Goodwill Industries of East Texas (Tyler) and the East Texas Food Bank are joining forces to help East Texans. The East Texas Food Bank is expanding its Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through a strategic collaboration called GoodAssist.
The goal of the project is to provide a complete one-stop shop for low-income Goodwill clients, retail staff and the general public who are in need of benefit assistance. The shop will be in a prime location for reaching East Texans who may need some extra help for their families.
The Tyler Goodwill store will have three dedicated computer stations, where trained individuals will confidentially assist participants with applications for benefits from a variety of assistance programs, including SNAP, Medicaid, Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) and Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). These will be accessed through an online application process at www.yourtexasbenefits.com, and Spanish-speaking assistance will also be offered. In addition to providing application assistance, the Goodwill can also assess the training and employment needs of participants through an intake process.
The Goodwill hopes to expand GoodAssist to a second store this summer and then to a third store in the fall. After the initial pilot year, GoodAssist could be expanded further to other Goodwill stores across the region. Goodwill Industries of East Texas has 15 stores, providing plenty of opportunities for growth.
