Bowie County Veterans receive Funding for Assistance
By Kenny Mitchell
Photo cutline:
Left to right, Holly Meade, Cass County Veterans Services Officer, Gary Foster, Cass County Veterans Services Officer, Andy Cockrum, Cass County Veterans Services Officer, Mike Carter, Bowie County Commissioner, Leward Lafleur, Marion County Judge, Shawn Deabay, Deputy Executive Director of the Texas Veterans Commission.
Bowie County now has access to a portion of $800,000 in funding to come to the assistance of local veterans, thanks to a grant from the Texas Veterans Commission.
Bowie County Precinct 4 Commissioner Mike Carter was on hand to take part in a ceremony awarding the funds to the partnership between Bowie, Cass, Marion and Morris County that will give Bowie County a first of its kind method to help the very large veteran community in our county.
The $800,000 received is part of a $40.8 million initiative across the State of Texas announced earlier this year by Governor Greg Abbott and the Texas Veterans Commission. Those millions will go to support 190 grants to 160 organizations across the state. The grants are awarded to nonprofit organizations and local government agencies throughout the state that provide direct services to veterans and their families. More than 125,000 veterans and their families are projected to benefit from the funding. The grant funds are made available not just to individual veterans, but also to spouses and dependent children.
Half of the grant funds will be used for home assistance such as remodeling, wheelchair ramps and any other work on a home needed to make it more efficient and livable.
The other half of the grant funds will be go towards helping veterans with everyday living expenses like utility bills and house payments. Funds will be available to pay as much as six months of house payments if a veteran’s family is in need of that assistance.
Precinct 4 Commissioner Mike Carter told the West Bowie Post on Friday, “I traveled to Lufkin, Texas yesterday along with Veteran Service Officers from Cass County and Judge Lafleur from Marion County to officially receive a grant for veterans. Thanks to Cass County Judge Travis Ransom for putting the grant together to cover Bowie, Cass, Morris and Marion Counties.”
The grant funds will be overseen through the Cass County Veterans Services office, which already has the staff, and an inspector when needed for home repairs.
These grant funds are made available from the state through the sales of a $2 ticket sold through the Texas Lottery Commission. Donations towards the grant funds can also be made by any individual while registering their vehicles or when getting a hunting or fishing license.
For more information, you can call Precinct 4 Commissioner Make Carter at 903.628.2278 the Cass County office at 903-756-5221 or you can contact Veterans Services Officer Gary Foster via email at vso@casscountytx.org
For more information on the statewide program, you can visit their website found at www.tvc.texas.gov
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