Houston approved using some of its homeless funding to address critical needs such as mental health, substance use and immediate medical concerns.

The overview: At the Sept. 23 meeting, Houston City Council authorized the city to provide $667,540 from its End Street Homelessness funds for the Houston Recovery Center, which will help up to 600 individuals annually. The services include:

• 24/7 operations of 34 beds for homeless individuals

• Supportive services to address mental health needs, immediate medical concerns and case management

• Substance use treatment

• Pathways to stable housing

The initial agreement began in August 2025, and the new amendment extends through September 2027.

The local impact: The Houston Recovery Center is a sobering center that acts as an alternative to jail. It provides a short-term stay for individuals to sober up, and most stay for 4-6 hours, according to the center.

A new chef-driven restaurant named Lila's will debut this fall on Fannin Street in Houston.

What we know: Created by the hospitality management company Rebees, the establishment is designed to be an all-day restaurant and gathering place that transitions from morning coffee and lunch to happy hour, dinner and late-night cocktails.

The menu will showcase seasonal ingredients sourced from local farmers, dishes layered with Houston's multicultural influences and familiar flavors with "chef-driven" creativity.

What's special about it: Lila's interior design is expected to blend the "warmth and comfort" of design-forward boutique hotels with relaxed lounge seating, collaborative gathering areas, an energetic bar and a dining room.

“We’ve spent years thinking about how hospitality can fundamentally change the experience of a place,” said chief hospitality officer Matt Ragan. “With Lila’s, we’re taking the level of service, attention to detail and sense of welcome you expect from a great boutique hotel and applying it to an everyday restaurant.

• 1201 Fannin St., Houston

Eli Lilly and Company held a groundbreaking ceremony on Sept. 21 for its new $6.5 billion, 236-acre manufacturing site in Generation Park in Houston.

The big picture: The facility is part of Lilly's $50 billion investment to bolster domestic medicine production. The Houston site will manufacture Foundayo (orforglipron), which is Lilly's first synthetic oral GLP-1 medicine approved by the FDA for weight management in certain adults.

The impact: The project is expected to bring several benefits to the region:

• It will create more than 600 high-wage jobs and an estimated 4,000 construction jobs.

• Lilly is providing $12.5 million to San Jacinto College to support a pathway into advanced chemical synthesis manufacturing careers.

• The company is making a $2.5 million charitable donation to the college for student scholarships.

The Harris County Commissioners Court approved several funding measures and resolutions during its Sept. 22 meeting. Key decisions from the meeting include:

• Approval of eight escrow agreements for the Harris County Flood Control District to fund flood mitigation projects in multiple watersheds

• Allocation of $181,105 from the general fund to six community organizations to provide meals to homebound senior and disabled residents

• Authorization to apply for a grant to refurbish Tom Bass Park, which could receive $30 million in total funding

• Allocation of $2 million from a state grant to improve trails and amenities at Doss Park

• Approval of 15 resolutions, including recognition for Hispanic Heritage Month and Pet Wellness Month

The Texas Commission on Environmental Quality must stop issuing new permits for data centers, Gov. Greg Abbott said Sept. 21.

The overview: His order expands an existing pause on data center development in the state amid consistent public criticism of the booming industry. Abbott, who is running for a fourth term as governor, has recently moved to slow the growth of data centers after calling Texas “the epicenter of AI development" last year.

The context: Hundreds of proposed data centers are currently being audited by the Electric Reliability Council of Texas, which operates the state power grid.

Some developers may be able to get around the ERCOT pause by building in-house power infrastructure that is not connected to the grid, experts have said.

However, any construction project impacting at least 1 acre of land requires permits from TCEQ.

What they're saying: "As Texas faces increasing pressure on our water supplies and electric grid, we need to ensure that data centers operate efficiently and sustainably," said Luke Metzger, executive director of Environment Texas.