The housing market is booming in North Texas, but that isn’t making the housing search easier.

“Across the board, I think there’s a housing shortage in all of our communities,” said Janet Karam, a project manager at the Texoma Council of Governments.

Rental property is in especially high demand in Texoma.

“A lot of landlords don’t have the opportunity to list a rental property before it’s rented,” explained Karam. “They put a sign out, and it’s rented.”

“I can put a sign out in the yard at noon and have it leased by one,” agreed Kyle Wiser, the operations manager at Southwest Management.

Some choose to rent based on need.

“It’s getting harder and harder to get financed to buy a house,” Wiser said.

But, there has been increased preference towards renting, rather than buying homes.

“You’re still going be responsible for your utility payments and all of that, but if something breaks down, you’re not left with a what do we do? You contact your landlord, and they take care of you,” Wiser said.

The Texoma Council of Governments was made aware of the rental demand.

To help prospective renters, they launched a new website, TXHousingSearch.org.

“Rather than have a static list, of an inventory that’s constantly changing, it’s going to be dated in two weeks from building that inventory,” Karam explained. “Why not create something that clients can actually use?”

Although the site is new, they have been underwhelmed by the number of listings.

“We had hoped by putting this out there, we would actually find out that there were more rental properties than we what we were actually seeing and what we’re finding is that there’s just really not a lot out there,” Karam said.

TCOG is hoping that more landlords will list their available properties so more people can find a new place to call home.

TCOG database: www.TXHousingSearch.org

Source: http://www.kxii.com/news/tx/headlines/Increasing-demand-for-rental-property-333023001.html

Sherman, TX — We’ve told you about the Share The Warmth Coat Drive going on across Texoma the past few weeks and today we’re pleased to show you the results.

This cold morning hundreds of people came together to help their neighbors in need.

For weeks they’ve been collecting them. Finally on a cold Friday morning hundreds of coats were distributed to anyone in Texoma who needed one.

People came by the bus load to the Share the Warmth Coat Drive distribution at the Texoma Council of Governments building in Sherman.

“I’m in desperate need of some foul weather gear for this winter and I understand these people are reaching out to people in the community and I feel that’s a great thing,” grateful Bonham resident Gary Katzel said.

“They’re giving away free coats for anyone that’s cold and needy so I’m coming up here to get some for my grandkids,” grateful grandmother Cindi Spoonmore said.

This is the coat drive’s fifth year – with over 20 drop off destinations that once again collected thousands of donated coats.

This is the coat drives first distribution day, however, where anyone can come in, no questions asked, and get a coat.

Mad Rock Radio, Texas Laundry and Dry Cleaning and the Texoma Council of Governments helped organize the month long coat drive.

“There are so many people that are involved in this,” Mad Rock Promotions Director Laura Villa said. “Last year we had a big number and this year we came back with another thousand coats, so it’s really great.”

It was a warming event for both organizers and recipients.

“It makes you feel humble and like you’ve been blessed and fortunate,” Texas Laundry and Dry Cleaning owner David Jarvis said.

It was especially special for the kids.

“To see a kid come in and collect a coat and have a smile on his face and watch that same kid turn around and donate his old coat – it’s amazing to watch,” TCOG Coordinator Delano Smith said.

Organizers say all leftover coats will be distributed to local agencies and citizens in need.

• Open enrollment begins October 15th and ends December 7th
• At this time you can join, switch, or add a Medicare Drug Plan or a Medicare Advantage Plan.
• Common reason to change Part D Plan: medications no longer covered on current plan.
• Common reason to change Medicare Advantage Plan: doctor no longer accepting current Medicare Advantage Plan.
• Changes made during Open Enrollment will be effective January 1, 2015.
• To review Medicare plans or make changes, Medicare beneficiaries can visit Medicare.gov, call 1-800-Medicare (1-800-633-4227), or call 2-1-1 to schedule an appointment with a Benefits Counselor at TCOG’s Area Agency on Aging.
• TCOG’s Certified Benefits Counselors can assist clients by phone or during in-office appointments.
• Medicare Beneficiaries are strongly encouraged to check their plans annually and can sometimes save a lot of money by changing plans.

