Harris County officials have redirected $20.8 million originally earmarked for direct monthly payments to low-income residents after legal challenges from Texas Attorney General Ken Paxton forced the termination of the UPLIFT Harris program.
The guaranteed income initiative, which promised $500 monthly checks to the county’s poorest families, encountered opposition based on an 1876 state constitutional provision designed to prevent misuse of taxpayer funds.
“Uplift was constructed by Commissioner Ellis and others, and it was intended to provide the poorest of the poor in Harris County with approximately $500 a month for approximately 18 months,” Harris County Commissioner Adrian Garcia said.
Despite the program’s end, the American Rescue Plan Act funding will continue serving its intended beneficiaries through established community organizations. The county has strategically reallocated the funds:
• $8 million for homelessness services
• $8 million for eviction prevention
• $2.5 million to combat food insecurity
Texas lawmakers attempted to keep the program alive by adding restrictions on the way recipients could use the money. However, persistent legal challenges ultimately led county commissioners to redirect resources through established organizations, including the Houston Food Bank and the Coalition for Homelessness. The initiative has been rebranded as the Harris County Community Prosperity Program.
Garcia emphasized the strategic shift to working with existing service providers: “We work through organizations and the organizations already have their client database. So we depend on them to disperse it in the areas that they know need the maximum support.”
Former UPLIFT applicants will receive official notification about the program’s conclusion, along with information about alternative assistance programs and resources available through partner organizations.
