The future is uncertain for a Harris County initiative that sends social workers – rather than law enforcement officers – to respond to non-violent 911 calls.

Following a lengthy and divisive debate, the court narrowly voted to withhold a $270,000 payment for work completed in February and March of this year because the vendor, DEMA Consulting & Management, is under investigation for allegedly double-billing clients. The decision means an abrupt halt to the Holistic Assistance Response Team, or HART, program.

Since launching in 2022, HART teams have diverted over 11,000 calls from law enforcement responses, instead dispatching mental health professionals and freeing up officers to focus on violent crimes.