06/22/2020
The sudden loss of jobs, wages, and childcare has created an unprecedented economic crisis – especially for the most vulnerable in our community, who were already struggling when the pandemic struck. Harris County has created a financial support initiative to help renters, especially those who won’t be getting support from anywhere else. Harris County established the Harris County COVID-19 Relief Fund to provide much-needed relief to Harris County residents most impacted by the global pandemic. We encourage you to review the below and apply when applications open. The information in this email is the extent of information we have and can be reviewed on the https://www.harriscountyrelief.org/.
About the Fund
The $30 million fund, which is administered by Greater Houston Community Foundation, aims to strategically serve a large number of the most vulnerable people, in particular county residents who may not be eligible for other COVID-related funding and/or who cannot afford to wait for assistance. The Harris County COVID-19 Relief Fund will distribute funds in two ways to help ensure equitable distribution.
Public Application
The Fund will invite all eligible low-income Harris County residents to complete an application through a multilingual call center and/or website to participate in a fair, randomized process. Eligible individuals will be matched with a community-based organization to understand their needs, verify eligibility, and provide assistance. The online application will open on [harriscountyrelief.org]harriscountyrelief.org on Tuesday, June 23 at 6:00am CT, and close on Wednesday, June 24 at 10:00pm CT.
Eligibility
The Fund is open to all eligible low-income Harris County residents (regardless of status), including immigrant households, those who may receive Pandemic Unemployment Assistance but cannot afford to wait for months, and those ineligible for CARES Act payments or unemployment insurance.
Applying
Applications open June 23 and June 24 online: https://www.harriscountyrelief.org/ and by phone. ( A phone number has not been provided)
The phone application number will be posted to Harris county website shortly.
Phone Application Hours
June 23: Open 6:00am to 2:00pm CT
June 24: Open 2:00pm to 10:00pm CT
What happens after I apply?
Given the enormous need, Harris County is expecting to receive more applications than funding available.
When the application closes on June 24 at 10:00pm, all applications will be put into a drawing and randomly selected.
Applicants from vulnerable census tracts will be prioritized to receive assistance, with those in the most vulnerable areas receiving up to a 50% increased chance of being selected.
By Friday, June 26, all applicants will receive an email and/or text notification regarding the status of your application.
Those selected through the randomized process will be matched with a community-based organization. This organization will reach out within 5 business days to continue the application process.
Once the application for financial assistance is approved, the organization will coordinate the delivery of assistance.
Please know, we have no influence or say as to how approvals are reached and make no guarantee of any certain outcome. This is intended to be a resource only. We hope you find this information resourceful and are able to benefit from it.
