Need help finding housing and transportation for my disabled sister and her family

July 2, 2008 10:14 AM

How can I help my sister find housing and transportation in a new town in Texas? My sister and her husband (who both have disabilities) and their small children are considering moving to a town population over 100,000. Which is a big change from the town the were living in (population about 500.) Who can I call to find resources for them?

My sister does have contact with Texas commission for the Blind. Her main concern is finding an apartment, transportation for her and the kids, and possibly finding help to pay for the rent. She is unable to work and her husband is able to work maybe part time. I'm not sure where to start to help her find these things. How do I find out about transportation, and what kind of questions should we ask? Finding housing? I feel like there is probably alot of things out there to help her, I just don't know where to start looking.

posted by Snoogylips to human relations (7 comments total)

What is the town?
posted by moosedogtoo at 10:48 AM on July 2

Knowing what town would be immensely helpful to direct you somewhere other than Texas Commission for the Blind.
posted by fiercecupcake at 10:49 AM on July 2

You do realize that Texas is freaking huge and that the town could be any one of a couple hundred, and the resources that will be available will vary largely dependent on what county they'll be in? Texas doesn't have much in the way of statewide centralized infrastructure and resources for the disabled like some other states do because it's simply too big of a job... that kind of task is left up to the counties to do with state-provided funding because some of the counties are the size of states.
posted by SpecialK at 10:59 AM on July 2

The first thing is to find out if there is a local supportive group for the blind. There are a number of places you can try, so you can find out if there is one. If the Texas Commission for the Blind isn't helpful, you could try the local Chamber of Commerce, the local Health Dept, a local Social Work dept such as DFACS (Dept of Family and Children Services).

The Social Work services are usually very good about assisting in this area.
posted by magnoliasouth at 11:01 AM on July 2

Tom Green County
posted by Snoogylips at 12:17 PM on July 2

West Texas Lighthouse for the Blind, Inc.
2001 Austin Street, San Angelo, TX 76903
Telephone: [phone] Fax: [phone]

"The Lighthouse exists to serve people who are blind or visually impaired with job training and competitive employment. We teach them skills which they can use here or elsewhere to support themselves and their families. We encourage them to accept personal responsibility for their economic well being and social development. This promotes individual independence and self-reliance."

Is this what you're looking for?
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 12:30 PM on July 2

Bus schedules for San Angelo and the Concho Valley (PDF)

Housing and social services for San Angelo and surrounding area
posted by Unicorn on the cob at 12:38 PM on July 2 [1 favorite]