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Texas disability benefits

Texas Resources for People With Disabilities

Written by
Jackie Jakab, Disability Attorney
Jackie Jakab
Lead Attorney
November 16, 2023  ·  9 min read
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From food pantries to community clinics, Texas is home to several nonprofits and charitable organizations offering resources and support to seniors, veterans, and people with disabilities.

If you’re waiting for disability benefits, and you need help building a financial and social support system in the meantime, check out this list of vetted organizations in the Lone Star State. From the Panhandle to the Gulf Coast, here are resources for food, housing and shelter, legal services, and medical care.


Food

Central Food Bank

6500 Metropolis Drive Austin, TX 78744

In 2022, Central Food Bank provided more than 50 million meals to families in need throughout Austin. The food bank, founded in 1981, supplies surplus food from across the country to local charitable and government partners. In addition to fighting hunger, the nonprofit has dedicated staffers to help community members access public benefits.

Brazos Valley Food Bank

1501 Independence Avenue, Bryan, TX 77803

Brazos Valley Food Bank distributes food to partner organizations in the Brazos Valley, including Brazos, Burleson, Grimes, Madison, Robertson, and Washington Counties. BVFB partners with schools, delivers meals to seniors, and works to educate and prevent hunger through its outreach programming. Its Project GotEM (Going the Extra Mile) delivers food to neighbors with disabilities and mobility issues.

El Pasoans Fighting Hunger Food Bank

9541 Plaza Circle, El Pase, TX 79927

El Pasoans Fighting Hunger is a food distribution center in El Pasos. In 2022, EPFH provided more than 90 million pounds of food to its 132 partner organizations across El Paso, Hudspeth, and Culberson Counties. The food bank offers school nutrition programs, mobile pantries, and benefits assistance programs. It also provides food to low-income senior citizens through its Commodity Supplemental Food Program.

High Plains Food Bank

P.O. Box 31803, Amarillo, TX 79120

High Plains Food Bank, founded in 1982, provides aid to 29 counties throughout the Texas Panhandle. Beyond offering mobile food pantries and cafes for children to address food insecurity in North Texas, the organization assists community members in applying for resources like SNAP benefits and Medicaid.

Houston Food Bank

535 Portwall Street, Houston, TX 77029

The Houston Food Bank is the largest in Texas and has a wide distribution to food pantries and soup kitchens throughout the greater Houston area. In addition to providing curbside food pickup, the Houston Food Bank delivers groceries to seniors. It also has a Community Assistance Program to help Southwest Texans apply for state-funded social and health services.

Minnie’s Food Pantry

671 18th Street, Plano, TX 75074

Minnie's Food Pantry, one of the largest food pantries in North Texas, works to educate Texans about nutrition. Its programs include in-school snacks, a drive-thru pantry, and a delivery service for seniors and veterans. In 2021, the organization provided more than 3.5 million meals to families and individuals in need.

North Texas Food Bank

3677 Mapleshade Lane, Plano, TX 75075

North Texas Food Bank, founded in 1982, collects and distributes surplus food products to 500 partner organizations. In 2022, NTFB delivered 144 million meals to residents in Dallas, Denton, Collin, Fannin, Rockwall, Hunt, Grayson, Kaufman, Ellis, Navarro, Lamar, Delta, and Hopkins Counties.

San Antonio Food Bank

5200 Historic Old Highway 90, San Antonio, TX 78227

San Antonio Food Bank, the state's first food bank, serves more than 100,000 families each week. In addition to providing food, the San Antonio Food Bank works to educate community members with nutrition and wellness workshops to promote self-sufficiency.

West Texas Food Bank

P.O. BOX 4242, Odessa, TX 79760

West Texas Food Bank serves 19 counties, including the state's two largest counties. The food bank, founded by citizens in 1985, is a clearinghouse of donated and purchased food items for more than 100 partner organizations. West Texas Food Bank offers hunger relief to children, families, and seniors in more than 30,000 square feet of West Texas.


Housing and shelter

Easterseals Serving Central Texas

2324 Ridgepoint Drive # F1, Austin, TX 78754

Easterseals Central Texas provides care services to children and adults with disabilities. Easterseals Central Texas supports more than 8,000 local children and adults, along with their caregivers, with services including outpatient rehabilitation, workforce development, and community and housing.

