Nearly 2,000 families in Texas will soon begin receiving $500 a month
Selected Texans are getting a boost as part of a new anti-poverty initiative.
Residents of Harris County, the largest county in the Houston area, have been selected for the Uplift Harris guaranteed income program. Nearly 2,000 families will begin receiving their funds in April, according to a report from the Houston Chronicle.
How much are Harris County residents receiving?
According to the report, 1,928 families have been selected from an estimated 83,000 applicants to receive $500 per month for 18 months as part of the program.
According to the Harris County website, Uplift Harris is a guaranteed-income pilot program funded by the 2021 federal American Rescue Plan Act to address economic inequity and reduce poverty. The pilot has been issued in response to the coronavirus pandemic.
How were people selected for the Uplift Harris program?
Applicants for the program were selected in a randomized lottery system.
Households wishing to take part must have an income less than 200% of the federal poverty line and live in one of the following ZIP codes:
77050 77093 77051 77060 77028 h h h h h 77033 77026 77081 77547 77091 h h h h h Harris County Public Health notified applicants who were selected on March 22.
What can the $500 monthly payments be used for?
According to Uplift Harris, participants can use the monthly payments at their own discretion, with the following exceptions:
To buy or support anything that would harm the h safety and security of other participants in the Uplift Harris Guaranteed Income Pilot and/or other community members.
For the promotion of or engagement in any criminal h or illegal activities.
To support any entities or individuals relating to h terrorism.
When will Uplift Harris participants start receiving the $500 payments?
Participants should expect to receive their first payments in April and no later than the end of May.
Is this the first time a guaranteed-income program of its kind?
This isn't the first program of its kind. Austin had a guaranteed-income program that paid 135 households $1,000 a month from September 2022 to September 2023.
San Antonio also launched its own pilot program in 2020, with the goal of giving 1,000 low-income families $400 every quarter over two years. Both San Antonio and Austin worked with the nonprofit UpTogether to provide relief.