CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — The Texas Veterans Commission granted five Nueces County organizations a total of $1 million to help fund veterans' services in the community.
The money comes from the Fund for Veterans' Assistance program, which grants money to charitable organizations and local agencies that directly help the Texas veterans' community and its families.
"It's very important," said Al Cantu, Chairman of the Texas Veterans' Commission. "In my opinion, veterans always get the short end of the stick for whatever reason. Some of them are too prideful."
The funding helps with a range of veterans' services including housing, transportation, or financial assistance to mental-health services in the Corpus Christi area.
Ceremonial checks were presented by the commission at the Nueces County Courthouse on Tuesday.
The following organizations received grants:
- Nueces County Community Supervision and Corrections Department accepted $75,000 for the "Veterans Treatment Court Grant"
- Nueces County accepted $150,000 for the "General Assistance Grant"
- Community Action Corporation of South Texas accepted $300,000 for the "Housing 4 Texas Heroes Grant"
- The Salvation Army of Corpus Christi accepted $400,000 for the "Housing 4 Heroes Grant"
- Cenikor Foundation accepted $100,000 for the "Veterans' Mental Health Grant"
"We are a proud military community, and to be able to serve our veterans is the highest honor," said Nueces County Judge Barbara Canales in a statement on Tuesday. "We thank the Texas Veterans' Commission for their faith and trust in us in awarding this grant."
The money comes from a larger grant program that has funded over 100 veterans' organizations with nearly $23 million in total grants across Texas in 2019-2020. Since 2009, the program has awarded $137 million in grant funding that has helped over 300 thousand veterans statewide.