Family Eldercare

1700 Rutherford Lane, Austin, TX 78754

Family Eldercare, founded in 1982, works to provide resources and training to family members caring for seniors and people with disabilities in Central Texas. The organization offers support through financial education, housing resources, and wellness and social programs.

Grace Campus

1301 Avenue A, Lubbock, TX

Based in Lubbock, Grace Campus is a six-month transitional homeless shelter that partners with community organizations to provide resources to individuals on campus. The organization works to help each person on their path to independent living and offers emergency temporary shelter during inclement weather.

Hope House

1705 County Road 285, Liberty Hill, TX 78642

For 55 years, Hope House has provided long-term housing and 24-hour living assistance for children and adults with disabilities. The Liberty Hill-based organization also presents community engagement programs and works with schools to help students learn about disabilities and the importance of giving back to the community.

Housing Forward

3000 Pegasus Park Drive, Suite 1020, Dallas, TX 7524

Founded in 2002, Housing Forward is committed to ending homelessness with a data-driven strategy. Housing Forward collaborates with The All Neighbors Coalition, a group of 140 organizations across Dallas and Collin Counties, that provide critical resources to individuals, families, and veterans in need.

Noah’s House

176 Fellows Road, Houston, TX 77047

Noah's House, founded in 1998, offers adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities affordable housing and a supportive community to promote independent living. In addition to long-term housing, Noah's House offers weekend visits and community programming for adults with I/DD.

North Texas Housing Center

2626 Cole Avenue, Suite 300, Dallas, TX 75204

North Texas Fair Housing Center offers residents in 12 counties with education, resources, and support to ensure community members can access affordable housing. The Dallas organization hosts webinars on tenants' rights, leases, and housing discrimination against people with disabilities.

Operation Finally Home

1659 State Highway 46 W., Suite 115-606, New Braunfels, TX 78132

Operation Finally Home, founded by a custom home builder, works to provide disabled veterans and first responders with custom-built, mortgage-free homes. With the help of corporate sponsors, rebuilders, developers, and volunteers, Operation Finally Home has built more than 300 homes for veterans and their families.

Texas Homeless Network

3000 S IH-35, Suite 100, Austin, TX 78704

Texas Homeless Network trains advocates statewide to make homelessness rare and non-recurring. Texas Homeless Network helps connect those in need with free and low-cost resources, like housing, food, and medical care throughout the state.


Legal Services

Austin Bar Association

712 W. 16th Street, Austin, TX 78701

Volunteer members of the Austin Bar Association provide free legal advice to veterans at monthly clinics as part of the Austin Bar Association's Veterans' Legal Assistance Program. Attending veterans may qualify for further legal assistance. With funding from the Texas Access to Justice Foundation and the Austin Bar Foundation, the program has assisted more than 2,000 veterans.

Disability Rights Texas

2222 West Braker Lane, Austin, TX 78758

Disability Rights Texas, established in 1975, is an advocacy organization working to advocate for and protect Texans with disabilities. The organization educates people with disabilities about their rights and provides legal services relating to disability resources and discrimination.

Houston Volunteer Lawyers

1111 Bagby Street, Houston, TX 77002

Founded in 1981, Houston Volunteer Lawyers comprises thousands of private attorneys who provide free legal assistance to low-income residents of Harris County. Houston Volunteer Lawyers, a service of the Houston Bar Association, helps with civil matters including disability compensation, housing, family law, and more.

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas

600 East Weatherford Street, Fort Worth, TX 76102

Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas serves millions of low-income residents in 114 counties in North and West Texas. The organization advocates, educates, and offers legal representation for cases involving public benefits, housing, employment, and more. In addition, Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas provides resources and disaster assistance.

Living Legacy Center

12527 Cypress North Houston Road, Cypress, TX 77429

The Living Legacy Center connects veterans and people with disabilities to social services, including legal support. Its practice areas include special needs planning, veterans' disability claims, and Medicaid planning, among others. Additionally, Living Legacy Center provides resources for education, housing, and job placement.

Lone Star Legal Aid

110 North College, Suite 302, Tyler, TX 75702

Lone Star Legal Aid offers free education, advice, and legal services to underserved Texans in 72 counties. The nonprofit law firm covers several practice areas of law, including disability rights, disability benefits, veterans’ benefits, fair housing, and more.

Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans

Texas Lawyers for Texas Veterans is a collaboration of volunteer attorneys, paralegals, and law students. Each month, TLTV provides free legal advice to veterans and spouses of deceased veterans in Tarrant County. The organization's work is a continuation of the Houston Bar Association, which hosts weekly legal clinics for veterans.

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid

301 South Texas Avenue, Mercedes, TX 78570

Texas RioGrande Legal Aid was founded in 1970 to represent Texas farmworkers. Today, it's the state's largest provider of legal services — and the second largest in the nation. Practice areas of TRLA attorneys include health, public benefits, civil rights for veterans, and more. TRLA provides legal services to 68 counties.

Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas

8001 Centre Park Drive, Suite 120, Austin, TX 78754

Volunteer Legal Services of Central Texas offers legal advice and representation to Central Texans with the support of volunteer licensed attorneys. In 2022, VLS helped more than 3,500 community members with civil legal matters, including housing, employment, and family law. VLS offers its services in person and over the phone.


Medical Care

AGE of Central Texas

3710 Cedar Street, Austin, TX 78705

AGE of Central Texas (Austin Groups for the Elderly) provides education, resources, and services to the elderly and their caregivers. AGE offers adult day care with activities, social programs, and medication management at its facilities in Austin and Round Rock.

Bienvivir Senior Health Services

2300 McKinley Avenue, El Paso, Texas 79930

Established in 1987, Bienvivir Senior Health Services provides medical care to seniors in El Paso with its three locations. The organization is one of a few standalone healthcare facilities following the Program of All-Inclusive Care for the Elderly (PACE). Part of its amenities and services is an in-house dementia care unit.

CarePartners

3838 Aberdeen Way, Houston, TX 77025

CarePartners provides education and resources for family caregivers, older adults, and those living with memory loss. CarePartners programming includes caregiver consultation, caregiver support groups, half-day activity programs, and a dementia day center.

Friends for Life

5000 Lakewood Drive, Waco, TX 76710

Established in 1989 in Waco, Texas, Friends for Life is a nonprofit with a mission to improve the quality of life for seniors and individuals with disabilities, particularly those lacking familial support. Its programming includes adult daycare, financial education, guardianship, and transportation to and from medical appointments.

Lone Star Circle of Care

LSCC Administration 205 East University Avenue, Suite 200, Georgetown, Texas 78626

Lone Star Circle of Care, founded in 2001, provides accessible, patient-centered care with healthcare clinics in 14 Texas counties. Its senior healthcare facilities offer chronic disease management, in-house lab testing, on-site pharmacies, and more.

North Texas Area Health Clinics

2332 Beverly Hills Drive, Fort Worth, TX 76114

North Texas Area Community Health Centers, Inc. is a community family medical practice serving patients in the Fort Worth area. NTACHC offers preventative and primary healthcare services on a sliding scale to reduce costs for care, tests, and prescriptions.

People’s Community Clinic

1101 Camino La Costa, Austin, TX 78752

People's Community Clinic, founded in 1970 by volunteer medical professionals, provides services and care to uninsured and medically underserved people in Central Texas. The clinic was recognized as a Healthcare Equality Leader in the Human Rights Campaign Foundation's 2022-24 Healthcare Equality Index for service to the LGBTQ+ community.

Prism Health North Texas

219 Sunset Ave, #116-A, Dallas, TX 75208

Prism Health North Texas began as the AIDS Arms Network in 1986 during the HIV/AIDs crisis. Today, Prism Health North Texas offers high-quality HIV and sexual health services at its four health centers. The organization's services include full-spectrum and preventative care, and eligibility specialists on staff help low-income and uninsured patients access care.

Special Health Resources

2020 Bill Owens Parkway, Longview, TX 75604

Special Health Resources is a comprehensive healthcare system providing services to individuals and families in all 14 counties of East Texas. This federally qualified health clinic offers services including pain management, chronic treatment, immunizations and vaccinations, and more.

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Jackie Jakab, Disability Attorney

Jackie Jakab

Lead Attorney

Jackie Jakab is Atticus’s Legal Director. She’s a licensed attorney, a graduate of the University of Chicago Law School, and has counseled thousands of people seeking disability benefits.
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