HOUSTON — Houston is launching a new way to help its men and women who have served in the military: a veterans court within its municipal court system.
The new program, announced by Mayor Sylvester Turner on Wednesday at City Hall, will help veterans who receive any city citations and warrants.
The VA, Combined Arms and Beacon Law firm will help connect former service members with resources to help them get back on their feet.
“The hope here is that we can get veterans plugged in to a whole bunch of resources they might otherwise not even know about and get them plugged into the veteran community and any resources that they might need at all,” said Brian Escobedo, Systems Director at Combined Arms, a Houston nonprofit that helps veterans with transitioning to civilian life.
Mayor Turner said Houston is home to an estimated 282,000 veterans, the second-largest population in the United States.
Veterans should show up at any of Houston’s six municipal courts, then show the judge an ID or documents proving their status. The judge will then reschedule their case for veterans court.
The first veterans municipal court date is planned from 9 a.m. to noon Oct. 15.
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