ZHU CTLR DESCRIBES OPDEV THROUGH RESTR AIRSPACE AFTER LATE ACFT FREQ XFER AND RPTED MINIMUM STAFFING LEVELS.

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I WAS WORKING A BUSY SECTOR BY MYSELF (MCB HI FL240-FL340). I TOOK A HDOF ON ACR X INBOUND TO GPT DSNDING FROM FL330 TO FL250. THE ACFT WAS APPROX 20 MI N OF ZHU BOUNDARY AND 40 MI N OF R4401 WHICH WAS ACTIVE AT AND BELOW FL290. I NOTICED THE ACFT WAS HEADED FOR R4401; BUT I DIDN'T HAVE TIME TO CALL ZME AND INSTRUCT THEM TO TURN THE ACFT. I FIGURED I WOULD TURN THE ACFT WHEN IT CROSSED INTO MY AIRSPACE. THE ACFT NEVER CALLED ME; ATTEMPTS TO ESTABLISH CONTACT WERE UNSUCCESSFUL; AND THE ACFT FLEW THROUGH THE RESTR AREA. THIS DEV WAS A DIRECT RESULT OF THE STAFFING SHORTAGE IN NEW SPECIALTY OF ZHU. FOR 2 YRS; STAFFING IN OUR SPECIALTY HAS BEEN CRITICAL AND NOTHING HAS BEEN DONE. WE CONSTANTLY WORK BUSY SECTORS WITH 1 PERSON. THIS LEADS TO COORD BEING DONE LATE OR NOT AT ALL; PUTTING CTLRS AND ACFT IN COMPROMISING SITS. AT THE TIME OF THE DEV; EVERY CTLR ON DUTY WAS IN THE SPECIALTY. MY SECTOR AND THE SECTOR ADJACENT TO MINE SHOULD HAVE HAD HELP; BUT NONE WAS AVAILABLE. ZME PUT ACR X ON THE WRONG FREQ; THAT CTLR WAS TOO BUSY TO ANSWER HIM; HE WENT BACK TO ZME AND THEN FINALLY TO ME. BY THAT TIME HE HAD FLOWN THROUGH R4401. MGMNT CLAIMS WE ARE BEING MORE PRODUCTIVE BY WORKING WITH FEWER CTLRS. I CLAIM WE ARE COMPROMISING SAFETY. WHAT WOULD THE PAX AND FAMILIES OF PAX ON ACR X THINK IF SOMEONE TOLD THEM THEY COULD HAVE BEEN SHOT DOWN IN A RESTR AREA BECAUSE THE CTLRS WERE TOO BUSY TO ENSURE THE SAFETY OF THE ACFT? A D-SIDE ON MY SECTOR WOULD HAVE ENABLED US TO CALL ZME; PUT THE ACFT ON A HDG; AND THE DEV WOULD NEVER HAPPEN. THESE SITS ARE GOING TO HAPPEN MORE FREQUENTLY AS WE CONTINUE TO WORK MORE ACFT WITH LESS CTLRS.