Resource Mobilization

Mobilizing resources from around the community to provide direct support to APS clients

Health & Hope Award Program

Every December, just in time for the holidays, APS caseworkers submit requests on behalf of clients with needs or wishes that cannot be met through other available resources. These requests describe the client hardships, needs, and expressed wishes that fall outside the support clients would usually be able to receive through APS or the APS Board.

Items that have been purchased by the Board in past years include household appliances and furniture, clothing and personal items, identification documents, utility assistance, and other resources that help clients remain safe and stable in the community. Some particularly noteworthy items have included a typewriter, a Bible, and a property tax payment that prevented foreclosure on an APS client’s home. The Board tries to fulfill all identified wishes that are submitted by APS caseworkers, subject to available funds.

APS Silver Star Resource Rooms

The APS Silver Star Resource Room program is designed to have essential items always available to APS caseworkers, so that they can meet the immediate needs of the clients they are working with whenever those needs appear. The Board has created 7 resource rooms throughout the region; their locations are identified with stars on our Region 6 map (see the About Us page). There are 2 located in Harris County and 1 in Liberty, Montgomery, Galveston, Brazoria, and Fort Bend counties. The Board allocates roughly $4,000 each year to stock the rooms with needed items such as incontinence supplies, blankets, cleaning supplies, clothes, toiletries and other basic necessities and personal care items. Portable heaters and fans are also provided to support clients’ comfort during Texas’ periods of extreme heat and cold.

Emergency Funding Needs

Many clients who have experienced abuse, neglect, and exploitation need considerable resources and support before they can get past their negative experiences and resume a higher quality of life. Unfortunately, some of those needs go beyond what APS caseworkers are able to provide to their clients using State funds.

When an APS caseworker identifies a client need that cannot be met through available APS or community resources, the caseworker may ask the Board to help cover the cost. Past requests have included paying for a needed doctor’s visit, a State identification card that was necessary to apply for public assistance benefits, a birth certificate, and a deposit for utilities to avoid service interruption. The APS Board strives to fulfill all requests from APS caseworkers. We rely on donations from individuals, organizations, and corporations to help on this mission to provide for the financial needs of APS clients who are overcoming the impacts of abuse, neglect, and exploitation.