Area Agency on Aging Receives Funding to Expand Services for East Texas Seniors through COVID-19 Pandemic
Area Agency on Aging of East Texas • August 5, 2020
Planned Increases Underway for Meal Program, Support Services, and Alzheimer’s Program Support
ETCOG’s Area Agency on Aging(AAA) program has received a total of $2,695,330 in COVID-19 Families First Coronavirus Response Act Funds. The Families First Coronavirus Response Act, signed into law by President Trump on March 18, 2020, provided the additional funding for the nutrition services programs authorized by the Older Americans Act of 1965. The need for these services, particularly home-delivered and packaged meals, has increased as community measures to slow transmission of COVID-19 have closed meal sites and have left many family caregivers unable to assist their older loved ones. A total of $628,039 has been received for the East Texas AAA senior nutrition program and will be expended through our home-delivered and congregate meal programs. The congregate meal program has transitioned to “grab and go” at all meal sites for safety purposes. A total of $2,067,291 was received for other AAA service delivery programs.
“Our leadership has been consulting with staff, community partners, and queried recipients of services during this pandemic to identify the most significant needs for East Texas seniors,” said ETCOG’s Director of the Area Agency on Aging, Bettye Mitchell. “We are expanding our policies to be more flexible in a COVID-19 environment, and are increasing service capacity to serve more seniors through information and referral services, the senior nutrition program, emergency food relief, public transportation support, and Alzheimer’s services.”
“The East Texas AAA’s CARES Act investment in vital senior support programs and services provides one example of ETCOG’s overarching commitment to help our region’s citizens, and businesses recover from the devastating effects of COVID-19. You can expect to hear more from us soon as we seek additional ways and means to support our jurisdictions and all East Texans,” said ETCOG Executive Director David Cleveland.
The AAA has comprehensive plans to expend the COVID funds to assist seniors within East Texas through September of 2021. The plan is subject to modification as continual guidance is received from the Texas Health and Human Services Commission.
Plans for expansion of AAA services include, but is not limited to:
- Increasing Case Management and Caregiver Support services for clients receiving in-home assistance. These provide up to 12 weeks of services for an average of 8-12 hours per week, depending on the need and programs served.
- Expanding Case Management services to seniors living at home who do not have a caretaker or family member to provide services.
- Expansion of health and wellness education forums to aid in senior diabetes management, chronic pain management, and tai chi to improve balance, stability, pain management and flexibility in older people.
- Providing outreach and awareness of the availability of services to homeless individuals in the region by increasing existing partnerships with the Salvation Army, Goodwill, the Highway 80 Rescue Mission, and homeless coalitions.
- Expanding transportation services through increasing sponsored senior trips through ETCOG’s rural transit provider, GoBus, and authorizing more services for special needs populations, including piloting individualized transportation for critical need patients.
- Expanding Alzheimer’s services to programs in Smith, Van Zandt, and Gregg counties by awarding grants to purchase ID bracelets for Project Lifesaver, increasing Respite services for relief to caregivers, supporting educational forums, and authorizing services for Alzheimer’s patients to attend day activity programs.
- Purchasing needed equipment for senior nutrition providers.
- Serving clients who have been on waiting lists for the AAA direct delivery nutrition programs.
- Assisting with purchases for emergency services for seniors in need of food, housing assistance, utilities, medical supplies, medical equipment, etc.
- Partnering with Workforce Solutions East Texas to help promote AAA services to veterans and the senior workforce who have financially been adversely impacted by COVID-19.
Seniors aged 60 or older who are in need of assistance are encouraged to contact the AAA by calling 1-800-442-8845
or visiting www.easttexasaaa.org
for more information.
