This Week at City Hall

Sep. 27, 2013Office of Council Member Ellen Cohen

Sobering Center Update

The Public Safety Committee, on which Council Member Cohen serves as vice chair, received a progress report on the Houston Center for Sobriety. Director of Operations Leonard Kincaid relayed that, since its city-wide opening in May 2013, the Sobering Center has served nearly 1,800 intoxicated clients, an overwhelming majority of whom reported that they were ‘satisfied’ or ‘very satisfied’ with their experience. Mr. Kincaid also noted that, while the majority of their clients have a one-time need of their services, he and his staff are also identifying chronic clients in order to assist them towards long-term recovery.

On the Agenda

Council approved a contract between the City of Houston’s Department of Health & Human Services and the United Way, which is the fiscal agent for a state-wide consortium providing services for implementing the Affordable Care Act throughout Texas. This contract will provide Houston with grant funding to supply our community with navigators and enrollment specialists for the Health Insurance Marketplace, which opens October 1, 2013.

What’s Happening in the Annex

Council Member Cohen attended two ceremonies this week to recognize two critical issues we highlight in September. In honor of Human Trafficking Awareness Month, City Hall hosted an event to launch a new public awareness campaign to educate citizens about modern-day slavery and to encourage them to report suspicious situations to authorities. Additionally, Council Member Cohen addressed a group of surviving families at an event to commemorate September 25th as the National Day of Remembrance for Murder Victims.