LUFKIN, Texas (KTRE) – More than $3.3 million is heading to 13 veteran organizations across East Texas, funded through the Texas Veterans Commission (TVC) and proceeds from Texas Lottery tickets.<\/p>\n
The grants are part of a statewide effort. This year, the TVC is distributing $40.8 million among 160 organizations across Texas – part of more than $400 million awarded to veterans since the program launched in 2009.<\/p>\n
How the Funding Works<\/p>\n
The TVC\u2019s grant program was created by the Texas Legislature to fill gaps in veteran services – including financial assistance, housing, transportation, legal services, and more.<\/p>\n
Funding comes from multiple sources, including proceeds from the \u201cVeterans Cash\u201d lottery scratch-off ticket, as well as optional donations made when Texans renew their driver\u2019s license, fishing license, or vehicle registration.<\/p>\n
Shawn Deabay, Deputy Executive Director of the TVC and an Army veteran, said the program exists because veterans needed more support than what was already available.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a lot of services for veterans, but there are gaps. There\u2019s financial assistance, housing, and we need to do more from a state perspective,\u201d Deabay said. <\/p>\n
Deabay started his career serving veterans in Lufkin as a Veterans Employment District Manager with the Texas Workforce Commission. He has been with the TVC for 23 years and has served as Deputy Executive Director since 2019.<\/p>\n
Who Received Grants in East Texas<\/p>\n
Among the 13 organizations receiving funding in the East Texas region:<\/p>\n
Deep East Texas Council of Governments (DETCOG) received a general assistance grant to help veterans and surviving spouses pay for rent, utilities, and funeral expenses. DETCOG administers the program through its Area Agency on Aging.The Salvation Army of Lufkin, Hope County, and Trinity County also received grants directly from the TVC.The Disabled American Veterans of Texas Service Foundation received $93,000 for pet lodging and veterinary care \u2014 a new grant designed to ensure veterans don\u2019t skip medical appointments because they have no one to care for their pets at home.<\/p>\n
DETCOG Executive Director Lonnie Hunt, who has led the organization for 10 years, said the need in Deep East Texas is real \u2014 and often goes unspoken.<\/p>\n
\u201cDeep East Texas in particular, we\u2019re a region that traditionally people have been independent and they\u2019ve not asked for a lot. We have people that are hurting because they just don\u2019t want to be a bother to somebody else.\u201d<\/p>\n
DETCOG serves an 11-county region ranging from Texarkana down to Beaumont. Hunt noted that the organization leverages approximately $70,000 in annual membership dues from local governments into roughly $28 million in grants each year to serve the region.<\/p>\n
A Veteran Who Didn\u2019t Know Help Existed<\/p>\n
Mikala Peters is now the Trinity County Veterans Service Officer in Groveton \u2014 but just a few years ago, she was a Marine Corps veteran living without running water or electricity, unaware that help was available.<\/p>\n
\u201cI didn\u2019t know that there were places like this who could help. I didn\u2019t even know that the VA had some of the programs that they had.\u201d<\/p>\n
Peters said she learned about the TVC and local veteran service offices only after taking her current job at the Trinity County courthouse. Now, she uses that experience to connect other veterans with resources they didn\u2019t know existed.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen you know better, you do better.\u201d<\/p>\n
A New Way to Connect Veterans with Resources<\/p>\n
The TVC is launching a new three-phase initiative to proactively reach veterans \u2014 especially those transitioning from military service.<\/p>\n
Phase 1 launches September 25 and will use artificial intelligence and a chatbot through the Texas by Texas platform. Veterans will be able to upload their DD-214 or enter their disability rating, and the system will identify state services available in their area \u2014 including grant organizations, healthcare advocacy, women veterans programs, entrepreneur programs, and mental health resources.<\/p>\n
Phase 2 will expand the platform to include grant organizations, the Texas Workforce Commission, and other state agencies.<\/p>\n
Phase 3, expected to be complete by 2028, will bring all components together into a fully integrated system.<\/p>\n
Deabay said the goal is simple: make sure every veteran in Texas knows what\u2019s available to them.<\/p>\n
\u201cTexas is the best state in the nation for veterans and veterans need to know that these resources are available.\u201d<\/p>\n