Bonham Police Department receives Ballistic Helmets from TCOG
May 3, 2018
TCOG’s ADRC Announces New Educational Series
June 6, 20182019-2021 Community Needs Assessment
Quantitative Data
Organization Survey
A survey was developed from TDHCA guidelines to administer to local organizations and government officials. The survey was administered online to 182 entities, and 31 replied. The needs assessment team reached out to community service agencies, law enforcement, municipalities, educational institutions and health care providers. The aggregated results are shown in Table 18.
| Table 18: Agency Needs Survey, Top 5 Needs | |
|---|---|
| 1. | Availability/Access to Mental Health/Medical Providers and Facilities |
| 2. | Transportation Issues, Especially On-Demand and Emergency Gas Money |
| 3. | Need for Affordable Housing / Repairs |
| 4. | Hunger and Food Insecurity |
| 5. | Childhood Poverty/Availability, Access and Affordability for Early Education/Childcare |
| Source: CNA 2018 Agency Needs Survey | |
Again, as in the Client Lifecycle study, mental health, transportation, and affordable housing emerge as top needs, as do childhood issues. Food also emerges as a need.
The results of the survey when disaggregated by county are shown in Table 19.
| Table 19: Agency Needs Survey, Top 5 Needs, by County | |
|---|---|
| Grayson County | |
| 1. | Availability/Access to Mental Health/Medical Providers and Facilities |
| 2. | The Need for Safe, Affordable Housing / Home Repairs |
| 3. | Educational Needs, both Job Training and Early Childhood |
| 4. | Basic Needs / Hunger and Food Insecurity |
| 5. | Transportation Issues, Especially On-Demand |
| Cooke County | |
| 1. | Transportation Issues, Especially On-Demand |
| 2. | Availability/Access to Mental Health/Medical Providers and Facilities |
| 3. | Family Social Services |
| 4. | Higher Paying Jobs – Issue of “Working Poor” |
| 5. | Education / Tech Ed Jobs Training |
| Fannin County | |
| 1. | Availability/Access to Mental Health/Medical Providers and Facilities |
| 2. | Hunger and Food Insecurity |
| 3. | Inability to Pay Basic Household Needs, Especially Utilities |
| 4. | Need for Gas Money / Transportation |
| 5. | Housing Issues – Access and Availability to Safe, Affordable Housing |
| Source: CNA 2018 Agency Needs Survey | |
2-1-1 Call Data
TCOG houses the regional Texas 211 Information & Referral Center. Data for all calls were obtained from the Texas state-wide system, and the data set was placed into an SPSS (Statistical Package for the Social Sciences) data base. These calls were taken from September, 2015 to April, 2018. All calls for the three counties in this study were extracted, and the calls stating specific needs were analyzed. Call need categories are somewhat specific, so all calls with needs were summarized into major categories. The results of this analysis, both by county, and region-wide, are shown in Table 20 below.
| Table 20: All 2-1-1 Calls with Needs, May, 2016 – April, 2018 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Cooke County | ||
| Total Calls with Needs | 1,825 | |
| Utility Assistance | 484 | 27% |
| Housing / Rent | 222 | 12% |
| Medical Issues | 214 | 12% |
| Food Insecurity | 158 | 9% |
| Transportation | 66 | 4% |
| Fannin County | ||
| Total Calls | 1,881 | |
| Utility Assistance | 583 | 31% |
| Medical Issues | 179 | 10% |
| Food Insecurity | 174 | 9% |
| Housing / Rent | 116 | 6% |
| Transportation | 67 | 4% |
| Grayson County | ||
| Total Calls | 12,421 | |
| Utility Assistance | 2,823 | 23% |
| Housing / Rent | 2,513 | 20% |
| Medicaid / Health Issues | 1,600 | 13% |
| Food Insecurity | 1,063 | 9% |
| Transportation | 525 | 4% |
| All Counties in Aggregate | ||
| Total Calls | 16,127 | |
| Utility Assistance | 3,890 | 24% |
| Housing / Rent | 2,851 | 18% |
| Medical Issues | 1,993 | 12% |
| Food Insecurity | 1,395 | 9% |
| Transportation | 658 | 4% |
| Source: 2-1-1 Call Database | ||
Utility assistance emerges as the top need for all three counties, and in the regional aggregate (Grayson County, with its much larger n will have overwhelming influence on the aggregate). This is a change from the 2-1-1 call analysis for the most recent Community Needs Assessment (April 1, 2012 – March, 2015). In that analysis, food insecurity was the top need, and utility assistance was second. Callers needing utility assistance are directed to the Energy Services Department at TCOG, where they are screened, and if eligible, receive assistance. The need for safe, affordable housing and rent is second in Cooke and Grayson counties, and fourth in Fannin County, and is second in the aggregate. In the previous 211 analysis, housing and rent needs came in fourth. There is a clear need for safe, affordable housing in all three counties, and the need seems to be increasing. Medical issues, especially mental health issues (availability of and access to both facilities and providers) in this study came in as the third need, the same as in the previous study. Food insecurity fell from the top need in the previous study to fourth overall, and third in Fannin County. This is a welcome trend in the region. Transportation was not a top five need in the previous study, but emerged as the fourth top need in all counties, and in the region as a whole. This probably is due to the major downsizing of the one para-transit organization in the region.
