Type of Intervention: Financial and Economic
Sectors Involved: Social Services
Intervention Categories: Finance policy and financial aid; Aid distributed to community groups
Level of Jurisdiction: Texas
Lead People/Agency: Governor Greg Abbott
Overview: Governor Greg Abbott today announced that Texas has received a $16.2 million grant from the Department of Health and Human Services’ (HHS) Administration for Community Living (ACL) to help communities provide meals for older adults. The grant was part of a $250 million dollar outlay authorized by the Families First Coronavirus Response Act, signed into law by President Trump on March 18, 2020.
Full details here: https://gov.texas.gov/news/post/governor-abbott-announces-federal-grant-for-senior-citizen-meals
Type of Justification: Advice of INTERNAL government advisory committee or group
Evidence/Justification: Originally created by the Older Americans Act (OAA) of 1965, these programs provide meals to more than 2.4 million older adults nationwide each year, both through home delivery and in places like community centers. “This grant is especially timely given the disproportionately high toll that COVID-19 has been taking on seniors around the world,” said Governor Abbott. “As social distancing measures increasingly and appropriately limit people’s social mobility, it is imperative that alternate means for feeding our state’s elderly like Meals on Wheels receive additional resources to handle the growing need.” This follows advice from the CDC advises that people over 65 years old are at higher risk for severe illness from COVID.