The systemic challenges surrounding mental illness and homelessness are deeper and more interconnected than many people realize. Most individuals experiencing homelessness have lived through significant trauma, trauma that can manifest as untreated mental health conditions, substance use, unemployment, disrupted family relationships, and life paths shaped more by hardship than by choice.
Yet despite these complex realities, society often reduces people to their housing status alone. Misunderstanding and fear fuel stereotypes that portray individuals experiencing homelessness as dangerous or fundamentally different. In truth, homelessness is rarely the result of someone being “bad.” It is more often the result of someone who has endured profound pain and has lacked access to the support and stability every person deserves.
At The Harris Center for Mental Health and IDD, we are committed to breaking down these barriers through programs that pair mental health care with compassionate housing support. Our mission is both simple and deeply meaningful: to help individuals find safety, stability, and peace, both in their homes and in their mental wellness.
We serve our community through a range of outreach programs designed to meet people where they are, including the Chronic Consumer Assistance Program (CCAP), Projects for Assistance in Transition from Homelessness (PATH), the Behavioral Health Response Team (BHRT), and the Homeless Outreach Team (HOT). We also collaborate closely with community hubs such as The Navigation Center, providing centralized access to essential services. Initiatives like Hospital to Home and the Judge Ed Emmett Mental Health Jail Diversion Center offer specialized recovery and housing support for individuals transitioning out of hospitals or the justice system.
Understanding homelessness also requires strong data, which helps communities allocate resources, improve programs, and identify trends. One key tool is the Point‑in‑Time (PIT) Count, an annual count of people experiencing homelessness, both sheltered and unsheltered, on a single night each January. HUD requires every Continuum of Care (CoC) to count individuals staying in emergency shelters, transitional housing, and Safe Havens every year, and to conduct an unsheltered count at least once every two years (in odd‑numbered years). Each PIT Count is planned, coordinated, and carried out locally, relying on community partners, outreach teams, and volunteers. For the Houston region, HUD recently approved the 2026 PIT Count to take place during the last week of February, giving local partners additional time for preparation and engagement.
Complementing the PIT Count is the Housing Inventory Count (HIC), a point‑in‑time snapshot of all housing programs within the CoC that offer beds or units dedicated to individuals experiencing homelessness. These programs span five types: Emergency Shelter, Transitional Housing, Rapid Re‑Housing, Safe Haven, and Permanent Supportive Housing. Data from both the PIT and HIC are submitted to HUD through the Homelessness Data Exchange (HDX).
In September 2025, The Harris Center Foundation launched The Pyramid Project, a comprehensive initiative aimed at removing key barriers to stable housing for individuals who are unhoused or at risk of homelessness. Rooted in principles from Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs, the project expands access to essential supplies, supportive services, and healing-centered community spaces.
A centerpiece of The Pyramid Project is its mobile computer lab, which bridges a critical technological gap that often delays housing placement. The lab provides printing, document assistance for housing applications, benefits enrollment, help obtaining identification, budgeting tools, medication tracking, digital literacy training, and support in accessing electronic medical records such as MyChart.
To promote long-term housing stability, the project also offers basic cleaning supplies, ADA‑compliant washer and dryer units at two Harris Center–sponsored sites, and monthly mock inspections paired with life‑skills coaching on cleaning, organization, and home maintenance.
Recognizing that housing stability requires more than a roof, The Pyramid Project incorporates mental health supports such as suicide prevention training, mindfulness sessions, community‑building activities, celebrations of personal milestones, and improvements to shared community spaces that foster dignity, connection, and healing.
To ensure continuity of care and sustained support, The Harris Center Foundation is developing an online donation portal that will allow community members to contribute toward essential seasonal items, such as hurricane supplies, water, sunscreen, blankets, and coats, for individuals who are unhoused. The portal will also make it possible to fund items like bus passes for healthcare appointments, emergency bedding and hygiene kits for newly housed individuals, and outreach essentials including water, sunscreen, and Narcan. Together, these contributions help reinforce safety and stability at critical moments in a person’s journey toward recovery and housing security.
Together, these integrated services form a compassionate, holistic model of care. By addressing the full spectrum of human needs, from mental health to technology access to community connection, The Harris Center helps individuals secure stable housing, strengthen their independence, and rebuild their lives with dignity.
Homelessness is not an identity; it is an experience. And with the right support, stability and healing are not only possible, they are within reach.
