding after ARPA funding expires in December 2026.

Due to fiscal decisions made by the Commissioners Court last year, over Judge Hidalgo’s strong objections, Harris County enters its budget process for Fiscal Year 2027 (FY27) at a deficit of over $87 million. While cuts will once again have to be made this fiscal year to balance the budget, this important vote protects these relatively small but massively important programs from those cuts.

As the FY27 budget season begins, Commissioners directed the Office of County Administration (OCA) at the April 16, 2026, Commissioners Court to include the following nine ARPA priority programs in their FY27 budget projection, which will help ensure that the following programs are funded permanently:

• Apprenticeship Advantage to expand apprenticeship opportunities in the high-paying, fast-growing industries of the future.
  • Impact to Date: Harris County invested $17.5 million in ARPA funding to help more than 1,500 apprentices receive the training and certifications needed to increase their wage potential and set themselves up for successful, high-paying careers long term.
  • Proposed FY27 Investment: $4 million annually to fund approximately up to 550 apprenticeship slots per year that will help students, especially disadvantaged students, “earn as they learn” while simultaneously developing our workforce and strengthening our economy.
• Behavioral Health programs to make behavioral health care and substance abuse treatment more accessible.
  • Impact to Date: Harris County invested $16 million in ARPA funding toward behavioral health programs that have trained more than 2,400 mental health professionals, provided interventions for more than 1,000 students at schools, screened more than 2,700 individuals with mental health issues for substance abuse disorder, and raised awareness about mental health resources in disadvantaged communities at more than 300 community events.
  • Proposed FY27 Investment: $1 million annually to increase the availability of qualified behavioral health providers, access to behavioral health services, and necessary substance use and overdose prevention services to residents for approximately 1,000 households.
• Chronic Disease Prevention programs to make Harris County healthier by reducing the number of chronic disease-related deaths through targeted and long-term action plans.
  • Impact to Date: Harris County invested $5.2 million in ARPA funding to provide chronic disease education and resources to more than 27,000 residents.
  • Proposed FY27 Investment: $1.1 million annually in chronic disease prevention services such as increasing clinical services, tobacco/vaping prevention and education, nutrition and physical activity, and diabetes prevention for an estimated 19,000 residents.
• Eviction Support & Diversion services to provide legal representation for tenants facing eviction.
  • Impact to Date: Harris County invested $7.5 million in ARPA funding to provide quality legal representation for nearly 254,000 residents facing eviction.
  • Proposed FY27 Investment: With a proposed investment of $1 million annually in legal aid for eviction support and diversion, Harris County will help tackle housing instability and reduce the risk of homelessness among the 52 percent of Harris County renters who are struggling to pay rent.
• Food & Nutrition programs to address food insecurity by improving food distribution infrastructure in food deserts across Harris County, which are some of our community’s most socially vulnerable areas. 44 % of the Harris County population is either food insecure or susceptible to food insecurity.
  • Impact to Date: Harris County invested $6.4 million in ARPA funding to serve more than 416,000 households with food distribution and education events.
  • Proposed FY27 Investment: Harris County plans to invest $2.3 million annually to provide food and nutrition services to people living in food deserts, improve food distribution infrastructure, and provide small grants to hyperlocal food providers. These programs will help distribute food to nearly 35,000 households across the county per year.
• Housing programs to continue the county’s historic progress to reduce homelessness.
  • Impact to Date: Harris County invested $37 million in ARPA funding to provide supportive services and permanent supportive housing vouchers, which provide stable housing environments that give residents the space to manage serious, chronic issues such as mental and substance use disorders. As a result of this investment, Harris County helped house almost 725 individuals, contributing to its historic 21% decrease in homelessness since Judge Hidalgo took office in 2018.
  • Proposed FY27 Investment: Harris County proposes investing $2.2 million annually to continue ARPA programs to increase permanent housing options and decrease encampments.
• Maternal Health programs to address Harris County’s Black maternal mortality rate, which is one of the highest in the nation.
  • Impact to Date: Harris County invested $8 million in ARPA funding to provide maternal health services, including resources and home visits to 235 expecting mothers.
  • Proposed FY27 Investment: With a proposed investment of $1.2 million in maternal health services, Harris County would provide more than 3,500 home visits.
• “Women’s Empowerment Center” Jail to serve the unique needs of women housed in the jail and successfully prepare them for transition out of the criminal justice system through connection to services during and after incarceration.
  • Impact to Date: Harris County invested about $5 million in ARPA funding to provide support services and reentry support to more than 650 women in the criminal justice system.
  • Proposed FY27 Investment: Harris County proposed investing $600,000 to continue programming at the Women’s Empowerment Center Jail, which helps connect women in the criminal justice system to vital services during and after incarceration in order to help better prepare them to transition out of the criminal justice system.
• Youth Diversion Center, which helps youth in the criminal justice system transition successfully back into their communities by offering support services including family counseling, mental health care and skills training.
  • Impact to Date: Harris County invested $7.6 million in ARPA funding to host up to 12 youth at a time at the Youth Diversion Center, a facility that houses youth ages 13-17 who have committed low-level, non-violent offenses and temporarily need respite care due to a behavioral health crisis.
  • Proposed FY27 Investment: Harris County proposed investing $500,000 to continue investing in the Youth Diversion Center to help continue its current level of service.

More information about Harris County’s ARPA programs and their impact can be found in the Office of County Administration’s 2025 Recovery Plan.

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