All applicants will be notified of their selection status now through March 22
HOUSTON – Harris County is pleased to announce that starting today, March 18, through March 22, all Uplift Harris Guaranteed Income Pilot applicants will receive notification of their selection status for the program. Applicants will be notified through the preferred communication method they identified in their initial application. The first monthly payment of $500 will be distributed to selected recipients as early as April 24.
Designed to provide financial assistance to low-income residents in Haris County, the Uplift Harris Guaranteed Income Pilot selected 1,928 eligible households with an income below 200% of the federal poverty level to receive $500 monthly payments for 18 months. The eligibility criteria required that applicants must reside in the county’s 10 identified high-poverty ZIP codes or be current participants of ACCESS Harris County. The ZIP codes include 77050, 77093, 77051, 77060, 77028, 77033, 77026, 77081, 77547, and 77091.
The Uplift Harris Guaranteed Income Pilot used a two-stage lottery system during the selection process. In the first stage, approximately 6,000 qualified applicants were randomly selected to advance to the second stage of the lottery system, which then determined the final 1,928 participants who will receive the payments. The program received over 82,500 applications from Jan. 12 through Feb. 2.
The Uplift Harris Guaranteed Income Pilot aims to reduce income inequality, improve self-sufficiency, and create a framework for future anti-poverty initiatives in the county. It is funded by a $20.5 million federal grant from the American Rescue Plan Act. The program is managed by Harris County Public Health and administered by GiveDirectly, a non-profit organization with extensive experience implementing similar programs.
For more information about the Uplift Harris Pilot, visit Uplift.HarrisCountyTX.org.
