From the Heart

Houston Public Media | January 20, 2016
There are lots of resources available to serve Houston’s homeless population, including the Houston Recovery Center, a sobering center downtown. Houston Matters’ Paige Phelps takes us on a tour with…

Daily Cougar | October 29, 2014
In the corner of a dimly lit room, a TV monitor displays images of locations outside of the building. In one of the squares, a Houston Police Department patrol car pulls up. A recovery support specialist jumps up…

Houston Chronicle | August 3, 2014
When Mayor Annise Parker opened the center at 150 North Chenevert St. last year, the idea was to cut police costs and reduce recidivism, creating a place other than jail for those whose only crime is public…

Austin American-Statesman | March 8, 2014
An effort by an array of criminal justice, law enforcement and medical officials is underway to open a sobriety center — “drunk tank” to many — that would effectively decriminalize public intoxication, which over the…

Houston Chronicle | December 31, 2013
The Houston Center for Sobriety is preparing for its first New Year’s Eve in business. Leonard Kincaid, the director of operations for the center, has overseen the facility’s first year. He says tonight they will be staffing

Isiah Factor | July 24, 2013
It was back in April when the doors opened at the Houston Center for Sobriety. City leaders approved the facility because there were so many intoxicated people (1900 a year) taking up space at the jails. Mayor…

Houston Chronicle | March 15, 2013
The idea of letting the town drunk dry out behind bars is a beloved and enshrined aspect of Americana. Who doesn’t love Otis from “The Andy Griffith Show”? City budget writers, for one. Houston spends…

Houston Chronicle | March 12, 2013
Mayor Annise Parker recently announced the completion of the Houston Recovery Center renovation, home to the City of Houston’s new sobering center, which is expected to begin full operation in the next couple of…

Houston Chronicle | March 7, 2013
You don’t want to be that guy (or gal for that matter) – the one stumbling on a sidewalk after one too many martinis at your favorite watering hole. But if you insist, at least now a night in jail may not be…

Houston Mayor’s Office | March 7, 2013
“This is an innovative solution to a costly problem that diverts our police from other matters and crowds the city jail,” said Mayor Parker. “It is the first step toward the city’s long-term goal of getting out of the jail…