$500 Texas Guaranteed Income Program: Applications Open Next Week

Some Texans will soon receive extra money each month as part of a guaranteed income program aimed at addressing income inequality. Specifically, this Texas Guaranteed Income program is for Harris County residents. Under this program, eligible residents will receive $500 per month for 18 months.

Texas Guaranteed Income Program: How to Apply

Last June, Harris County approved the “Uplift Harris” program, a pilot program that would provide guaranteed income through cash assistance to some low-income households. Harris County has created a program website to learn about the program.

“Despite the region’s tremendous prosperity, Harris County has one of the highest levels of economic inequality in the country, with 16.4% of residents living in poverty,” the program’s website says. “The COVID-19 pandemic and economic inflation, among other challenges, have widened these inequalities.”

The pilot program provides $500 per month for 18 months to households in more than 1,900 selected counties. Beneficiaries can use the monthly payments to pay for essential needs such as medical care, groceries, rent, utilities, and more.

Applications for the Texas Guaranteed Income Program open January 8 and close January 26. Residents can visit the program website to complete an interest form and receive notification when applications open. Selected applicants will receive their first cash payments as early as March 2024.

Applicants can only apply online. People who do not have access to a computer, tablet, smartphone and/or the internet can visit an application support partner.

Uplift Harris Program: Who can apply?

The Texas Guaranteed Income Program will provide cash assistance to 1,928 households living below 200 percent of the federal poverty line, which equates to an income of about $60,000 for a family of four.

Households must live in 10 eligible high-poverty ZIP codes (77026, 77028, 77033, 77050, 77051, 77060, 77081, 77091, 77093, 77547) or be eligible for the Accessing Collaborative Care and Self-Sufficiency (ACCESS) Harris County program.

ACCESS Harris County program participants will also be randomly selected for the Uplift Harris program. The ACCESS Harris County program aims to address the diverse needs of the county’s most vulnerable populations through a care coordination team of Safety Net agencies.

Uplift Harris of Harris County uses $20.5 million American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) grant. GiveDirectly, an international non-profit organization, manages the program, and the Harris County Public Health Organization (HCPH) provides oversight and direction for GiveDirectly.

To promote this Texas guaranteed income program and assist residents with the application process for targeted zip codes, HCPH has partnered with 12 local non-profit organizations. HCPH community health workers are also working with more than 100 businesses, nonprofits, apartment complexes and community centers in targeted zip codes to help residents register their concerns online.

For more information about the program, visit the Uplift Harris website.