Source: http://www.kxii.com/morningshow/headlines/Open-Enrollment-for-Medicare-277608951.html

GRAYSON COUNTY, TX — Officials with the Texoma Council of Governments say nearly 10 percent of the homeless population in Texoma are veterans.

Many live on the streets and go from shelter to shelter but one organization is working to help provide them with permanent housing.

TCOG officials say helping our veterans should be a top priority in the community, that is why they have been working with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Department of Veterans to help out our homeless veterans get back on track to a normal life.

Since 2012, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing Program, or VASH, has been helping veterans like Steve Norby get back on their feet.

“I’m living a great life filled with purpose,” Norby said. “Everyday is a good day.”

It wasn’t always good.

The navy veteran says after he left the service, he faced problems with money, alcohol, and depression.

That downward spiral led to life on the streets, constantly moving from shelter to shelter.

“I went seriously down at one point and went far far down,” Norby said.

Things turned around for Norby when the Texoma Council of Governments came to him and awarded him with one of 25 vouchers for the HUD-VASH program, helping him get a home of his own.

The program’s goal is to provide homeless vets with Section 8 housing, as well as helping them with other VA benefits.

Now, TCOG has been awarded 25 more vouchers to help even more veterans in need.

“Housing and having a place of your own is very important and the VASH gave me the opportunity to have that,” said Norby. “It’s not an opportunity I would have had otherwise.”

Rayleen Bingham, TCOG Section 8 Program Manager, says the award of 25 more vouchers is a blessing.

Usually communities only receive around 10-15 vouchers.

“This offers stability for them and that’s something some of them haven’t had in a long time when they come to us,” Norby said. “Stability means they can focus on other things now that they have a roof over their head now.”

TCOG Executive Director, Susan Thomas, says the award of more vouchers would not have been possible without the community’s support.

“The community stepped up in tremendous fashion in the last round of vouchers and provided items, clothes, linens, toiletries, and everything that veteran needed to make that house a home,” Thomas said.

Veterans for the HUD-VASH program are chosen by a VA case manager.

For more information on this progam, contact the Texoma Council of Governments

http://www.texoma.cog.tx.us/

Source: http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/TCOG–266531411.html

SHERMAN, TX – The Texoma Council of Governments in Sherman could soon become a Regional Aging Resource Center for several counties.

The Texoma Council of Governments has applied for a major grant in hopes of making Texoma the home of a new Aging and Disability Resource Center.

It would help individuals from 12 counties access a number of services under one roof.

“It bridges the gap for individuals who have to go from one service to another and it streamlines the efficiency so these individuals can just go to one access,” said Karen Bray, aging services department director.

T.C.O.G. provides services to seniors who are 60-years or older, individuals with disabilities and veterans.

Usually, to get those services they have to meet with several agencies and fill out lengthy forms for each service.

But if T.C.O.G. is selected to become the new regional aging and disability resource center that will change.

“This approach would streamline and make all of these programs efficient in that. It would be one area that they could come to access information to all these different services,” said Bray.

Executive Director of T.C.O.G., Susan Thomas, said the grant application is all about making life easier for those they serve.

“So they’re not being bounced from agency to agency, place to place, phone number to phone number. They can sit down and have somebody review all of those resources with them and get that done in one spot. That’s a tremendous benefit to those folks,” said Thomas.

T.C.O.G. is competing with the Ark-Tex Council of Governments for the grant.

But only one agency will be selected to be the lead agency for the Aging and Disability Resource Center.

T.C.O.G. will be notified by early August if they are selected.

Source: http://www.kxii.com/home/headlines/TCOG–266531411.html