Located in:
- Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
At minimum, in the SCSEP stand-alone submission and the SCSEP portion of the Combined State Plan, States should comprehensively cover the following elements.
- b. Service Delivery and Coordination
States must:
- b. Service Delivery and Coordination
b. 4. List Needed Community Services and the Exact Places Where These Services Are Most Needed. Specifically, the Plan Must Address the Needs and Location(s) of Those Individuals Most in Need of Community Services and the Groups Working to Meet Their Needs. (20 Cfr 641.330)
Current Narrative:
Texas develops statewide data on priority community needs from three state agencies:
- Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC)—needs requested by callers to the state’s 2–1–1 system for each of the 25 Area Information Centers;
- Texas Department of Housing and Community Affairs (TDHCA)—priority needs identified by 35 Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) entities as part of their annual plans; and
- Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services (DADS)—priority needs for seniors identified by each of the 28 AAAs.
The table below summarizes the needs most commonly requested to the 2–1–1 system, including assistance with paying utility bills and rent; food assistance through the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), food pantries, and organizations operating food voucher systems; and Medicaid assistance. Priority needs will vary with the workforce area. The Concho Valley workforce area, for example, had many requests for low–cost or free dental care, homeless shelters, and community clinics. For the Cameron County and Lower Rio Grande Valley workforce areas, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) applications and Medicare savings were frequently requested.
Priority Needs Based on Requests Received by 2–1–1 Area Information Centers (AICs)
| Type of Need | No. of AICs Listing as Priority 1–5 Need | No. of AICs Listing as Priority 6–10 Need |
|---|---|---|
| Utility Bill Assistance | 25 | 0 |
| Food Stamps | 18 | 2 |
| Food Pantries/Food Vouchers | 17 | 6 |
| Rent Payment Assistance | 17 | 7 |
| Medicaid | 11 | 4 |
| Tax Preparation | 4 | 7 |
| Dental Care | 2 | 8 |
| Housing Authorities | 2 | 5 |
| Prescription Expense Assistance | 2 | 4 |
| TANF Applications | 2 | 2 |
| Money for Gasoline | 2 | 0 |
| Community Clinics | 1 | 10 |
| Homeless Shelters | 1 | 8 |
| Low–Income, Subsidized Rental Housing | 1 | 3 |
| Adult Protective Services | 1 | 1 |
| Adult State/Local Health Insurance | 1 | 1 |
| Medicare Savings Program | 1 | 1 |
| Special Needs Registries | 1 | 1 |
| Weatherization Programs | 1 | 0 |
| Tiers Transfer | 1 | 0 |
| Information and Referral | 1 | 0 |
| Benefits Assistance | 1 | 0 |
| Clothing | 1 | 0 |
| Holiday Gifts/Toys | 0 | 7 |
| Medical Transportation | 0 | 6 |
| Child Care Subsidies | 0 | 3 |
| Medicare | 0 | 2 |
| Job Assistance Center | 0 | 2 |
| Women, Infants, and Children | 0 | 2 |
| Legal Aid | 0 | 2 |
| Immunizations | 0 | 2 |
| Municipal Police | 0 | 1 |
| Fans and Air Conditioners | 0 | 1 |
| Community Shelter | 0 | 1 |
| Physician Referrals | 0 | 1 |
| SSDI Applications | 0 | 1 |
| Social Security Numbers | 0 | 1 |
| Section 8 Housing Voucher | 0 | 1 |
| Family Planning | 0 | 1 |
CSBG priorities are listed in the following table. These include housing, employment assistance, health care, utility bill assistance, adult education and training, transportation, and food assistance. Housing authorities, Workforce Solutions Offices, public and nonprofit clinics, high school equivalency and job training programs, food pantries and food voucher programs, and organizations providing assistance with paying utility bills and providing low– or no–cost transportation are all good candidates for needed community services. Each entity has additional priority needs that vary from area to area.
Priority Needs Identified by Community Services Block Grant Entities
| Type of Need | No. of CSBGs Listing as Priority Need |
|---|---|
| Housing | 26 |
| Employment Assistance | 23 |
| Health Care | 21 |
| Utility Bill Assistance | 17 |
| Education and Training—Job Skills Training, GED, ESL | 16 |
| Transportation | 14 |
| Food Pantries/Vouchers/Support | 13 |
| Home Repairs and Weatherization | 8 |
| Affordable Child Care | 6 |
| Prescription Expense Assistance | 5 |
| Health Insurance | 3 |
| Economic Development | 3 |
| Youth Programs and Services | 3 |
| Homelessness Assistance | 3 |
| Programs for Seniors | 3 |
| Clothing | 3 |
| Information and Referrals | 2 |
| Financial Literacy | 2 |
| Outreach about Available Services | 2 |
| Counseling | 2 |
| Domestic Violence Survivor Support | 2 |
| Street Improvements | 1 |
| Crime Awareness | 1 |
| Drug Abuse Awareness | 1 |
| Lack of Public Parks | 1 |
| Gasoline Money | 1 |
| Income Tax Preparation | 1 |
AAAs’ priority needs for seniors, listed below, include transportation, home–delivered meals, legal assistance, congregate meals, coordination of care, information referral, and in–home respite care for caregivers. Additional host agencies could be recruited from public and nonprofit entities that are providing these services or are seeking human resources to provide these services.
TWC will share with each grantee the needs identified by the 2–1–1 entities, CSBGs, and AAAs in the grantee’s service area. Grantees will also continue to gather input from local government officials and informal networks with colleagues in local organizations and agencies.
Priority Needs of Seniors Identified by Area Agencies on Aging
| Type of Need | No. of AAAs Listing as Priority Need |
|---|---|
| Transportation | 21 |
| Home–Delivered Meals | 20 |
| Legal Assistance | 15 |
| Congregate Meal | 14 |
| Care Coordination | 10 |
| Information Referral and Assistance | 10 |
| Caregiver Respite Care–In–Home | 9 |
| Health Maintenance | 8 |
| Legal Awareness | 8 |
| Ombudsman | 7 |
| Residential Repair | 7 |
| Caregiver Support Coordination | 6 |
| Area Agency Administration | 5 |
| Caregiver Information Services | 5 |
| Personal Assistance | 5 |
| Emergency Response | 4 |
| Evidence–Based Intervention to Promote Wellness | 4 |
| Homemaker | 4 |
| Caregiver Education and Training | 3 |
| Utility Bill Assistance | 3 |
| Adult Day Services | 2 |
| Data Management | 2 |
| Senior Center Support | 2 |
| Community Clinics | 1 |
| Food Assistance | 1 |
| Health Screening/Monitoring | 1 |
| Housing | 1 |
| Nutrition Education (Nutrition Services) | 1 |
| Participant Assessment | 1 |
| Rent Assistance | 1 |
Identifying Organizations and Entities Addressing Priority Needs
Community resource guides in hard copy and online, including the 2–1–1 website, are a starting point for grantees to identify agencies and organizations that address priority needs. One promising online resource, Texas Connector, is a statewide online database developed by the OneStar Foundation. The database includes 2–1–1 resources and GuideStar, USA, Inc., information on nonprofit organizations in Texas. Texas Connector is unique because its mapping tool allows users to:
- Outline an area on an online map—a neighborhood, a county, or cluster of counties;
- Map all the entities and organizations providing services in the outlined area;
- Access basic demographic information about the area;
- Map where specific resources such as food banks or health clinics are located; and
- Print a report with the selected information.
Texas Connector locates support resources and identifies potential host agencies that address the community’s priority needs and may assist with recruiting participants.