Mass Layoffs at Harris Center Could Amplify Mental Health Crisis

Alma Castillo has worked as a therapist for the Harris Center for 12 years, and while her job is safe for now, more than 180 of her colleagues have been laid off since September, creating what she says are catastrophic conditions for a region already in the throes of a mental health crisis. 

“The services we provide are essential to the community,” Castillo told the Houston Press. “With everything that is going on in the world right now — people losing their SNAP benefits, issues with people being targeted by ICE — everyone is anxious and on edge. If there are not enough services, it’s going to cost the county more because it will lead to more hospitalizations, homelessness and people going to jail, things that could have been mediated with the proper mental health services.” 

The Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disability is one of hundreds of agencies statewide affected by the expiration of American Rescue Plan Act funds and a grant from Texans Recovering Together. Positions funded by those two sources make up the vast majority of the layoffs, Castillo said. 

A county official who asked not to be identified said Thursday the situation isn’t as dire as it’s been advertised. About 83 of the employees whose salaries were funded by the ARPA grant were shifted into other vacant positions at the Harris Center almost immediately, the official clarified.

Castillo said that’s true, but employees are still questioning their long-term job security, and service cuts have also been made, including the closure of a children’s wellness clinic in northeast Harris County. Clients served by that facility now have to drive to the opposite end of the county or stop receiving assistance, Castillo said.

Harris Center CEO Wayne Young said the layoffs were a result of federal cuts and would not impact core operations.

“Several programs were affected by these changes — some because they were designed as short-term initiatives, others through the reduction of specific positions and programs that have been fully discontinued,” Young said in an email to the Press. “In each case, we focused on how we could continue meeting the needs of those we serve through other ongoing programs.”

Drastic Medicaid cuts are also anticipated as a result of President Donald Trump’s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July. The Texas Hospital Association predicted that the federal cuts would have catastrophic effects on mental healthcare but the full impact remains to be seen. The Harris Center is funded in part by Medicaid and accepts it as a form of payment for services. 

Harris County, which funds a portion of the Center’s expenses, recently adopted a $2.7 billion budget that included pay raises for law enforcement but slashed services and vacant positions countywide. The county asked its departments, including the Harris Center, to cut their budgets by 10 percent. 

Some Harris Center employees got their layoff notices the day the county budget was adopted, Castillo said. Several of the workers ended their employment on October 8; others will get to stay on for six months. Positions affected by the layoffs included therapists, crisis line workers, case managers, program managers, psychiatry techs and nursing staff. 

Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who joined County Judge Lina Hidalgo in voting against the county budget, said last month that the document is morally and fiscally irresponsible. 

“While families already spend more than they can afford on rent and groceries, we froze or eliminated hundreds of positions in public health, housing, and community services, forcing residents to do more with less,” Ellis said in a September 25 statement. “As the Trump Administration and the state of Texas escalate mass incarceration and strip away civil liberties, our budget doubles down, discontinuing community-based support that could keep youth out of the system.”

That sentiment was echoed this week by Castillo, vice president of United Workers of Harris Center, a local union that organized about two years ago and “became official” in January. About 30 union members showed up at a Harris Center board meeting earlier this week, asking that services and jobs be reinstated and the agency’s $374 million budget be re-evaluated. 

Belinda Aguilar, president of Communications Workers of America Local 6222, said at the board meeting that every Harris Center program, from crisis response to early childhood services, depends on the people who show up every day to serve. 

“When you cut staff, you’re not just cutting positions. You’re cutting access to care for people who need it the most,” she said. “The truth is, layoffs don’t save money. They create turnover, slow down services and cost the county more in the long run.” 

“These workers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,” Aguilar added. “This means honest communication, fair notice and real severance.” 

In a petition that now has about 200 signatures, the union lays out specific demands, including 12 weeks’ notice of layoffs, job search assistance and six months of healthcare coverage for those who have lost their jobs. 

Board members did not respond to the offer of collaboration during this week’s meeting. An agency official told Castillo that they couldn’t discuss the matter because it wasn’t on the agenda. 

United Workers of Harris Center supported Hilton Americas–Houston workers who went on a 40-day strike and successfully negotiated higher wages and better working conditions. But because Harris Center workers don’t have a contract and are public sector employees, they can’t even use the word “negotiate,” Castillo said. 

“We don’t have those rights to strike or negotiate,” she said. “We have to collaborate and communicate. I know we’re early on, but so far, that’s been a challenge. We have to get open records and reach out to different people to get answers. I feel like we have people on the board who are supportive. I just don’t know how they can resolve this and what all is being said or done.” 

According to Young, the Harris Center board has ultimate authority over the organization’s budget but is only involved in hiring decisions related to the CEO.

The union has been meeting individually with county commissioners, and Castillo said she’s slated to make a presentation before the Harris Center board’s governance committee on November 11. 

“We’re letting them know what our concerns are and wanting to figure out how we can create stopgaps to save jobs, but, you know, we’re workers. We’re volunteers. We don’t have all the info,” she said. 

Castillo works as a children’s therapist, helping kids who suffer from depression and anxiety at schools across the Greater Houston area, with a clinic in Pasadena. Her job isn’t in jeopardy because the funding stream through which she’s paid is intact. The layoffs, however, affect everybody, she said. 

“We’re the largest provider of mental health and IDD services in the state,” Castillo said. “So many things are so important to keeping our community healthy. Just like law enforcement or traditional health care services, I think we’re at that same level.”

Over the past 10 years, the workforce at Harris Center has increased by 307 employees, but the number of clients has spiked by more than 22,000, Castillo said. 

Protecting the jobs of healthcare workers equates to protecting lives, union members said at the Harris Center board meeting. 

“When you attack the workforce, you attack the community,” said CWA District 6 vice president Derrick Osobase. “The people at the Harris Center are the ones holding this safety net together, and we’re not going to stand by while critical care for Harris County families is cut.” 

According to its website, the Harris Center employs about 2,500 workers and serves more than 80,000 people per year. The Center operates a psychiatric emergency center, jail diversion center, crisis call line, law enforcement co-responder teams, offender/re-entry clinics, juvenile detention services, detox for homeless people and a dual diagnosis residential treatment center

“The essential programs our neighbors rely on are only possible because of skilled and dedicated workers,” Castillo said. “The [layoffs] disrupt critical care, increase wait times, and push more people into crisis.” 

Young said that while “recent changes to our funding have required careful adjustments, our commitment to serving Harris County and those who depend on us remains unchanged.”

“The Harris Center continues to focus on delivering essential, high-quality care to the individuals and families who need us most,” he said.

Castillo said she’s received no indication that any of the laid-off workers will be reinstated. 

“I have hope,” she said. “The populations we serve, a lot of them are already vulnerable.  If we’re not there, how are people going to get help? We’re not trying to make people afraid or more anxious than they already are, but this is the reality we’re in, and if we don’t take action, I’m afraid it’s going to get worse.” 

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