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Friday is the final day to apply for Harris County’s guaranteed income program that will give 1,900 families a no-strings-attached monthly stipend of $500.
To date, more than 72,000 people have applied for the 18-month program. According to the most recent available data on Jan. 25, nearly 57,000 of those applications were completed and 60 percent were from eligible, low-income ZIP codes.
The program, called Uplift Harris, is being funded through $20.5 million from the federal American Rescue Plan Act.
Households will be randomly selected and must live within certain ZIP codes that are among the highest poverty rates in the county: 77050, 77093, 77051, 77060, 77028, 77033, 77026, 77081, 77547 and 77091. Applicants also must live below 200 percent of the federal poverty line to be eligible. An individual below that threshold would make under $29,160 a year; a family of four would be under $60,000.
Those participating in the ACCESS Harris County, a wraparound support program for individuals with multiple hardships, including housing needs, substance abuse and health problems, also are eligible.
The monthly stipend will come with virtually no spending restrictions, aside from prohibitions on anything that would harm others, involves criminal activity or supports terrorism.
After the application process closes Friday night, the county health department, which is overseeing the program, will begin weeding out ineligible applicants and start the next phase of the process, which will ask households for additional documentation to verify income. Participants will be notified in early March if they were selected and payments will begin rolling out in April.
The county is joining nearly 60 cities and counties across the country, including Austin, Baltimore and Denver, that have launched similar programs, according to Mayors for a Guaranteed Income, a network of leaders who advocate for such initiatives. Guaranteed income, sometimes referred to as universal basic income, has been discussed for decades as a possible solution to help improve poverty levels. The idea has risen in popularity in recent years, particularly during the coronavirus pandemic.
Sen. Paul Bettencourt sent a letter to Attorney General Ken Paxton on Jan. 12, the day the Uplift Harris application launched, asking for an opinion on whether counties are allowed to offer guaranteed income programs and if it would violate a clause in the Texas constitution that prohibits the gift of public funds to any individual.
County Attorney Christian D. Menefee submitted a brief to the attorney general in response, saying the program is legal under the state’s constitution and laws.
On Thursday morning, Justin Rahman, outreach program manager with the county public health department, was at the Sunnyside Health and Multi-Service Center helping register applicants for Uplift Harris.
Rahman said outreach workers have been stationed at community centers throughout eligible Houston communities and have been knocking on doors to help spread the word. A call center set up to help answer Uplift Harris questions has received more than 14,000 calls, the health department said.
The most common theme, Rahman said, is that people need the money to help find better jobs and pay rent.
“The need is clear,” he said.
Sunnyside community leader Melanie Young answers questions about Uplift Harris, a guaranteed income pilot at the Sunnyside Multi-Service Center on Thursday, Feb. 01, 2024, in Houston. (Annie Mulligan for Houston Landing) Applicants surround Harris County Public Health employees as they fill out the application forms for Uplift Harris, a guaranteed income pilot at the Sunnyside Multi-Service Center on Thursday, Feb. 01, 2024, in Houston. Uplift Harris allows participating households to receive $500 per month for 18 months in hopes of easing financial burdens on individual families and eventually a community. (Annie Mulligan for Houston Landing) An applicant looks over a flyer for Uplift Harris, a guaranteed income pilot program at the Sunnyside Multi-Service Center on Thursday, Feb. 01, 2024, in Houston. Uplift Harris allows participating households to receive $500 per month for 18 months in hopes of easing financial burdens on individual families and eventually a community. (Annie Mulligan for Houston Landing) Ida Moore receives instructions from Harris County Public Health Outreach Program Manager Justin Rahman regarding Uplift Harris, a guaranteed income pilot program at the Sunnyside Multi-Service Center on Thursday, Feb. 01, 2024, in Houston. Moore retired from MD Anderson after 42 years and wanted to know more about the assistance program. (Annie Mulligan for Houston Landing) A flyer advertises Uplift Harris, a guaranteed income pilot program at the Sunnyside Multi-Service Center on Thursday, Feb. 01, 2024, in Houston. (Annie Mulligan for Houston Landing)
Melanie Young, a community organizer in Sunnyside, said she has been passing out flyers to people and hanging them up in fast food and hair stores in the area. She also has been using social media to help promote the program, answer questions and help with applications.
Young estimates she has helped more than 100 people, saying many told her they would use the money for groceries and to help with their water bills.
Young also has stationed herself at area multi-service centers so seniors and those without access to cell phones, computers or the internet can apply. She said she helped numerous people who walked several miles to get to the center or took several buses just to get help with the application.
Young is excited about how the Uplift program will be able to help some, but worries about what it means for those who will not be selected.
“That’s how many people who need help,” she said, referring to the number of applications. “If you don’t get selected, you still need to pay your water bill.”
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