On September 1, 2021, the Texas Veterans Commission’s (TVC) Fund for Veterans’ Assistance (FVA) presented $1.6 million in grants to five organizations for services provided directly to veterans in El Paso and surrounding counties. The grants will fund services for approximately 1,700 veterans.
The grant recipients and their services include:
General Assistance Grants:
El Paso County Veteran County Service Office – one grant for $300,000 to fund financial assistance services for veterans, dependents, and surviving spouses in El Paso County.
Salvation Army – El Paso – one grant for $200,000 to fund homeless veteran support services for veterans, dependents, and surviving spouses in El Paso and Hudspeth Counties.
YWCA El Paso del Norte Region – one grant for $300,000 to fund support services for veterans, dependents, and surviving spouses in El Paso County.
Veterans Treatment Court Grants:
El Paso County Veterans Treatment Court – one grant for a total of $300,000; this grant funds Treatment Court services for veterans in El Paso County. Veterans Treatment Courts are designed to provide justice involved veterans with the resources and assistance to get their life back on track. The court presents each with an individualized plan to complete over a period of several months. Regular court appearances are scheduled to monitor progress. If the veteran successfully completes the treatment, charges may be permanently removed.
Multiple Grants – Mental Health & General Assistance:
Project Amistad – two grants for a total of $500,000:
- One $300,000 General Assistance grant to fund financial assistance services for veterans, dependents, and surviving spouses across six counties within the West Texas Region.
- One $200,000 Veterans Mental Health grant to fund clinical counseling services for veterans, dependents, and surviving spouses across six counties within the West Texas Region.
The Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) Commissioners approved these grant awards in May as part of an overall grant program providing 147 grants to organizations across Texas. Grants totaling $33.4 million for 2021-2022 will serve an estimated 30,000 veterans.
Since 2009 through the 2020-2021 grant cycle, $168 million in grant funding has been awarded through 820 FVA grants and served more than 350,000 Texas veterans and their families.
The grants support a wide range of services from emergency financial assistance to transportation, legal services to family support services and home modification to rental and mortgage assistance. The TVC awards grants in five categories: General Assistance, Housing for Texas Heroes, Veterans Mental Health Grants, Veterans Treatment Courts and Veteran County Service Officers.
Veterans in need of assistance can find the organizations providing help in their area and how to contact them at https://www.tvc.texas.gov/grants/assistance/
Funding for these grants is generated primarily by the Texas Lottery Commission’s games designated for veteran support. Other sources of funding for the grants come from individual donation options on drivers’ licenses, licenses to carry a handgun, outdoor recreation licenses for hunting and fishing, and vehicle registrations.
Helping veterans starts here. The Texas Veterans Commission advocates for and provides superior service to veterans that will significantly improve the quality of life for all Texas veterans, their families and survivors. The TVC assists veterans with receiving their benefits, provides funding to agencies which provide direct services to veterans and provides administration of the Hazlewood Act education benefits. Learn more at www.tvc.texas.gov .