Benefits · Emergency Aid

How to apply for Travis County HHS Basic Needs — Rent, Utility, and Food Emergency Assistance

Travis County Health and Human Services and Veterans Service (HHS) — Basic Needs Programs; delivered through SIX Travis County Community Centers (Manor, Pflugerville, Del Valle, and others); provides short-term emergency rental, utility, food, and basic needs assistance for low-income Travis County residents

Who it's for

The Travis County HHS Basic Needs program is the broader emergency safety net administered by Travis County Health and Human Services through its SIX Community Centers across Travis County. The program supplements the BCECD CEAP (tx.travis.travis_hhs_ceap) for households whose needs extend beyond utility emergencies. Services typically include: (1) emergency rental assistance for Travis County residents facing imminent eviction; (2) utility assistance for households not eligible for or already maxed out on CEAP; (3) food assistance and SNAP application support; (4) referrals to broader Travis County safety-net resources. Travis County's distributed Community Center model means applicants can access Basic Needs intake at the Community Center closest to their home — a meaningful operational benefit for elderly Travis County residents who can't easily travel across Austin's traffic. Community Center locations include Manor Community Center (east Travis), Pflugerville Community Center (north Travis), Del Valle Community Center (southeast Travis), and others. The program is APPROPRIATIONS-LIMITED — Travis County Commissioners Court sets the annual funding level. Apply by calling Travis County HHS at 512-854-4100 or visiting your nearest Community Center. For senior-specific case management coordination, AAACAP's Aging and Disability Resource Center (855-937-2372) provides a parallel pathway designed for older adults.

Travis County HHS Basic Needs is APPROPRIATIONS-LIMITED — Travis County Commissioners Court sets the annual funding level, and funds can exhaust mid-fiscal-year. The DISTRIBUTED Community Center model is genuinely operational — applicants can use any of the 6 centers across Travis County. The 200% FPL income gate is conservative editorial modeling — actual sliding-scale thresholds may vary by program. For Travis County seniors needing ongoing long-term services (in-home personal care, adult day care), the pathway is STAR+PLUS Medicaid (see state-level tx.star_plus) — Travis County Basic Needs is short-term emergency-only. For senior-specific case management, AAACAP's ADRC (855-937-2372) is the parallel senior pathway.

What you'll need

Proof of age 60+ for senior pathway (Texas driver's license, Texas ID, Medicare card, or birth certificate)
Proof of all household income for the prior 30-60 days (Social Security award letter, pension statement, pay stubs, SSI award letter)
Proof of Travis County residency (utility bill, lease, or government correspondence)
Photo identification
For emergency rental: notice to vacate OR eviction notice OR documentation of imminent housing loss
For utility assistance: utility bill + disconnect notice
For food assistance: documentation of household members

Where to apply

Apply online: official application

By phone: 512-854-4100

Renewals

appropriations-limited; emergency benefit availability varies by fiscal year

Official source →Last verified · June 6, 2026

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