Governor Abbott Announces Major $1.7 Million Win For West Texas Veterans - KFYO

Governor Greg Abbott announced the funding as part of the Texas Veterans Commission's Grants Across Texas Tour. The money comes through the Fund for Veterans' Assistance program and gets spread across several counties, with El Paso County pulling the largest share: $285,000 for financial assistance and $400,000 for a Veterans Treatment Court.

The other recipients include the City of El Paso, which gets $140,000 for transportation services, Jeff Davis County receiving $200,000 for housing, and the Permian Basin Regional Planning Commission picking up $275,000, also for housing. That last one lands close to home for Lubbock-area residents, since the Permian Basin commission covers a stretch of West Texas that includes communities not far from the South Plains.

For veterans here, this kind of state-level grant money fills gaps that local budgets often can't cover on their own. Housing and transportation are two of the biggest barriers veterans face when transitioning out of service. Treatment courts offer an alternative path for those caught up in the legal system.

West Texas has one of the higher concentrations of military veterans per capita of any region in the state.