Harris County to Provide $ 1,500 in Payments to 20,000 Families in Urgent Need Due to COVID-19

HOUSTON – Harris County is seeking to help 20,000 families who need help staying afloat due to COVID-19.

Harris County Recovery Assistance will provide one-time payments of $ 1,500 to families whose finances have not returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to a press release. The $ 30 million relief fund will accept applications from July 28 to August 11.

Officials noted that the current ban on evictions was due to expire on July 31.

According to the statement, families can apply for this fund without the cooperation of a landlord, as the money can be used for any kind of urgent expenses such as housing, groceries, utilities, health care, child care, transportation, etc.

The program is funded by the American Rescue Plan Act and is administered by Catholic Charities, the statement said.

To qualify for the program, applicants must live in Harris County (inside or outside the Houston city limits), be 18 years of age or older, must have experienced economic hardship related to pandemic, must not exceed the maximum financial threshold (a member of the household must receive public assistance, or the total household income must be less than 60% of the median family income of the HUD zone), according to the statement. Additionally, due to federal requirements, at least one adult member of the household must be a U.S. citizen, lawful permanent resident, refugee, or other qualified non-citizen.

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All eligible Harris County households are encouraged to apply on HarrisCountyRelief.org. Officials said households will be selected at random and funding will be distributed by the end of fall, the statement said.

If an applicant needs help with the application process, due to technological or language barriers, five community organizations have been approached to help them, such as Hope Disaster Recovery, Humble Area Assistance Ministries, East Harris County Empowerment Council, Memorial Assistance Ministries and YMCA of Greater Houston.

Starting July 28, people can call 832-345-6289 Monday to Friday 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

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“How we respond to the most vulnerable in our community will be key to our region’s economic recovery,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “Over the past year, millions of Harris County families have relied on cash injections – from federal stimulus payments to local relief programs – to stay housed, clothed and healthy. As other protections expire, these direct payments will serve as a vital gateway to a permanent recovery from this pandemic. “