HOUSTON — A program to provide financial support for some low-income families in the Houston area got the green light from Harris County Commissioners Court Tuesday.
The Uplift Harris program is a $20.5 million investment designed to help struggling families with basic needs like rent, food, transportation, housing, utilities and health care.
Under the program, up to 1,500 families living below 200% of the federal poverty line – approximately $40,000 for a family of four – will receive $500 a month to support their household needs for 18 months.
The families randomly chosen for the pilot program will either live in high-poverty ZIP codes or participate in the county's ACCESS (Accessing Coordinated Care and Empowering Self Sufficiency) Harris County, a program to improve the lives of residents facing hardships.
Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis is spearheading Uplift Harris as part of the county’s mission to reduce poverty.
"Harris County is one of the most economically segregated regions in the country with widening income and wealth disparities that disproportionately impact people of color, women, working families and youth," Ellis' office said.
Only Precinct 3 Commissioner Tom Ramsey voting against Uplift Harris.
The Rice University’s Kinder Institute's most recent Houston Area Survey found economic inequality is a growing concern and that 72% of respondents support more government action to help low-income people. Sixty-three percent of Houston-area residents surveyed felt that “too little is being spent on programs and services to support individuals and families experiencing poverty.”
The pandemic, soaring costs of living, and stagnant wages continue to put more strain on families struggling to make ends meet and threaten the region’s overall social well-being and economic stability.
“Similar programs in other cities and counties have been shown to increase employment and the incentive to work while reducing poverty,” Commissioner Ellis said. "Families report improvements to their physical and mental health and are able to spend more time with their children. They also have a greater sense of self-determination when they are trusted with the resources they need to build a better life.”
For more information, see the attached background document and visit this website: https://countiesforaguaranteedincome.org/.