High Court Halts $20.5 Million Uplift Harris Program in Harris County, Texas, Affecting 1,900 Families
Harris Program on Hold – $20.5 Million Relief Funds Stalled
In Harris County, Texas, a plan to give money to people who need it has been stopped by a high court. The plan, called Uplift Harris and wanted to give $500 every month to about 1,900 families who live in the county’s poorest areas. This money, totaling $20.5 million from COVID-19 relief funds was meant to help struggling families for a year and a half, according to the published article of EL Paso Times.
The lawyer for Harris County, Christian Menefee said he’s sad about the court’s decision. He thinks the program could have helped a lot of people, even if just for a short time. The argument against Uplift Harris is that it goes against a rule in the Texas Constitution. This rule says that local governments can’t give money or benefits to individual people. Despite the county’s arguments that Uplift Harris was needed to help poor families, the court’s decision has put the program on hold.
There was some confusion about whether the county had started giving out the money before the court’s decision. A county official, Rodney Ellis said on social media that they had started sending checks. But later, he said that wasn’t true. He explained that they were trying to send the first payment quickly but couldn’t do it before the court’s order came.
(photo: The Texas Tribune)
Harris Program Suspension Sparks Texas Cities to Rethink Direct Aid Initiatives
This issue in Harris County is not the only one of its kind in Texas. Other places in the state, like Austin, San Antonio, and El Paso County, have also tried programs to give money directly to people in need. Just last week, the Austin City Council decided to restart its program, which it first tried in 2022. This shows that there’s a growing interest in helping people who are struggling financially. As the situation in Harris County unfolds it will affect how other places in Texas try to help people living in poverty.
