The Harris Center for Mental Health and Intellectual and Developmental Disability<\/a> is one of hundreds of agencies statewide affected by the expiration of American Rescue Plan Act funds and a grant from Texans Recovering Together<\/a>. Positions funded by those two sources make up the vast majority of the layoffs, Castillo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n A county official who asked not to be identified said Thursday the situation isn\u2019t as dire as it\u2019s 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. <\/p>\n Castillo said that\u2019s true, but employees are still questioning their long-term job security, and service cuts have also been made, including the closure of a children\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Harris Center CEO Wayne Young said the layoffs were a result of federal cuts and would not impact core operations.<\/p>\n \u201cSeveral programs were affected by these changes \u2014 some because they were designed as short-term initiatives, others through the reduction of specific positions and programs that have been fully discontinued,\u201d Young said in an email to the Press. \u201cIn each case, we focused on how we could continue meeting the needs of those we serve through other ongoing programs.\u201d<\/p>\n Drastic Medicaid cuts are also anticipated as a result of President Donald Trump\u2019s One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed into law in July. The Texas Hospital Association predicted<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Harris County, which funds a portion of the Center\u2019s 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhile 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,\u201d Ellis said in a September 25 statement<\/a>. \u201cAs 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.\u201d<\/p>\n 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 \u201cbecame official\u201d in January. About 30 union members showed up at a Harris Center board meeting <\/a>earlier this week, asking that services and jobs be reinstated and the agency\u2019s $374 million budget be re-evaluated.\u00a0<\/p>\n Belinda Aguilar, president of Communications Workers of America Local 6222<\/a>, 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you cut staff, you\u2019re not just cutting positions. You\u2019re cutting access to care for people who need it the most,\u201d she said. \u201cThe truth is, layoffs don\u2019t save money. They create turnover, slow down services and cost the county more in the long run.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cThese workers deserve to be treated with dignity and respect,\u201d Aguilar added. \u201cThis means honest communication, fair notice and real severance.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n In a petition<\/a> that now has about 200 signatures, the union lays out specific demands, including 12 weeks\u2019 notice of layoffs, job search assistance and six months of healthcare coverage for those who have lost their jobs.\u00a0<\/p>\n Board members did not respond to the offer of collaboration during this week\u2019s meeting. An agency official told Castillo that they couldn\u2019t discuss the matter because it wasn\u2019t on the agenda.\u00a0<\/p>\n United Workers of Harris Center supported Hilton Americas\u2013Houston workers who went on a 40-day strike and successfully negotiated<\/a> higher wages and better working conditions. But because Harris Center workers don\u2019t have a contract and are public sector employees, they can\u2019t even use the word \u201cnegotiate,\u201d Castillo said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe don\u2019t have those rights to strike or negotiate,\u201d she said. \u201cWe have to collaborate and communicate. I know we\u2019re early on, but so far, that\u2019s 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\u2019t know how they can resolve this and what all is being said or done.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n According to Young, the Harris Center board has ultimate authority over the organization\u2019s budget but is only involved in hiring decisions related to the CEO.<\/p>\n The union has been meeting individually with county commissioners, and Castillo said she\u2019s slated to make a presentation before the Harris Center board\u2019s governance committee on November 11.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re letting them know what our concerns are and wanting to figure out how we can create stopgaps to save jobs, but, you know, we\u2019re workers. We\u2019re volunteers. We don\u2019t have all the info,\u201d she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n Castillo works as a children\u2019s therapist, helping kids who suffer from depression and anxiety at schools across the Greater Houston area, with a clinic in Pasadena. Her job isn\u2019t in jeopardy because the funding stream through which she\u2019s paid is intact. The layoffs, however, affect everybody, she said.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re the largest provider of mental health and IDD services in the state,\u201d Castillo said. \u201cSo many things are so important to keeping our community healthy. Just like law enforcement or traditional health care services, I think we\u2019re at that same level.\u201d<\/p>\n 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.\u00a0<\/p>\n Protecting the jobs of healthcare workers equates to protecting lives, union members said at the Harris Center board meeting.\u00a0<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you attack the workforce, you attack the community,\u201d said CWA District 6 vice president Derrick Osobase. \u201cThe people at the Harris Center are the ones holding this safety net together, and we\u2019re not going to stand by while critical care for Harris County families is cut.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/Union-members2.jpg\")
Union members showed up in force at a Harris Center board meeting this week to protest mass layoffs. Credit: Alma Castillo<\/p>\n