Tarrant County Judge, Glen Whitley has signed a declaration of local disaster due to a public health emergency. The order was signed to help contain and mitigate the spread of COVID-19 in Tarrant County.

Our priority is the health and safety of our communities and we want to ensure the well-being of the community, program participants and staff.  Therefore, TCHAO is taking extra precautionary measures to limit in-person interaction as recommended by Tarrant County Public Health and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention.  We are asking all participants to call, mail, email, use our online portal Assistance Connect to communicate with our office.  We are limiting Office visits for extreme emergencies.

Effective Monday, March 16, 2020 and until further notice, TCHAO will implement the following precautions to protect our participants and staff:

• Limit TCHAO office visits to Emergency Appointments Only
• Suspension of all In Office Appointments, Hearings and Meetings
• Suspension of terminations (Non-Violent)
• Limited Inspections to Emergency or required Only
• Suspension of voucher issuance for current and new program participants (automatic extensions will be extended, you do not need to call our office to request one)
• Suspension of moves and portability’s

WE ENCOURGE OUR PARTICIPANTS TO USE the following TOOLS to communicate or receive Updates

• TCHAO Website – housing.tarrantcounty.com
• Assistance Connect (Check your account often for updates)
• Housing Counselor Call Center 817-531-7641 (Expect delays in Call Center due to high volume)
• TCHAO Facebook

Participants Must continue to Report and follow Repayment Agreements:

• Income changes (increase or decrease) Form or Assistance Connect
• Changes of household
• Make Repayment Agreement payments
• Mail Annual Packets and Assistance Connect

DROP BOX:  Any/All Documents, Payments, and Forms can be mailed or placed in the drop box at the TCHAO.

We encourage our families to follow our TCHAO’s Precaution Plan during this State of Emergency. You may visit our website:   housing.tarrantcounty.com for additional information and updates.

INFORMATION ON COVID-19  CORONAVIRUS

Transmission  

The virus is thought to spread mainly from person-to-person.

• Between people who are in close contact with one another (within about six feet).
• Through respiratory droplets produced when an infected person coughs or sneezes.
• It may be possible that a person can get COVID-19 by touching a surface or object that has the virus on it and then touching their own mouth, nose, or possibly their eyes, but this is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads,

Symptoms

Patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection have reportedly had mild to severe respiratory illness with symptoms of:

• Fever
• Cough
• Shortness of breath 

Prevention

The best way to prevent infection is to take precautions to avoid exposure to this virus, which are similar to the precautions you take to avoid the flu. CDC always recommends these everyday actions to help prevent the spread of respiratory viruses, including:

• Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
• Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
• Stay home when you are sick.
• Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
• Clean and disinfect frequently touched objects and surfaces.