Who we are

A Texas nonprofit being built, in the open, for Starr County.

We believe a person in crisis deserves care close to home, in their own language, with their dignity intact. Starr County Behavioral Health Center exists to make that possible here.

Our mission

Care close to home, in the language people think in.

To build and operate the first local, bilingual behavioral health crisis and stabilization center for Starr County — so that no resident in crisis is ever again sent away from their family, their community, and their language to get help.

Leadership

Who's leading it

Ashley Gonzalez, M.S., LPC

Executive Director, Starr County Behavioral Health Center

Doctoral Candidate in Psychology, Walden University

A full biography and photo will be published here shortly.

The Center is led day to day by its Executive Director. It is governed — separately and independently — by its Board of Directors. That separation is deliberate, and we explain it below.

Governance

An independent Board of Directors

The Center is governed by an independent Board of Directors. The founding Board is being seated now.

Founding Board of Directors being seated.

Board members will be named on this site only after they have formally accepted and agreed to be listed. We would rather list no one today than list someone who hasn't said yes.

Accountability

Governance & transparency

The Executive Director reports to the Board

The Executive Director is staff, not a member of the Board. The Board of Directors is independent and governs the organization; the Executive Director reports to the Board. This separation is a deliberate choice — and a strength. It is exactly the accountability structure funders and the IRS look for, and we built it in from the start.

Documents we publish as they are adopted

We will post these here as they exist — not before:

  • Bylaws in progress
  • Conflict-of-interest policy in progress
  • Expense reimbursement policy in progress
  • IRS determination letter once received
  • Form 990 once filed

If a document isn't listed here yet, it's because it doesn't exist yet. We won't pretend otherwise.

Our legal status, plainly

Starr County Behavioral Health Center has filed for incorporation as a Texas nonprofit corporation. We intend to apply for 501(c)(3) federal tax-exempt status; that application has not yet been submitted to the IRS.

Where this stands

Building the Coalition

This Center is being built with the community, not for it. Here is where that work stands today — honestly, and in motion. We describe it by sector, never by name, until an organization has confirmed in writing that it's ready to be named.

  • County Government
  • Law Enforcement
  • Hospital District
  • Behavioral Health Authority
  • Juvenile & Adult Justice
  • Schools
  • State & Federal
  • Governance

See the full coalition status, by sector

Get involved

Want to help build this?

Whether you're a resident, a professional, or an institution, there's a place for you in this work.