By John Lomax V.

See original post here.

Commissioners voted Thursday to end Harris County’s beleaguered guaranteed income program, marking an end to a sprawling legal battle that ultimately prevented officials from providing financial assistance to the nearly 2,000 families who were approved to receive funds. 

The news came after the program, initially called Uplift Harris and later revamped as the Community Prosperity Program, drew multiple lawsuits and allegations of “lottery socialism” from conservative lawmakers. Commissioner Rodney Ellis, who spearheaded the program along with Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo, said its premature end represents a loss for the county’s most vulnerable residents. 

“I do feel very strongly now that we have to end the program because the Texas Supreme Court has not ruled and we don’t know when they will rule on it,” Ellis said. “The least we ought to do is go back and spend this money that was for those 10 poorest ZIP codes in areas that have the poorest people in the county. The poorest of the poor.”

A representative for Harris County’s Office of Communications, Education and Engagement said the county had invested around $1.7 million on setting up both Uplift Harris and its successor.  Commissioners voted 3-1 to reallocate the remaining funds to rental assistance, homeless outreach and other initiatives. 

More than three-quarters of the remaining money will go to homeless outreach and rental assistance, with the rest allocated for reducing food insecurity, according to a news release from Commissioner Adrian Garcia’s office.

“As the recent Kinder study revealed, the cost of living, food insecurity and housing/homelessness are three of the top challenges that Harris County faces, and these funds will go directly toward addressing those needs,” Garcia said in a statement.

Commissioner Tom Ramsey cast the only dissenting vote, saying the money should go to pay off the county’s looming budget deficit. 

Uplift Harris’ rocky history

This is the second time the program has found itself on the chopping block. State Sen. Paul Bettencourt introduced a bill, which was passed by the Senate in April, that would have specifically outlawed Uplift Harris and similar programs. Officials decided in late May to postpone a vote on ending the program pending the outcome of Bettencourt’s legislation, which failed to pass after missing a key deadline in the Texas House. 

The program, which was funded using COVID-era relief funds, would have provided around 1,900 families living 200% below the poverty line with $500 a month. Facing a strict deadline to spend the funds or return them to the federal government, commissioners elected to redistribute them across other departments and initiatives. 

Initially pitched as a “no strings attached” guaranteed income program, commissioners launched a revised version in August following a lawsuit filed by Attorney General Ken Paxton, who alleged the program violated a clause in the Texas Constitution prohibiting state-sponsored gifts. 

“Uplift Harris 2.0,” or the Community Prosperity Program, included a clause mandating funds provided through the program be used only to cover essential living expenses. But Paxton sued again in December, leading to yet another delay. 

While Paxton secured multiple temporary injunctions and a favorable nod from the Texas Supreme Court, the justices did not rule on the constitutionality of the program. But county officials faced a strict deadline to allocate the funds used for the program or return them to the federal government. 

Loss for vulnerable residents

Robert Holley was approved to receive assistance through Uplift Harris shortly after commissioners launched the program. The 69-year-old is retired from GM, but fell on hard times after Hurricane Harvey. Holley’s retirement check is only around $800 a month, he said, and he spends most nights sleeping on the street. 

Holley considered himself one of a lucky few when he was first told he had been approved to receive financial assistance under Uplift Harris. He went through a screening process and even received a debit card, which he still has.

But more than two years later, the card serves only as a reminder of what could have been. 

“I still have the debit card. It was activated, but no money was ever put on it,” Holley said. “It’s like I’ve just been in limbo this entire time. I’ve been floating in suspended animation.” 

Holley said he stays in hotels and other lodging provided through various programs and services to stay off the streets as much as he can. But had he received the money promised to him through Uplift Harris, Holley said he thinks he would have had a better shot at securing some form of consistent housing. 

Holley said he only cares for himself, and although he’s frustrated he was never provided financial assistance, he said the families counting on Uplift Harris will be among those hurt most by the program’s termination. 

This post was originally published on Basic Income Today.