Notice of Public Election

Denison, Texas –  The Grayson College Center for Workplace Learning has set Sunday, October 25th as the scholarship application deadline for full-tuition scholarships for two of its essential healthcare certificate programs. Scholarship funding is available thanks to an on-going grant from the Texas Workforce Commission’s Skills Development Fund COVID-19 Special Initiative program. These scholarships are intended to assist individuals and employers by providing the training needed to quickly enter the workforce in the essential healthcare industry.

“Grayson College is excited about working with the Texas Workforce Commission to use COVID-19 Special Initiative funds to provide no-cost, high-value training to our community,” GC President Dr. Jeremy McMillen said. “This funding allows us to make vital training in these high-demand occupations available to even more students, meet local employers’ needs, and support the economy across Texoma.”

Scholarships are available for Spring 2021 Patient Care Technician and Pharmacy Technician training programs. These essential training programs begin as soon as January 19, 2021. Scholarships will also be available for the Certified Nurse Aide program with an application period expected to open in March 2021.

All training will be held using a hybrid model. Most coursework will be completed online with limited in-person classes to fulfill the required skills portions of the training. GC is following strict health and safety protocols for any in-person training, including temperature checks and the requirement for students and staff to wear masks.

To date, 93 students have benefited from the Skills Development Fund COVID-19 Special Initiative scholarships. Those receiving the full-tuition scholarship receive job search assistance as a complement to the training.

Prospective students interested in the no-cost training can learn more and access the scholarship application at grayson.edu/cwl or by calling the Center for Workplace Learning at (903) 463-8765.

###

Please reach out to Center for Workplace Learning Director of Advising and Outreach Marlene Phillips with any questions – 903.463.8752 or phillipsm@grayson.edu.

Texoma Council of Governments will conduct a public election for a low-income representative from GRAYSON COUNTY to serve on the Community Services Advisory Council.

The public election will be held at Texoma Council of Governments, 1117 Gallagher Dr., Sherman, TX 75090 on Tuesday, June 30, at 11:30 am.

The primary function of the Community Services Advisory Council is to participate in the development, planning, implementation and evaluation of programs designed to serve low-income communities.

Eligible candidates must reside in GRAYSON COUNTY, and receive social services such as but not limited to: utility assistance, food stamps, food pantries, public housing or rent assistance OR work for a social service agency that serves low-income clientele.

An application and job description can be obtained by contacting Judy Fullylove, Energy Services Director at (903) 813-3537 or by email jfullylove@tcog.com.

Applications must be received by Friday, June 26, 2020.

Eligible candidates will be placed on a ballot and will be elected by a simple majority of participants in attendance using the log-in or dial-in information provided below.

Interested parties are encouraged to participate. Persons with disabilities who may need auxiliary aids or services are requested to contact Judy Fullylove, (903) 813-3537 two (2) weekdays prior to the election to ensure appropriate arrangements are made.

Poverty-Sector Election Log-in or Dial-in Information

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87544642478?pwd=OVJmSSsrVFZBaGxpTVk0WHBvN3BKQT09
Meeting ID: 875 4464 2478
Password: 822850
One tap mobile: +13126266799,,87544642478#,,1#,822850# US (Chicago)

Dial by your location:
+1 312 626 6799 US (Chicago)
+1 346 248 7799 US (Houston)

Texoma Council of Governments will conduct a public election for a low-income representative from GRAYSON COUNTY to serve on the Community Services Advisory Council.

The public election will be held at Texoma Council of Governments, 1117 Gallagher Dr., Sherman, TX 75090 on Tuesday, September 10, 2019, at 12:00 Noon.

The primary function of the Community Services Advisory Council is to participate in the development, planning, implementation and evaluation of programs designed to serve low-income communities.

Eligible candidates must reside in GRAYSON COUNTY, and receive social services such as but not limited to: utility assistance, food stamps, food pantries, public housing or rent assistance OR work for a social service agency that serves low-income clientele.

An application and job description can be obtained by contacting Judy Fullylove, Energy Services Director at 903-813-3537 or by email jfullylove@tcog.com.

