HOUSTON – A guaranteed income program meant to help struggling families in Harris County is officially over, following a legal challenge from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton.
The initiative, originally known as Uplift Harris County and later renamed the Harris County Community Prosperity Program, would have provided $500 a month for 18 months to more than 1,500 families living in poverty.
The program was fully funded and ready to launch until a lawsuit from Paxton’s office paused its rollout.
Robert Holley, one of the approved recipients, never received the money. He is currently homeless and told KPRC 2’s Re’Chelle Turner what the extra support would have meant for him.
“Well, I had already lined up when I had a studio apartment. And it would have helped out with, you know, some basic bills and groceries. It’s really not a lot of money. But it’s something, and it was for 18 months. And yes, I could have used it,” said Holley.
“I can’t say how I felt because I never got the money, but I have to continue. I work with other organizations,” he added.
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Cecelia Fontenot, another person selected to participate in the program, expressed her frustration after the county formally ended the plan this week.
“That $500 a month would not have made anyone rich, but it would have made a difference,” Fontenot said. “The state stepped in and shut it down. Not because it was failing. They never gave it a chance.”
During a press conference Friday morning, Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis and County Attorney Christian Menefee voiced their disappointment and defended the program.
“Attorney General Paxton misled the public and politicized this program to serve his own personal agenda over needs of working families,” said Ellis.
“The state, on a regular basis, has given out corporate giveaways for decades in both parties, no matter who the governor was, for very little, if any, benefits to the taxpayers of Texas. But only this program was challenged.”
Holley, meanwhile, expressed concern for other struggling families who had been counting on the financial help.
“I really feel for the people who had children okay or had a bigger family,” he said.
Following Thursday’s vote by Commissioners Court, the remaining $20 million in federal funds allocated to the program will now go toward rental assistance, homelessness services, and food and nutrition programs.
“Rather than addressing it, we will continue to fight for families, for working people, and for a brighter future for Harris County,” Commissioner Ellis said.
Despite the setback, Holley remains optimistic.
He told KPRC 2, “I’m still an optimist... I can’t say how I felt, because I never got the money.”