An exploratory analysis of best practices for community resource coordination groups of Texas

During the 70th Legislative Session in 1987, the Texas Legislature mandated the establishment of local county-based Community Resource Coordination Groups (CRCGs) to collaborate on the development of individualized service plans and the service provision for children and youth with complex, multi-agency needs. While this was an unfunded mandate for localities, the State’s budget for the Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) provided training and technical assistance to local CRCGs from the State CRCG Office. However, the 82nd Texas Legislature reduced HHSC’s budget, which resulted in the defunding of the CRCG program at the state level. During fiscal years 2012 and 2013, county CRCG leaders across Texas were left to sustain local operations, if possible, without state-level support. Although some CRCGs did not remain active, the majority of CRCGs did in the absence of the State Office’s support.

Local CRCG leaders across the state of Texas experience difficulty maintaining adequate representation from CRCG partners from the 11 mandated state agencies, as well as limited funding and resources to meet the needs of individuals served by CRCGs. In light of the unfunded mandate and in an effort to identify strategies to enhance the quality of CRCG agency collaboration and service delivery, the purpose of this report is to explore various models for multi-agency collaboration, identify relevant best practices, and discuss potential funding mechanisms for Texas CRCGs. The report presents program and policy recommendations to increase the capacity that the State CRCG Office and local CRCGs have to serve individuals with complex, multi-agency needs.