Two days before Veterans Day, Collin County commissioners will be asked to approve four grant applications to the Texas Veterans Commission for programs that steer veterans charged with crimes toward treatment instead of jail.
The requests, on the agenda for the Commissioners Court's Monday, Nov. 9, meeting, would seek money from the commission's Fund for Veterans' Assistance for the grant period of Sept. 1, 2027, through Aug. 31, 2029. Applications are due Dec. 2.
Two are for the county's veterans treatment courts. The forms list one under Judge John R. Roach Jr. of the 296th District Court, who also presides over the North Texas Regional Veterans Court, and one under Judge Jay Bender of County Court at Law No. 6 for the misdemeanor docket.
The county says the money would cover staff, participant monitoring, case management systems, emergency financial aid and day-to-day operations. A veterans treatment court is a specialized docket for justice-involved veterans that combines supervision with services meant to keep them out of the system.
The other two would support VALOR, which the county describes as an in-custody diversion and rehabilitation program offering work and treatment to veterans facing incarceration or the revocation of probation on felony or misdemeanor charges.
Help with bills
One VALOR request, in the commission's General Assistance category, centers on direct financial help for participants. According to Roach's application, the money would pay for mortgage or rent, transportation, vehicle costs and utilities, to ease the financial strain that can derail a veteran's return to the community.
In a memo to the court, the judge wrote that the grant would let VALOR help veterans "in maintaining stability and meeting basic needs."
The second VALOR application, in the commission's Veterans Mental Health category, would pay for personnel, clinical and therapy services, training, case management and clinical software, and participant resources.
The county forms do not list a dollar amount for any of the four requests. Under the state's rules for this round, an applicant may request from $50,000 to $600,000 per grant category, and no county match is required. Awards are competitive, and city and county governments are the only applicants allowed to seek treatment court grants.
