Brazos Valley Center for Independent Living

Connecting people to the power of independence

Something to KNOW

**The waiting list opens in 2 days for the BVCOG Housing Choice Voucher Program**

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What: BVCOG Housing Choice Voucher Program

Where: BVCOG Regional Services Center
                3991 E. 29th Street
                Bryan, Texas 77802

When: 12:00 AM, Friday, August 7th, 2015

Contact: Karla Flanagan, Housing Choice Voucher Program Manager
                  Tel: (979) 595-2801
                  E-mail: karla.flanagan@bvcog.org

 

(Bryan, TX) The Brazos Valley Council of Governments (BVCOG) will open its Waiting List for the Housing Choice Voucher Program at 12:00 AM, on August 7th, 2015 (08/07/2015).  If any individual(s) wishes to place their name on the BVCOG waiting list, please apply on-line at www.bvcog.org on or after12:00 AM on 08/07/2015.

 

BVCOG through its Housing Choice Voucher Program (HCVP) provides Section 8 rental assistance in Bryan/College Station and throughout the seven-county region of the Brazos Valley. These counties include Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, and Washington.  Effective 08/07/2015, at 12:00 AM, the waiting list for preliminary applications will open.  A preliminary application simply indicates a person’s desire to be considered for rental assistance.

 

If a pre-application is already on the Waiting List, the applicant does not need to take any action. BVCOG will maintain their pre-application on the waiting list. However, the applicant is still required to update their contact information if anything on their application changes between the time they submit it and when the applicant is called an offered an opportunity to receive rental assistance.  All updates to any existing application must be made by submitting any and all changes in writing.

 

BVCOG highly encourages families currently residing within the BVCOG jurisdiction of Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Leon, Madison, Robertson, and Washington counties in Texas, honorably discharged United States Armed Forces Veterans, and the elderly to apply for Section 8 rental assistance.

 

For more information on the Housing Choice Voucher Program or how you can get involved with the program, please contact Karla Flanagan at (979) 595-2801 ext 2081 or by e-mail at karla.flanagan@bvcog.org.

GCPD Annual Survey: Impact of the Aging Population

GCPD Annual Survey: Impact of the Aging Population
Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities Annual Survey: Impact of the Aging Population

 

The Texas Governor’s Committee on People with Disabilities conducts an annual survey on an aspect of living in Texas with a disability.  This year the Committee is interested in examining the impact of the aging population across our ten issue areas, which are: access, communication, education, emergency management, health, housing, recreation, transportation, veterans and workforce.

 

Today, people are living longer and the U.S. population in general is increasingly older.  Beginning in 2005, Texas has experienced the largest annual population growth of any state.  Seniors, those over 65 years of age, are projected to more than triple in size from 2010 to 2050, approaching 7.9 million. The age category including those 45 to 64 years of age is projected to be the second fastest growing age group, growing 55% by 2050 to a population of over 9.3 million.  Much of the population growth in Texas is projected to come from the large urban counties of Harris, Dallas, Tarrant, Bexar, and Travis, but the fastest growth is projected to occur in the suburban rings surrounding these counties.  (data from Texas State Demographer reports)

 

About the Survey (s):

This year the survey will be divided into two parts.  Part 1 will be available during the month of July.  Part 2 will be available for the month of August.

 

 

Alternative formats are available in large print, Spanish or can be voiced out by phone with assistance of staff.  For any alternative format, email or call Stephanie.Myers@gov.texas.gov or 512-463-5739.

 

Si a usted le gustaría aprovechar esta encuesta en español por favor envíe un correo electrónico a Stephanie Myers @Stephanie.myers@gov.texas.gov

 

**Local Mayor’s Committee’s on People with Disabilities, Centers for Independent Living, and Area Agencies on Aging are encouraged to share the survey email and link with their local communities.

Local Beep Baseball Heads to World Series

From KAGS website:

A local baseball team is days away from playing in the World Series. The BCS Outlaws Beep baseball team held their final practice before heading to New York for the World Series…

Except for the pitcher and catcher, beep baseball players are blind and hitters only run to first or third depending on which one beeps once the ball is hit.

One player says playing for the Outlaws is about more than competing and going to New York for a World Series.

“It gives me an opportunity to be with my family and my kids and be out here with the people that I work with. You know my passion is working with the visually impaired, so I never thought that I would actually play. But I am and I enjoy it and we’re getting a lot of new young faces and new people coming out and that’s what we want”, Crystal Stark said.

 

See the webpost here.

A Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act

On July 23, 2015 from 10:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. (Eastern Time), the U.S. Department of Justice, the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, and the U.S. Access Board will present “A Celebration of the 25th Anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act” available as a live stream broadcast on ADA.gov.

Speakers will include Attorney General Loretta Lynch, Principal Deputy Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights Vanita Gupta, EEOC Commissioner Chai Feldblum, Senator Bob Dole, Senator Tom Harkin, and Representative Steny Hoyer. 

NPR’s Joe Shapiro will moderate a panel of people with disabilities, who have seen their lives changed because of enforcement actions that the Justice Department and the EEOC have taken to ensure that the civil rights of people with disabilities are upheld.  In addition, Bob Williams will read “Doing Justice,” a poem he wrote for this event.

The live stream broadcast on ADA.gov will include captions and audio description.  To access the event on July 23rd, go to the link to the broadcast. 

A re-broadcast will be available starting on July 25th, also at ADA.gov.