Harris County Precinct 1 Commissioner Rodney Ellis wants $4.5 million added to the county budget for mental health response, violence interruption and domestic violence prevention programs.

The request, which Ellis presented to reporters Tuesday, Sept. 1, would fund four initiatives: $1.4 million for the Holistic Assistance Response Team (HART), $600,000 for Relentless Interrupters Serving Everyone (RISE), $1 million for domestic violence prevention and response, and $1.5 million to create a new community safety department. A report from Ellis's office and Georgetown Law's Center for Innovations in Community Safety backs the proposal, Community Impact reported.

For Spring-area residents, the RISE program carries the most direct connection. The report outlines that additional funding would allow RISE to expand beyond the neighborhoods it currently serves, including into Cypress Station and Sunnyside. RISE works to reduce gun violence by deploying trusted community members to interrupt conflicts and defuse tensions. The program also sends workers to hospitals to talk with victims of violent injuries, connect them with resources and reduce the risk of retaliation.

HART sends trained responders to 911 calls that do not require police or emergency medical presence. The team handles calls involving homelessness, behavioral health crises and non-emergency welfare concerns. Mariela Ruiz-Angel, director of community safety initiatives at Georgetown Law, said HART pairs a behavioral health responder with a police officer, firefighter or EMT on each call.

Ellis said the programs are driven by fundamental truths. "… people can't be prosecuted out of poverty; mental health and substance use can't be treated in a jail cell; and survivors deserve a path to safety," he said at the Sept. 1 briefing.

Harris County launched HART, RISE and the domestic violence programs four years ago. If approved, the $4.5 million would bring the county's total investment in community safety strategies to $15.3 million. Ellis's office estimates the county would save $5 million per year in reduced detention and case adjudication costs.

The request lands amid a tight budget year. Harris County faces a projected $181 million shortfall, and the proposed fiscal year 2027 general fund budget calls for roughly $3.096 billion in spending, a roughly 12% increase over the prior year, Fox 26 reported. Sophie Elsner, senior policy adviser for Ellis's office, said about 60% of the county budget goes toward the criminal justice system. Ellis framed the $4.5 million as about 1.5% of what the county spends on law enforcement and jails.

The Commissioners Court is scheduled to consider budget amendments at a special meeting Tuesday, Sept. 8 at 9 a.m. at 1001 Preston St., 1st Floor, Houston. The $4.5 million request does not appear on the posted agenda, though commissioners could still add it as a supplemental item. The final budget is expected to be adopted at the court's Sept. 17 meeting.