TDA is pleased to see interest from many communities in the upcoming 2027 Texas Community Development Block Grant applications. No action is required for communities at this time; however, here are several items that may be useful as you look forward to the release of grant applications this fall: Save the Date for your local governing body resolution. All TxCDBG grant applications require a resolution adopted by the local governing body to authorize submittal of the application, commit to adhere to the requirements of the TxCDBG program, and commit matching funds, if applicable. TDA recommends marking your calendar to complete this task at your October 2026 meeting. The required resolution language will be provided in the Application Guide, to be released in September 2026. Procure a grant administrator. Many Grant Recipients hire a consultant to be responsible for grant administration and reporting requirements. If your community would like to have a grant administrator also assist in preparation of the grant application, the services contract must be competitively procured prior to any participation by the firm in the application process. TDA has compiled a user-friendly guide to procuring a grant administrator according to TxCDBG policies: Solicitation and Contract Documents for Administration Services* Contracts The Unified Scoring Committee will determine at its meeting in September whether to offer an annual or biennial cycle for the Community Development Fund – the sample documents in this guide account for both options. A similar guide for engineering procurement will be made available later this fall. No engineering work is required for the first phase of the application process. Attend your regional meeting to establish Project Priorities (or review the adopted priorities once posted). Consider the projects important to your community in each of the Priority 1 categories, as well as other projects that are important to your community. ETCOG's regional meeting will be held Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 12 noon, at ETCOG headquarters TDA’s default priorities can be used as a reference for the available project categories; each region will identify its own priorities within this structure: 2027 Regional Project Priority Scoring Element - Default.pdf
ETCOG will hold a Public Hearing on Thursday, August 6, 2026, at 12:00 p.m. during its Executive Committee meeting at 3800 Stone Road, Kilgore, Texas. The purpose of the hearing is to gather public input on the Texas Community Development Block Grant ( TxCDBG ) Program Regional Project Priority Types for the East Texas region. As part of the standard TxCDBG process, each Council of Governments region in Texas is encouraged to identify the project types that best reflect regional needs and priorities. During the hearing, ETCOG’s Executive Committee will receive comments from local officials, stakeholders, and members of the public regarding which eligible project categories should be prioritized for East Texas. These priorities may include needs such as water and sewer infrastructure, street improvements, housing, and other eligible community development activities. Regional project priority types play an important role in the TxCDBG application process. The priorities adopted by ETCOG will be submitted to the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), which administers the TxCDBG program, for use in the upcoming funding cycle. Regional priorities account for a portion of the scoring used to evaluate grant applications. ETCOG encourages anyone with an interest in community development needs across East Texas to attend the hearing and provide input during the public comment period.
The CO-OP Grant team will host a series of Grant Application Workshops to cover all the elements needed for a competitive application. Offered both online and at sites around the state, the workshop will provide application support and assist potential applicants with an overview of the application process, grant program requirements and priorities, scoring criteria, budget planning and eligible grant expenses, and answer questions from applicants. Opportunities for in-person project consultation appointments with grant staff will also be made available at the site-based workshops. The CO-OP Grant will begin accepting project proposals August 3, 2026, through October 1, 2026, at 5 pm CST. Grant Awards will be announced March 1, 2027, and programs will take place over 18 months. Eligible projects should engage program participants in areas of conservation, outdoor recreation, and environmental education and connect participants to TPWD sites, programs, and staff. Grant funding can support personnel, training, travel, food, fees, and supplies. There is no match requirement. This grant supports outdoor programs for populations that are under-served. The CO-OP grant does NOT fund any type of construction, trails, boat ramps, or vehicles. This is a reimbursement grant. REGISTER To attend at workshop, complete the online registration at: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F4BA5AD2DA1F5C16-64420560-tpwd#/ ONLINE WEBINAR Monday, July 20th 2 p.m.- 4 p.m Live (Recording will be available on/after 7/22)
$16.5 Million in Grants Available
The U.S. Department of Agriculture has announced that it is making $27.7 million in grants available through the Rural Business Development Grant Program (RBDG). This program provides funding for business and community initiatives that promote economic growth and job creation. Eligible applicants can include rural cooperatives, state government agencies, towns, and communities, nonprofit corporations and institutions of higher learning, and federally recognized Tribes. Individuals and for-profit businesses or organizations are not eligible to apply. Applications will compete in two separate categories: Business opportunity grants: May be used for business support centers, technology-based economic development, leadership and entrepreneur training, feasibility studies, business plans, long-term strategic planning, and other eligible activities. Business enterprise grants: May be used for training and technical assistance, project planning, business counseling, market research, feasibility studies, and product or service improvements, buying or developing land, easements, or rights of way, including access streets and parking areas, constructing or renovating buildings, and buying machinery and equipment, capitalizing revolving loan funds, and supporting rural business incubators and community economic development and other eligible activities. Electronic applications must be submitted by 4:30 p.m. local time through Grants.gov on the due date. The Rural Business Development Grant Program has two different closing dates: June 15, 2026, only applies to Strategic Economic and Community Development (SECD) applications. June 30, 2026, applies to the remainder of the applicants. For more information on how to apply please visit on gov or contact your local USDA Rural Development office .
