A program that provides low-income residents with a “universal basic income,” which has been promoted by embattled Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo and a pastor convicted of sexual abuse, is being managed by an organization accused of fraud.
Applications for the Uplift Harris program opened on January 12 in Harris County. The program aims to provide low-income residents a guaranteed $500 monthly beginning this fall. Up to 1,500 families will be selected for the 18-month pilot program at a total cost of $20.5 million to taxpayers. The program was previously delayed over concerns the funds would be distributed to unlawful migrants living in the county.
The program is being promoted by Hidalgo as well as Harris County Commissioner Rodney Ellis.
“Decades of neglect, inequity, and discrimination have financially destabilized generations of Harris County families, perpetuated poverty, and created unfair barriers to prosperity,” Ellis claimed, according to Click 2 Houston. “Unchecked and ongoing inequality has created an economic divide that families can’t overcome on their own, and Harris County has an obligation to act.”
The plan had initially sought to allow unlawful migrants to be eligible for disbursements, but federal law prevents the county from giving taxpayer money to such residents.
“For us, it’s unfortunate that people who live in fully undocumented households are not going to be able to receive this money; we would have liked to see that differently,” said Cesar Espinosa, the executive director of the immigrant-led advocacy group FIEL.
A press conference held last week about the program featured pastor Eddie Deckard, a registered sex offender in Texas who was convicted of the sexual assault of a 14-year-old girl.
Hidalgo’s office drew scrutiny after several of the judge’s staffers were indicted on charges of bid rigging to award a contract to a fellow Democrat. Her re-election to office also became suspect amid accusations that the Democrat-controlled county did not provide enough paper ballots at voting locations that historically favored Republicans in order to ensure her re-election, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.
The Uplift Harris program is being administered by the non-profit organization GiveDirectly. GiveDirectly was involved in a previous guaranteed income program that illegally distributed funds to unlawful migrants. It was also forced to abandon a program in the Democratic Republic of the Congo after $900,000 was stolen by GiveDirectly staff, The New Humanitarian reported.
Eligibility for the Harris County program is based on a two-factor system. Residents must live in one of the jurisdiction’s top 10 most poverty-stricken ZIP codes and earn below 200% of the federal poverty line, which amounts to about $60,000 annually for a family of four.
Taxpayer money will also be distributed to families currently receiving ACCESS funds, which the Harris County Public Health Department administers.
Similar programs have launched in other cities in the United States, including one in Austin that has seen recipient families report experiencing less difficulty providing balanced meals to their families.