Obstacles

Even though supervision of an individual in the STAR program costs approximately half as much as incarceration and is demonstrably more effective, there is no automatic funding in place to support the program. Unlike other states , Texas collects no tax dollars to specifically fund drug courts and Harris County provides the infrastructure to run the STAR program. The County, however, simply does not have the financial means to: 1) fund additional intensive substance abuse treatment; 2) provide additional support services critical to a client's success; or 3) expand the program.

Relying on renewable grants and the generosity of organizations and individuals to help with funding, STAR's treatment dollars come primarily from federal and state grants. These funding sources, however, are not automatic and renewable grants must be applied for every year. Mary Covington not only administers resources to the agency's clients through carefully orchestrated efforts of the agency's personnel, but also bears the burden of writing grant applications. Grant writing is not as simple as writing a wish list to Santa Claus, but is a pain staking, tedious, time consuming, exacting task. Just as writing a grant often takes weeks to complete, it often takes months before the grants are awarded.

"We typically start writing (grant applications) in the spring to get money to cover our September invoices." Unfortunately, Covington may not be notified that funding has been approved until those September invoices have sat unpaid on her desk for a month or more. To ensure there are treatment dollars available, STAR is sometimes forced to stop taking new clients during funding gaps. During this hiatus, courts stop referring potential candidates and, because there is no drug court option available at this time, offenders entering the criminal justice system will be convicted and incarcerated. Once additional funding is secured, STAR must resume soliciting referrals from judges, prosecutors and defense attorneys.

One of the most critical aspects of the STAR program - recovery support services - is funded solely through the federal initiative Access to Recovery (ATR). A flexible resource, ATR funds can be used for treatment as well as recovery support services, which are almost as important as treatment to a client's success in the program. Recovery support services help remove many of the barriers to recovery and include, but are not limited to: transitional housing, childcare, individual recovery couching/mentoring, vocational training and employment couching. Currently, these critical services are not funded through other grant programs and delivery of recovery support services is totally dependent on renewal of ATR funding. Without these funds, STAR will not be able to provide these vital services.

Since 2003, STAR has done remarkable work with 286 high needs clients; however, these individuals represent only five percent of the more than 5,000 repeat drug offenders who go through the Harris County judicial system. Had appropriate funding been available, the current drug court staff and infrastructure could have worked with an additional 164 individuals during this same three-year period. While that increase only represents only a fraction of those who could benefit from the program, it would, nonetheless, be an increase nonetheless. STAR Officials estimate that the price tag for treating an additional 150 repeat drug offenders and helping them become productive members of society would be approximately one million dollars.