Applications must be received by Friday, September 6, 2019.

Eligible candidates will be placed on a ballot and will be elected by a simple majority of those attending the election at the appointed time and location referenced above.

Interested parties are encouraged to attend and participate. Persons with disabilities who plan to attend the public election and who may need auxiliary aids or services are requested to contact Judy Fullylove, 903-813-3537 two (2) weekdays prior to the election to ensure appropriate arrangements are made.

Community Services Advisory Council Job Description

Purpose

The primary function of the Community Services Advisory Council (CSAC) is to participate in the development, planning, implementation and evaluation of programs designed to serve low-income communities. This is a volunteer body.

Reasons for an Advisory Council

1. All entities receiving Community Services Block Grant funding must have an Advisory Council or Governing Body.
2. Provides a means for involving people from the poverty, public and private sectors who are willing to give critical assistance and feedback on programs that serve low-income communities.
3. Provides a means for soliciting input for the Strategic Plan (5-years), Community Needs Assessment (3-years) and Community Action Plan (Annually).

Specific Duties

1. Attend and participate in Advisory Council or committee meetings, as assigned.
2. Review agenda and supporting materials before all meetings.
3. Share expertise from experiences or profession.
4. Allow TCOG to publicize their name and participation on the Council, list name on letterhead and other communications
5. Stay informed about the CSAC mission.
6. Attend events such as the annual meeting and other special gatherings.
7. Participate in the strategic planning, plans and goals for the Community Services Block Grant.
8. Suggest possible volunteers who can make significant contributions to the CSAC.
9. Follow Code of Conduct Policy and confidentiality policies.
10. Refrain from making special requests of the staff.

Structure

1. Public and Private Council members elected by CSAC members.
2. Low-income Council members elected by peers at a publicly held meeting.
3. Advisory council members will be elected for a two-year term. Members can serve two consecutive terms for a total of four (4) years.
4. All council meetings are held in accordance to the Texas Opens Meetings Act and Roberts Rules of Order.
5. Ex-Officio membership provision to assist with representation, education and communication.

Healthcare and mental health needs are the biggest challenge facing impoverished Cooke County residents, according to an analysis of community needs released late last week by the Texoma Council of Governments.

The regional council released its 2019-2021 Community Needs Assessment Aug. 23. In it, five major areas are listed for each of the region’s three counties — Cooke, Grayson and Fannin. The report is meant to help form a more complete picture of poverty in the Texoma region so as to better address it.

After healthcare and mental health services, Cooke County’s other four greatest needs include utility assistance, transportation, affordable housing and food, according to the report’s executive summary.

The needs were derived from studying census and demographic data as well as from conversations with focus groups in each area.

Though the nature of Cooke County’s poverty was no surprise, finding out where impoverished families were located did help TCOG leaders understand the area better.

“We were a little bit surprised by how concentrated it seemed to be in Gainesville,” Randy McBroom, TCOG deputy executive director, said. “We kept looking at different indicators and they kept showing up the same couple of census areas over there. So it was a little bit surprising in that. I thought it would possibly be spread out more.”

Poverty, especially child poverty, was concentrated in central and south Gainesville, TCOG found through studying census estimates. About 55 percent of children living in one tract in south Gainesville extending into unincorporated area are impoverished, while another tract in central Gainesville has one of the three-county area’s highest concentrations of impoverished children, 64 percent. Less than a quarter of children living in east or west Gainesville are in poverty, according to the estimates.

Overall, McBroom said, Cooke County is doing about average for Texas.

“Just because these areas have some higher rates of poverty doesn’t necessarily mean they’re blighted areas or something like that,” McBroom said. “These are aggregates… but it helps us to get ideas of trends, who is more likely to be in poverty and where they’re more likely to live.”

In Gainesville as well as across the region, children are more likely to be in poverty than other ages. Children in female-headed households are especially vulnerable, according to the report.

Established in 1968, the Texoma Council of Governments promotes economy and efficiency in the coordinated planning and development of the tri-county region through its community and economic development activities, according to a press release about the report.

