County commissioner seeks answers from MHMR after a surge of youth commitments
Tarrant County Commissioners are questioning the effectiveness of My Health My Resources in its handling of juvenile services contracts due to the high number of youth sent to state correctional facilities.
According to the Texas Juvenile Justice Department, in the last two years, Tarrant County has committed more youth to Texas juvenile prisons than any other county in the state. Many juvenile advocates attribute the increase in juvenile incarceration to the removal of community-based alternatives that had existed in Tarrant County for decades, such as Youth Advocate Programs, Inc.
In 2024, Tarrant County ended contracts with Youth Advocate Programs due to language on its website and accusing the organization of using taxpayer money for lobbying.
Commissioner Alisa Simmons requested a briefing from My Health My Resources services in Tarrant County Juvenile Services during Tuesday’s County Commissioners meeting.
Simmons said, according to the state, Tarrant County had some of the lowest youth crime rates in Texas for years, and now its one of the highest.
“It’s embarrassing, it’s concerning, and so I’m just trying to figure out what’s going on,” Simmons said during Commissioners Court.
Susan Garnett, chief executive officer of MHMR, gave a presentation on the number of juvenile services funded by the county and the duration of the funding. It included the Multisystemic Therapy program, community navigation and mentoring services. Garnett also provided information on state services, including the Youth Crisis Outreach Team and youth psychiatric services.
When asked how many children they serve through their juvenile services, Garnett said about 400 youth. She could not answer how many children utilize the services they have provided in the last two years, which includes mentoring services, community navigation, Juvenile Justice Alternative Education Program and post-adjudication navigation.
Simmons also asked if they have staff for these services and if they outsource their work. Garnett said they have over 2,000 staff members who based on their availability for part-time work and training will conduct the services as needed.
Simmons decided to have a separate meeting with Garnett in the coming weeks .
“It’s not a matter of the county merely paying us to deliver a certain service,” Garnett said. “It’s really accessing all of the services, ensuring that if there are more things kids need, we get there.”
Simmons said she also questions Judge Alex Kim, who runs 323rd District Court that handles juvenile cases, on why there has been a rise in youth commitment to juvenile state prisons.
She hopes the rest of her colleagues also see the importance in making sure MHMR is supporting youth at the same level as Youth Advocate Programs once provided. She plans to have another brief of MHMR during the next Commissioners Court.
“This is not what they are set up to do,” Simmons told the Star Telegram. “They’re trying to make it work, and that doesn’t benefit those children or the families.”