Freedom 250 Event Celebrates Free Enterprise Through National Small Business Competition for $1 Million Cash
Many of our communities have properties that are abandoned or underutilized because of suspected environmental contamination from past uses. These properties are commonly referred to as “Brownfields.” Redeveloping a brownfield site does more than change the look of a property; it strengthens the health, economy, and spirit of the whole community. Through ETCOG’s Brownfield Site Reuse & Revitalization Program, local governments and property owners can receive no-match funding to assess and plan for the safe reuse of vacant or underused sites. Projects can include environmental studies, market analyses, community engagement efforts, and much more, that set the stage for growth while protecting public health and the environment. Every successful project begins with identifying potential sites. If your community has a property that could be brought back to life, now is the time to act. Find details and a site nomination form at www.etcog.org/brownfields-program .
This is an announcement shared from Texas Water Development Board
Today, the East Texas Council of Governments (ETCOG) announced the award of Civic Marketplace as the technology platform for COGWORKS, its cooperative purchasing arm. The partnership will leverage cutting-edge technology and artificial intelligence to support regional purchasing for rural communities, school districts, and local governments across the East Texas region, state, and nationwide. For more than 50 years, ETCOG has supported East Texas through regional planning, coordination, and shared services. COGWORKS was established in response to member demand for dependable cost-control solutions that serve jurisdictions of all sizes through competitively awarded cooperative contracts. This collaboration strengthens COGWORKS by improving shared buying, administrative coordination, and visibility into contract activity, enabling members to operate more efficiently while meeting procurement requirements. “This partnership supports our responsibility to ensure rural communities, schools, and local districts can access purchasing programs that deliver measurable savings and efficiencies,” said David Cleveland, Executive Director of ETCOG. “COGWORKS allows participants to benefit from collective buying power and shared procurement expertise through a program they know and trust.” Civic Marketplace will partner with ETCOG to activate and operate COGWORKS on its digital platform, in order to expand participation and deliver measurable value to member agencies across East Texas. Through its purpose-built technology platform, proprietary artificial intelligence (AI) agentic, solutions, and hands-on program enablement, Civic Marketplace will support contract visibility, supplier onboarding, entity activation, and ongoing program analytics at no cost to member agencies. “This partnership demonstrates ETCOG's commitment to building a strong, sustainable cooperative purchasing ecosystem for East Texas,” said Al Hleileh, CEO and Co-Founder of Civic Marketplace. “Our goal is to help COGWORKS increase utilization and transparency of cooperative contracts, elevate local businesses, and deliver regional efficiency.” “Civic Marketplace was born in East Texas, with deep roots in the cities of Longview and Tyler,” added Ron Holifield, Co-Founder and President of Civic Marketplace. “Our partnership with COGWORKS is both a homecoming and a new wellspring for these communities, bringing together collaborative purchasing and cutting edge technology to help local government entities better serve their residents.” As COGWORKS continues to grow, ETCOG and Civic Marketplace will work together to expand contract offerings, support supplier participation, and provide members with the tools and information needed to use cooperative purchasing effectively. About Civic Marketplace Civic Marketplace is the AI procurement platform built for local governments and free for every SLED entity to use. By removing cost as a barrier, we make it easier for cities, counties, and school districts to modernize how they buy goods and services without adding strain to already tight budgets. Our platform connects government buyers to a network of pre-approved suppliers, ensuring every contract meets compliance and quality standards from the start. We're especially committed to expanding access for historically underutilized businesses, helping local governments support regional suppliers and strengthen the communities they serve. Procurement doesn't have to be slow, complicated, or expensive. Civic Marketplace is backed by venture investment and built to prove it. Learn more at civicmarketplace.com