Either directly, or through contractors, the Council provides housing, utility assistance, and weatherization services for low-income citizens in the region and assists the elderly through a variety of Area Agency on Aging programs.

The full Community Needs Assessment is posted on the TCOG website at www.tcog.com.

Source: http://www.gainesvilleregister.com/news/local_news/healthcare-among-challenges-for-area-s-impoverished/article_147241d6-ad6f-11e8-b143-3f07ffc61265.html

SHERMAN, August 23, 2018 –Texoma Council of Governments (TCOG) announced it has published an updated regional needs assessment for Cooke, Fannin and Grayson counties. This report contains information as it relates to poverty, housing and employment, along with survey and focus group data. The needs assessment follows guidelines set forth by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs and is funded through a Community Services Block Grant designed to identify priority populations and issues in the TCOG service area. The assessment is revised every three years.

“We hope the results of this needs assessment clearly demonstrate the conditions and correlates of poverty in each county within the Texoma region, as well as the region as a whole,” explained Dr. Randy McBroom, Deputy Executive Director of TCOG. “We take the process and the accompanying results very seriously. The Community Needs Assessment is more than a check-off or a placeholder for a grant application.”

Data sources for this assessment included the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2012–2016 (ACS 2016), with 2016 estimates used whenever possible, as well as Community Commons maps, with data usually from the ACS 2016. The study took two overlapping approaches to understand poverty in the region: demographic (who is more likely to be in poverty) and geographic (where are higher rates of poverty).

The report shows that while aggregate data for poverty does not differ much from Texas and US figures, a different and more concise picture of poverty in the region emerges when disaggregated by age, race/ethnicity, education level and family composition. The report identifies that children under five are most vulnerable to living in poverty, with a prevalence of childhood poverty common in all three counties. Poverty rates are higher for people of color and female-headed families. There are “pockets of poverty” throughout the region.

After analyzing the data, TCOG reports five major needs categories including medical/mental health, housing issues, transportation issues, utility assistance, and food insecurity. The assessment concludes with county strengths and weaknesses, trends, barriers to addressing needs, prioritized needs and suggested actions.

A full report of the Regional Community Needs Assessment can found online by visiting www.tcog.com.

The Texoma Council of Governments is a voluntary association of the local governments in Cooke, Fannin, and Grayson Counties. Established in 1968, the Texoma Council of Governments promotes economy and efficiency in the coordinated planning and development of the tri-county region through its community and economic development activities. Either directly, or through contractors, the Council provides housing, utility assistance, and weatherization services for low-income citizens in the region and assists the elderly through a variety of Area Agency on Aging programs. The Council also facilitates the delivery of grant funding for homeland security and criminal justice.

This 2018 Community Needs Assessment was conducted following guidelines set forth by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs; however, additional information on poverty is included in the report so that there is a more complete picture of poverty in the Texoma Region, and in Cooke, Fannin, and Grayson Counties. The Texoma region consists of these three counties in north-central Texas. Grayson is the most populous and most urban, while Cooke and Fannin counties have a smaller population and are more rural.

A mixed-methods approach was used to collect data for this assessment. These methods were both qualitative (TCOG Client Lifecycle study, focus groups), and quantitative (US Census data, an organization survey, and regional 2-1-1 call assistance data). Data sources for this assessment include the US Census Bureau’s American Community Survey, 2012–2016 (ACS 2016), with 2016 estimates used whenever possible, as well as Community Commons maps, with data usually from the ACS 2016.

The data indicate five major needs for the region, and for each county. These needs are 1) medical/mental health care providers and facilities, and more access to those that exist in the region; 2) safe, affordable, adequate housing; 3) available, accessible, reliable and affordable transportation (both public and private); 4) additional resources/programs that provide utility assistance, especially emergency assistance; and, 5) available, nutritious, affordable food (food insecurity and food deserts). Needs stemming from childhood poverty and the availability and access to early childhood education also are noted as needs. County needs are prioritized somewhat differently (below).

The Assessment concludes with county strengths and weaknesses, trends, barriers to addressing needs, prioritized needs and suggested actions.