Key Takeaways
- The program is closed. It stopped taking applications in March 2023 and the state page is archived.
- There is no statewide replacement. Anyone telling you to apply is working from old information.
- Your court papers may still mention it. That does not mean it is available.
- If your old case was diverted, it stays sealed. That did not change when the program ended.
- Free legal aid is the main help now, and it is genuinely effective.
- Local rent assistance still exists. Dial 211 to find what has funds near you.
- The 2026 law changes did not bring diversion back.
What this guide covers
You are probably here for one of two reasons. Either your eviction citation mentions a diversion program and you are trying to work out how to use it. Or someone told you Texas has a way to pause an eviction and get the rent paid.
Both make sense. Both are, unfortunately, out of date.
The Short Answer
The Texas Eviction Diversion Program is closed. It stopped accepting applications in March 2023, and the state courts page for it was formally archived in March 2025.
There is no statewide successor. No program you can apply to today that pauses your eviction case, pays your landlord, and seals the record. The federal money that funded it is gone, and the 2026 eviction law changes did not create anything to replace it.
That is the honest answer, and we would rather give it to you now than have you spend a week chasing a dead link.
What does exist is worth knowing about, and some of it is genuinely useful. Free legal aid, local rental assistance, court mediation in some counties, and local diversion efforts in a few places. That is all below.
Why Your Eviction Papers Might Still Mention It
The citation language that outlived the program
This is not your imagination and you are not misreading anything.
During the pandemic, courts across Texas added language about the diversion program to eviction citations and court information sheets. A lot of that language was never removed. Some county justice court websites still describe the program as though it were running.
So renters get served with papers naming a program that closed years ago, then find nothing but dead links and disconnected numbers. It is a genuinely frustrating experience and it is entirely the paperwork’s fault, not yours.
What to do if your citation references it
- Do not wait for it. The program is not going to answer. Meanwhile your deadlines are running.
- Call legal aid today. The Texas Legal Services Center hotline is 855-270-7655. This is the single most useful call you can make.
- Ask the court clerk whether that precinct has any current mediation or diversion arrangement. Some do, and they are local rather than statewide.
- Dial 211 for rental assistance programs near you that currently have money.
- File your written answer and go to your hearing. Whatever else happens, do not let the case go by default. That is still how most Texas renters lose.
Rent help still exists. It is just local now.
A free two-minute check shows which Texas programs may cover your back rent. Programs pay your landlord directly. No cost, no credit card.
Check My Eligibility FreeWhat the Program Was
How it worked
The Texas Eviction Diversion Program was created by Texas Supreme Court emergency orders during COVID. It was funded with federal emergency rental assistance money and ran through the state housing agency.
The mechanics were genuinely good, which is why people still look for it:
- An eviction case could be paused while a rental assistance application was processed
- The program paid the landlord a lump sum covering the arrears
- The eviction case was then dismissed
- And the court records were sealed, so the case would not show up in future tenant screening
That last part was the real prize. An eviction filing can follow you for years even when you win, and sealing it protected people’s ability to rent again.
If your case was diverted, your record stays sealed
For anyone who went through the program
Your sealed record stays sealed. The program ending did not unseal anything.
Under how the program worked, records stayed confidential unless a landlord filed to reinstate the case during the delay period. If that never happened, the confidentiality holds.
So if you are worried a diverted case from 2021 or 2022 is now visible to landlords, it should not be. If a screening report does show it, that is worth raising with legal aid, and with the screening company under fair credit reporting rules.
What Exists Now Instead
Free legal aid and eviction defense
This is the most effective help available to a Texas renter today, and it is free.
Legal aid organisations across the state represent low-income tenants in eviction cases. In several cities, including Houston, there are eviction defense and right-to-counsel efforts working to get more tenants represented.
Representation matters more than people expect. Represented tenants do better, partly because lawyers spot the defective notices and procedural errors that decide a lot of Texas cases.
Call 855-270-7655, or find your local legal aid provider through TexasLawHelp.org. Do it when you get the notice, not the night before the hearing.
Local court-connected help
Some Texas counties have built their own arrangements, though they vary a lot and they come and go with funding.
Harris County is the clearest example. It runs an Eviction Defense Program that connects tenants in its justice courts with free legal representation through legal aid organisations. That is legal help rather than diversion, but it is the more valuable of the two. A separate diversion pilot has operated in one Harris County precinct; whether it is still running is worth checking rather than assuming.
