How some Harris County courts help people receive rental assistance, navigate eviction hearings

HARRIS COUNTY, Texas (KTRK) — There are many people in our community who are just one setback away from falling behind on rent.

When that happens, a landlord can file an eviction notice.

But, there are resources out there to help someone stay housed and get the landlord the money they’re owed.

One of those places where people have found that help is at Harris County Justice of the Peace Precinct 7, Place 1.

ABC13 was there on a Wednesday morning when one person after another walked in for their eviction hearing.

Many people told ABC13 they walked in unsure of the outcome of their case and whether they’d have a place to call home when they left.

Outside the courtroom doors, however, is someone trying to bring a sense of warmth to a place that can otherwise feel cold. That person is Administrative Clerk to the Judge, Valerie Atarai.

“Sometimes it takes me saying a prayer with them. Sometimes it takes me being old mama and having a mama moment with them. Some of them just need a simple hug and letting them know it’s going to be okay,” Atarai said.

Atarai helps run the program, Behind the Bench: Justice of the Peace.

There are tables filled with resources for people to go to school, find a job, or get legal and rental assistance.

Atarai said an eviction notice rarely tells the whole story.

“One life hiccup, you may have to take off work two or three days a week because of a sick child,” Atarai said. “You may have had a relative pass. You yourself may be sick, but there’s nothing extra in the coffer.”

Her message to people is simple: show up to their hearing.

“Most people take eviction is it’s over with. I don’t get a voice,” Atarai said. “I don’t get to stand up for myself. That’s not the case here.”

That message is emphasized in another courtroom a few precincts away as well.

Over in Precinct 2, Place 1, Loreta Kovacic has spent the last three years as the court’s eviction diversion coordinator and facilitator.

“Number one is I reach out to people, to tenants, two weeks before court, and that gives them confidence to show up to court,” Kovacic said. “Because, if you show up, you have a chance.”

Kovacic talks with both tenants and landlords and looks for rental assistance that can keep someone in their home.

Funds for rental assistance come from the county, and they are administered by Harris County Housing and Community Development, according to Precinct 2, Place 1 officials.

The dollar amount varies for how much someone might receive, but there are factors for who qualifies for rental assistance.

Some factors include if someone has received rental assistance in the last year. If they have, officials said they don’t qualify. Other factors include if there is a plan for self-sufficiency after getting assistance and if someone is no more than three months behind on rent.

“How do I know there is a need? Because my phone is ringing and people are asking for help,” Kovacic said.

A recent Rice University Kinder Institute report found more than 75,000 eviction filings across Harris County in 2025 alone.

Some neighborhoods saw eviction filings up to three times the county average, like north Harris County, Houston’s south side and sections of Katy, according to the report.

“When I go home, I just see those people who are in court, and they are just homeless now,” Kovacic said. “We have just more homeless people and more homeless people in Houston. Do we need more homeless people in Houston?”

Two women in two courtrooms with a similar mission.

“What is eviction court? Is it something scary, or is it something we can change a little bit?” Kovacic said.

They can’t always change the circumstances that brought someone here, and they can’t always stop an eviction.

But they said they can make sure no one walks into the courtroom believing they’re already out of options.

Where is the funding coming from for these resources?

The eviction diversion position at Precinct 2, Place 1 was partially funded by a grant and taxpayer dollars and it included a position at Precinct 2, Place 2 as well.

Harris County Commissioners Court recently approved fully funding the positions and expanding it to a total of three different courts now, according to Derek Kelly, Director of Special Projects at Precinct 2, Place 1.

“We needed commissioners court to fully fund the positions because we had been partially grant-funded,” Kelly said. “Now that it’s part of our ongoing budget, it becomes sort of embedded as part of what our court does and it makes it harder to pull that funding back.”

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