This Week at City Hall

Dec. 13, 2013Office of Council Member Ellen Cohen

Departmental Performance Report Presented

At a joint-meeting of the Budget & Fiscal Affairs and Quality of Life Committees, Council Member Cohen and her colleagues viewed a Performance Management Report for the first quarter of FY2014 (July – Sept. 2013). Presented by Finance Department Director Kelly Dowe, this report yields insight into the cost effectiveness and quality of service provided by each City department with the goal of improving efficiency.

On the Agenda

Council authorized a contract between the City of Houston and the Coalition for the Homeless of Houston/Harris County to administer federal grant funding for homeless planning activities, including an evaluation to better inform future goals. The Coalition seeks to implement solutions to homelessness through service coordination in the areas of affordable housing, education, employment, and other types of aid. Among other objectives, this federal grant will allow for a Point-in Time Enumeration, which describes a “snapshot” overview of the organization that will be used as a factor in determining the amount of funding that our community receives in supportive housing program grants.

What’s Happening in the Annex

Council Member Cohen and Mayor Parker honored Covenant House Texas in recognition of their 30 years of service in Houston. Since 1983, this organization has assisted thousands of homeless and runaway youth in our city on an annual basis. Covenant House Texas provides a crisis shelter, medical care, food, mental health and substance abuse counseling, education and vocational training, and many other types of services to Houstonians in need up to the age of 21.