The only reliable way to find out what exists where you are is to ask. Call your JP court clerk and ask directly whether that precinct has any diversion, mediation or legal aid arrangement.
Mediation at the justice court
Some courts offer or encourage mediation before the hearing. Even without a formal program, settlement conversations happen constantly in the hallway outside eviction court.
A negotiated outcome, whether a payment plan or an agreed move-out date, generally beats a judgment. A judgment follows you into tenant screening. An agreement usually does not.
Rental assistance today
Texas help is now local rather than statewide:
- Texas 2-1-1. Dial 211, free and confidential, for programs near you with current funding.
- Community Action Agencies, covering all 254 counties, handling rent and utility crises.
- City and county emergency assistance in the larger metros.
- Local charities including Salvation Army, Catholic Charities and church-based funds.
- CEAP Texas for energy bills, which frees up money for rent.
Apply to more than one. Funds run out, and there is no rule against having several applications going.
Our Texas Rent Relief page covers the statewide program’s status and what replaced it in more detail.
Facing Eviction Right Now? Your Options by Stage
Short version, because your deadlines are running:
- You have a notice to vacate. Check your lease for the notice period, because in Texas it can be as short as one day. Pay if you can, apply for assistance, negotiate in writing.
- You have been served with a citation. File a written answer with the JP court clerk. It is free. Then go to your hearing.
- You have a judgment against you. You have five days to appeal, and the appeal is a completely fresh trial. You can file it with no money using a statement of inability to afford court costs.
- An officer has posted a warning. You have at least 24 hours. Get your documents, medication and essentials out first.
Full detail: how to stop eviction in Texas, how to fight eviction in Texas, and eviction court Texas.
Where to Get Help
Texas Legal Services Center hotline: 855-270-7655. Free legal help for Texas renters, and the first call to make.
TexasLawHelp.org has plain-language guides and free forms for the answer, the appeal, and the statement of inability to afford court costs. It also maintains explainers on programs that have ended, precisely because of this confusion.
Legal aid organisations cover every region of the state. Your JP court clerk can explain filing and deadlines but cannot give legal advice.
Dial 211 for rent and utility help. A free eligibility check against 100+ Texas rental assistance programs takes about two minutes, and a real person calls you within 24 hours.
FAQ
Is the Texas Eviction Diversion Program still open?
No. It stopped accepting applications in March 2023, alongside Texas Rent Relief, and the Texas courts page for it was formally archived in March 2025. It was set up by Texas Supreme Court emergency orders during COVID. The federal emergency rental assistance money behind it has since run out. There is no statewide successor, and the eviction law changes that took effect in January 2026 did not create one. Help today comes from free legal aid, local rental assistance programs, and county-level court arrangements where they exist.
My eviction citation mentions the diversion program. What does that mean?
It usually means the court’s paperwork was never updated. Courts across Texas added diversion language to citations and information sheets during the pandemic, and much of it was never removed. Some county websites still describe the program as live. It does not mean the program is available to you. Do not wait on it. Call legal aid at 855-270-7655. Ask your court clerk if that precinct has any current mediation or assistance set-up. Dial 211 for local rent help. And file your written answer before your hearing date.
Is my old diverted eviction case still sealed?
Yes, it should be. Sealing under the program did not expire when the program ended. Here is how it worked. Records stayed confidential unless your landlord filed to reinstate the case during the delay period. If that did not happen in your case, the confidentiality holds. If a tenant screening report does show a diverted case, raise it with legal aid. Then dispute it with the screening company. Screening reports are covered by fair credit reporting rules.
Is there rental assistance in Texas now?
Yes, but it is local rather than statewide. The big statewide program, Texas Rent Relief, stopped accepting new applications in March 2023 and has not reopened. What exists now is local. County and city emergency assistance. Community Action Agencies in all 254 counties. Charities like Salvation Army and Catholic Charities. And utility help through CEAP, which runs through local agencies. Dial 211 to find what has funding near you, and apply to more than one.
Did the new Texas eviction law bring diversion back?
No. SB 38, effective 1 January 2026, changed eviction procedure but created no diversion or record-sealing mechanism. If anything it went the other way. It added summary disposition, a no-trial fast track, but that applies to squatter-type cases rather than tenants. It tightened deadlines. And it removed counterclaims from justice court eviction cases. It did preserve federal protections such as the CARES Act 30-day notice. The practical takeaway is that filing paperwork on time now matters more, and free legal aid is the most valuable resource available.