Residents of a Texas county are among those chosen for a pilot program designed to help low-income families in zip codes identified as particularly vulnerable. The Uplift Program, currently being applied in Harris County, is available for those living in certain communities situated in poverty areas include Sunnyside, Gulfton and Galena Park.
In order to be eligible, households need to have an income that falls below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL), approximately amounting to $60,000 for a family of four or $29,000 for an individual. The Uplift Program at Harris County will run for 18 months, starting in fall 2023. Participants must meet certain specific requirements, apart from the income threshold, to get this important money they can use to pay all the basic need.
How much could a family claim from the Uplift Program
The Harris Uplift program will provide $500 per month to up to 1,500 families living 200% below the federal poverty level. These funds can be used to cover basic needs such as rent, food costs and other household-related expenses. The program also aims to provide support in areas such as transportation, housing, utilities and healthcare.
As mentioned before, it will be valid for 18 months (one and a half years) and will be managed by an outsourced agency. It will be subject to a rigorous evaluation, which is still being planned. This means that the application process has not started yet, so you have time to prepare for the application if you live in Harris County. It is expected that the county begin to select the beneficiaries in September 2023.
Eligible zip codes that could apply for the Uplift Program
While the final covering area will be defined as soon as the county specifies the whole plan, these are some of the zip codes that will be eligible to apply for the Uplift Program:
- 77050: Cloverland, Magnolia Gardens, Mount Houston, Dryersdale, and parts of the East Houston area.
- 77093: Northside/Northline, and part of the Acres Home area.
- 77060: Aldine, Eastex/Jensen, North Houston.
- 77028: East Houston
- 77033: South Park
- 77026: Kashmere Gardens
- 77081: Gulfton, Westwood
- 77547: Galena Park
- 77091: Greater Inwood
Remember that ZIP code boundaries can change over time, so for the most accurate information, it’s a good idea to consult an official source, such as www.unitedstateszipcodes.org.
Additionally, individuals who are currently registered in the ACCESS Program by Harris County Public Health will be eligible for the Uplift disbursements as well. This initiative forms an all-encompassing network of assistance for the county’s at-risk population.
Uplift recipients can also claim the ACCESS assistance in Harris County
Accessing Coordinated Care and Empowering Self-Sufficiency (ACCESS) Harris County is an integrated model for the strategic coordination of work to improve the quality of life of benefit recipients. This initiative is focused on the following populations:
- Violence Prevention
- Homeless individuals with physical or behavioral health conditions
- Black Maternal Health
- Re-entry
- Transitional age youth aging out of foster care system
The main targets are to improve health, well-being, sustained recovery, and self-sufficiency, by developing and implementing a plan to coordinate agency services and reduce duplication of services. ACCESS Harris County will collaborate with a variety of local and state entities to improve people’s lives. Some programs, institutions, and entities that join forces with ACCESS are:
- Harris County Public Health
- Community Supervision & Corrections Department
- Department of Economics, Equity, and Opportunity
- Harris County Community Services Department
- Harris County Department of Education
- Harris County Housing Authority
- Harris County Juvenile Probation Department
- Harris County District Attorney’s Office
- Harris County Libraries
- Harris County Resources for Children and Adults
- Harris County Sheriff’s Office
- Harris Health System
- The Harris Center for Mental Health & IDD
- Texas Department of Criminal Justice Parole Division Region III/Area Agency on Parole
- City of Houston Health Department
Discover how to qualify and apply by visiting the official Harris County Public Health.