Harris County is seeking to help 20,000 families who need help staying afloat due to COVID-19.

The Harris County Recovery Assistance will provide one-time payments of $1,500 to families whose financial situation has not returned to pre-pandemic levels, according to a press release. The $30 million relief fund will accept applications from July 28 through Aug. 11.

Officials noted that the current ban on evictions is set to expire on July 31.

According to the release, families can apply to this fund without cooperation from a landlord since the money can be used for any type of urgent expense such as housing, groceries, utilities, healthcare, childcare, transportation, etc.

The program is funded through the American Rescue Plan Act and is administered by Catholic Charities, per the release.

To qualify for the program, applicants must live within Harris County (inside or outside City of Houston limits), be 18 years or older, must have experienced pandemic-related economic hardship, must not exceed the maximum financial threshold (a member of the household must receive public assistance, or the total household income must be less than 60% of the HUD Area Median Family Income), per the release. Also, due to federal requirements, at least one adult member of the household must be a U.S. citizen, legal permanent resident, refugee, or another qualified noncitizen.

All qualifying households within Harris County are encouraged to apply at HarrisCountyRelief.org. Officials said households will be selected randomly, and the funding will be distributed by late fall, per the release.

If an applicant needs help with the application process, due to technological or language barriers, five community-based organizations have been tapped to assist, such as Hope Disaster Recovery, Humble Area Assistance Ministries, East Harris County Empowerment Council, Memorial Assistance Ministries, and YMCA of Greater Houston.

Beginning July 28, people may call 832-345-6289 on Monday­ to Friday from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

“How we respond to the most vulnerable in our community will be the key to our region’s economic recovery,” said Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo. “Over the past year, millions of families in Harris County have relied on cash infusions – from federal stimulus payments to local relief programs – to stay housed, clothed, and healthy. As other protections expire, these direct payments will serve as a vital bridge to permanent recovery from this pandemic.”

Source: www.click2houston.com

During a media briefing, Thursday, Harris County Judge Lina Hidalgo announced she was increasing the county’s COVID-19 Threat Level Indicator from Level 3: Yellow, the system’s second-lowest threat level, to Level 2: Orange, the system’s second-highest threat level due to a rise in COVID-19 cases.

Threat level 2 indicates a significant and “uncontrolled level” of COVID-19 in Harris County, meaning that there is ongoing transmission of the virus, according to the county’s COVID-19 data hub.

At this level, county officials, urge unvaccinated residents to minimize contact with others, avoid any medium or large gatherings, and visit only permissible businesses that follow public health guidance.

Hidalgo blamed the delta variant and flattening vaccination rates for the increase in infections.

Over the past few weeks the region has been hit hard by the arrival of the Delta variant, Hidalgo said during the briefing.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced Tuesday that the Delta variant accounts for an estimated 83 percent of new coronavirus cases in the United States. As for the region Texas is a part of, as of July 17, the variant comprises 84 percent of new coronavirus cases, Hidalgo noted.

Hidalgo also noted that the county’s COVID-19 positivity rate is doubling every 2.3 weeks, faster than at any point during the third wave of the disease in December.

“It’s not too late,” Hidalgo said. “But if we don’t act now, it will be too late for many people.”

Hidalgo also said “everybody” should resume wearing masks to protect those that aren’t vaccinated. Currently, around 2.1 million Harris County residents, 44.1 percent of Harris County’s total population, are fully vaccinated, according to the county’s COVID-19 data hub.

“I know they’re uncomfortable,” Hidalgo said. “I don’t like wearing masks either but until we get the numbers back down, let’s all wear masks again.”

Hidalgo urged eligible county residents to get vaccinated.

“We’re now seeing two Harris Counties, ” Hidalgo said during the briefing, “One Harris County that’s fully vaccinated, protected, doing its part to get our economy running and doing its part to protect those who cannot get vaccinated. Unfortunately, we’re also seeing another Harris County that’s hesitant to take action. It’s okay to be a victim of this virus, but it’s not okay to be an enabler.”

Worried misinformation may keep eligible residents from seeking out the vaccine, Hidalgo said “unchecked Facebook posts should not drive public health decisions.”

“It’s natural to have questions,” Hidalgo said. “It’s okay to be hesitant at first but there’s no shortage of credible information from health experts that show that the vaccines are safe, that the vaccines are effective, that we need to get the vaccines to get through this virus.”

During the briefing, Dr. Peter Hotez, dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor College of Medicine where he is also the Co-director of the Texas Children’s Center for Vaccine Development, said the delta variant is “far more” transmissible than the original COVID-19 virus and warned, “We’re looking undoubtedly at a serious surge across the South this summer.”

“The big thing that worries me is by now anyone who’s unvaccinated and has been lucky enough to escape COVID, your luck is about to run out,” Hotez said. “That’s how transmissible this virus is.”

Source: www.click2houston.com