More than one out of every 10 Texans still struggle. Despite the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Texans living in poverty remained at an average of 13.9 percent between 2018 to 2022, only a slight improvement over prior years. Rural poverty has grown and evictions in urban centers like Houston and Austin remain higher than before 2020, according to the nonprofit Eviction Lab.
To combat homelessness and evictions, Harris County and the City of Austin recently approved similar programs that aim to put more cash in the pockets of the poor. Rodney Ellis, the Harris County commissioner who spearheaded efforts there, argues on his website that it “will help families rise above poverty and strengthen all of Harris County. This is the first program of its kind in a Texas county and part of our broader strategy to advance economic prosperity for all people.”
Harris County’s program, planned to launch in February, aims to offer $500 to 1,928 participants for 18 months. Austin’s similar cash assistance program, a collaboration between the city and the nonprofit UpTogether that began in 2022, offers a smaller number of households $1,000 a month for a maximum of one year.
