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Meeting Date:	01/12/2026
Letter of Intent to Apply for Grant
Submitted for:	Rosa Cavazos	Submitted By:	Rosa Cavazos
Department:	County Judge

Subject:

Discussion and possible action for authorizing the Letter of Intent for submission of the grant application to the Office of the Governor (OOG), Public Safety Office (PSO) Criminal Justice Division for a County Solutions to Address Commercial Sexual Exploitation FY 2027 estimated at Two Hundred Fifty Thousand Dollars ($250,000) over the term of the contract; approving a resolution for authorization of grant submission to the Office of the Governor. The Laredo/Webb County, Texas Emergency Network Diversion (TEND) Court Program will utilize this funding opportunity to provide awareness and prevention for youth at-risk of exploitation, human trafficking and the commercial exploitation of children, including specific services for survivors in Laredo/Webb County foster care. This formal request shall authorize the County Judge to act as the County Executive Officer and Authorized Representative in all matters pertaining to the County's participation in this grant. There is no match requirement for this grant. All grant documents were sent for review through the Economic Development Department and the solicitation is compliant with the Webb County Single Point of Contact (SPOC) procedures. Contract Term: October 1, 2026, to September 30, 2027. [Requested by Child Protection Court, Selina L. Mireles, Associate Judge]

Issue: There is a need for resources to address the issue of exploitation, human trafficking and the sexual exploitation of children in our community. Persons who have suffered abuse in childhood or adolescence are susceptible to being exploited, human trafficked and commercially sexually trafficked. There is a need to train the community and those involved in the criminal justice system on how to identify potential and current victims and stop the cycle of exploitation, human trafficking, and commercial sexual exploitation of children. The Office of the Governor of Texas has provided available resources through a grant opportunity to enhance awareness, intervention, and prevention of this serious issue.

Solution: Authorize the submission of the grant application as set forth above to ensure that Laredo/Webb County, CPS, and Child Protection Court (CPC) may continue the Texas Emergency Network Diversion (TEND) Court Program, a diversion program for potential and current victims of exploitation, human trafficking and the commercial sexual trafficking of children.

Result: The Texas Emergency Network Diversion (TEND) Program will follow SPOC, and be in compliance with the submission rules and regulations set forth by the funding agency.

Background:

The TEND Court program aims to identify minors in CPS foster care, who may be survivors or at-risk of being exploited, human trafficked, and/or commercially sexually trafficked, including steering them away from that way of life. The program will collaborate with community partners to provide various modes of therapy teaching positive coping skills. In addition, TEND Court provides sessions for the prevention, intervention, and redirection of exploitation, human trafficking, and commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC). TEND Court is in partnership with the National Center for Exploited & Missing Children to educate the Laredo/Webb County on the Exploitation, Human Trafficking and/or the Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children (CSEC).

Previous Court Action:

Previous Court Action:
Move forward with the direction/action of the Webb County Commissioners Court as approved in the first year, February 8, 2021.

Fiscal Impact

Budget Account Number:	N/A
Funding Source:	OOG Grant
Balance:	N/A
Financial Impact:
N/A