A Place to Heal: The Harris Center and The Furniture Bank Celebrate a Partnership Built on Care

Dr. Hill has spent 22 years with The Harris Center, giving her a firsthand view of the organization’s growth and its evolving response to the needs of Greater Houston.

As a Practice Manager, she oversees the daily operations of a community mental health clinic and helps ensure that thousands of clients receive appropriate care. Each clinic brings together multidisciplinary teams that may include therapists, caseworkers, psychiatrists, nurses, business-office staff, licensed chemical-dependency counselors, and primary-care providers.

At the Southwest Community Service Center, where Dr. Hill works, more than 2,500 people are registered to receive services.

“My role is to ensure that the number of clients who are registered here are getting those proper services.”

— Dr. Dionne Hill

Those services extend far beyond what many members of the public might associate with a mental health clinic. The Harris Center provides access to psychiatric care, counseling, case management, substance-use treatment, crisis support, IDD services, and certain primary healthcare services.

Dr. Hill describes this integrated model in simple terms: “I like to call us one-stop shopping.”

Having primary and behavioral healthcare available within the same setting can reduce barriers and help providers understand the many factors influencing a client’s well-being. When a service is not available through a particular clinic, staff can also help connect the client with another community resource.

People seeking services for the first time, or returning after a break in care, can meet with The Harris Center’s Access Team. Licensed providers speak with each person about their history, current concerns, medications, hospitalizations, housing situation, substance use, and other circumstances to determine which services may be appropriate.

“Anyone can come through the door at 7:30 in the morning, and we’ll give them some feedback.”

— Dr. Dionne Hill

Access and community awareness have become particularly important in the years following the COVID-19 pandemic. Dr. Hill observed that the pandemic increased anxiety, depression, isolation, and other behavioral-health challenges. At the same time, it encouraged some people who might not previously have considered treatment to ask for help.

The Harris Center’s current priorities include increasing program access and community engagement. That means bringing information directly into neighborhoods, participating in community events, discussing mental health more openly, and developing partnerships that can address needs beyond clinical treatment.

“We’re continuing to grow. We’re continuing to address the needs of the community. We’re only going to focus on collaborating more with other community resources.”

— Dr. Dionne Hill

The partnership between The Harris Center and The Furniture Bank demonstrates why collaboration between community organizations matters.

When a Harris Center caseworker learns that a client has secured housing but lacks essential furniture, the caseworker can help assess the household’s needs and begin the referral process. The caseworker may visit the home, speak directly with the client, and complete a verification-of-needs assessment identifying necessities such as a bed, seating, a dining table, or other household items.

The client and caseworker then work together to prepare for an appointment at The Furniture Bank’s distribution center.

Dr. Hill emphasized that the process is collaborative. Caseworkers help clients understand what is available, prioritize their most important needs, complete the required paperwork, confirm appointments, and determine whether assistance with delivery costs may be necessary.

“The client was just so excited about the fact that they get to go shopping. The way the warehouse is set up, where you have the chairs here, the furniture here, and the beds over there, it’s a nice flow.”

— Dr. Dionne Hill

She also recognized the people working behind the scenes at both organizations to schedule appointments, communicate with caseworkers, process documentation, and keep services moving efficiently.

“We’re definitely meeting a need,” she said. “To be able to assist with housing but then connect the dots to furniture, it all stems from collaboration.”

For someone emerging from homelessness, hospitalization, domestic violence, substance-use challenges, or another destabilizing experience, receiving housing does not necessarily mean that person has everything required to begin again.

An apartment without a bed may still mean sleeping on the floor. A home without seating may offer no comfortable place to rest, gather as a family, or welcome a support worker. A lack of basic household furniture can compound stress and make recovery more difficult.

Dr. Hill believes furniture should be understood as a basic need because of the role it plays in restoring independence, security, and well-being.

“You’re talking about a level of independence that comes back to that person. You’re talking about a life of being stress-free that comes back to that person.”

— Dr. Dionne Hill

“If you just have an empty shell and there’s nothing there, no chairs or a bed, it may make it a little bit more difficult to heal in the recovery process,” she continued. “Whether mental health recovery or substance-abuse recovery, it could make it more difficult by not having those basic needs. Furniture could easily be considered a basic need.”

Although processes, staff members, and community needs have changed over the years, the partnership between The Harris Center and The Furniture Bank has remained strong.

“We’ve been in partnership for years and years. We only hope that we can continue our partnership and grow, and grow and grow.”

— Dr. Dionne Hill

That continued growth will require listening to frontline caseworkers, improving coordination, expanding community awareness, and creating more opportunities for Houstonians to support both organizations.

For Dr. Hill, the future of The Harris Center is rooted in its willingness to listen and respond.

“We’re going to continue thriving in the community and listening for what’s needed,” she said. “From there, we can determine where we need to pivot, who we need to reach out to, and who we need to work with.”