New Jobs to Create Positive Economic Impact in Region

February 23, 2017 – Dr. Susan B. Thomas, Executive Director of Texoma Council of Governments (TCOG), announced last week at a regularly scheduled TCOG Board meeting the award of an additional $2 million dollars in funding for TCOG’s Comprehensive Energy Assistance Program (CEAP) funded by the Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA), bringing total CEAP program funding to $2.7 million and total funding for all Energy Services programs to just under $4 million.

TCOG has historically administered the CEAP Program in Fannin, Grayson and Cooke counties. In October 2016, TDHCA tapped TCOG to administer the CEAP program in Collin, Denton, Hunt and Rockwall counties on an interim basis. Later in the year, TDHCA issued a Request for Application (RFA) to administer the contract in the additional counties a permanent basis. TCOG submitted an application in December and was awarded the permanent contract for all seven counties Collin, Cooke, Denton, Fannin, Grayson, Hunt, and Rockwall late Friday afternoon.

In response to the new contract, TCOG Board President, Judge Jason Brinkley, commented, “I think this is an exciting opportunity for TCOG, and I want to thank the staff for their continued hard work and dedication to our region.”

The CEAP Program is a utility assistance program designed to assist low-income households in meeting their immediate energy needs and to encourage consumers to control energy costs for years to come through energy education. CEAP is part of the Energy Services program at TCOG which also includes Weatherization and Case Management.

Thomas noted that the new contract amounts to more than 25% growth in TCOG revenue overall, and the CEAP money – along with growth in the Weatherization program – will enable 10% growth in staff count at the COG. “As our programs grow, our ability to improve and enhance quality of life for citizens in our region grows as well,” stated Thomas. “TCOG leads the way in the state on the administration of these energy contracts, and by being that better leader in the state, we are able to build better lives here at home in Texoma.”

In addressing the Board, Thomas also noted that the revenues from the new CEAP contract along with the existing and proposed staff increases in all TCOG programs will generate more than $1.25 million in direct, indirect, and induced economic impact for Grayson County alone.

TCOG Client Services Department Director, Allison Minton, stated, “this new contract and the growth in our Weatherization program will create six new jobs in Grayson County, put more money in the pockets of local weatherization contractors and their employees, and make life better for over 3,000 households in Texoma and beyond.” Reider discussed the economic impact on the clients as well. “These funds have a tremendous impact on the children and families who receive assistance, as each dollar they save will be added to the local economy through their ability to purchase more goods and services.”

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.

Outlining how the organization will continue using a Community Services Block Grant, the Texoma Council of Governments held a meeting Wednesday afternoon to provide the public the opportunity to voice feedback on the Community Action Plan.

The Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs requires annual updates from grantees on the Community Action Plan, which is completed every three years. The last plan from TCOG was completed in 2015, and the annual submission includes next year’s budget that is set for $245,900. The TCOG Governing Board approved plans to ratify the annual submission last week.

While no members of the public attended the meeting, TCOG employees were present. TCOG Energy Service Program Manager Judy Fullylove said the meeting also served to fulfill state requirements for the funding. The purpose of the grant is to address antipoverty initiatives, such as forming plans to reduce poverty and revitalize low-income households towards self-sufficiency, she said.

“The Community Action Plan does address those issues, not only what TCOG is able to do, also it identifies gaps in services as well as what agencies can help us address poverty within the tri-county region,” Fullylove said with the region referring to Cooke, Fannin and Grayson counties.

To form a plan, TCOG performs a needs assessment for the communities it serves. The plan outlines the top five needs and how the organization addresses those needs. The needs are the following: job skills, affordable housing, health care, transportation and food insecurity.

“When we do the assessment and get the needs of the community, it’s up to us to coordinate those efforts with other social serifs agencies and providers because we ourselves are not able to provide all of the resources that address these top five needs,” Allison Minton, client services department director for TCOG, said.

The partner organizations include Workforce Texoma and Grayson College to address job skills, state and county health departments for health care, and local food pantries and kitchens for food insecurity.

“This is a very small part of trying to provide to our community the assistance that low income families need to try and become self sufficient,” Minton said. “That’s why our partnerships are so important.”

The plan outlines the partnerships, funding sources and how services are delivered. TCOG relies on its partners to address the ultimate goal of eliminating poverty.

“It’s really about the community coming together to address the top five needs that have been identified through this assessment that TCOG went through,” Minton said.

Original article published at http://www.heralddemocrat.com/news/20161027/tcog-examines-community-needs-in-annual-grant-submission