Area Agency on Aging Emergency Response Services

The Houston-Galveston Area Council (H-GAC) is the region-wide voluntary association of 133 local governments and local elected officials in the 13-county Gulf Coast Planning region of Texas. Local elected officials organized H-GAC in 1966 after authorization by State enabling legislation. Its service area is 12,500 square miles and includes more than 7-million residents. H-GAC is governed by a 36-member Board of Directors composed of local elected officials, who serve on the governing bodies of member local governments. All H-GAC programs are carried out under the policy direction of its Board of Directors. H-GAC's mission is to serve as the instrument of local government cooperation, promoting the region's orderly development and the safety and welfare of its residents. H-GAC is the regional organization through which local governments consider issues and cooperate in solving area-wide problems. Agency programs emphasize local government concerns, such as transportation, air and water quality, criminal justice, demographic analysis, mapping programs, and intergovernmental purchasing. H-GAC also serves its citizens through workforce development programs, services to the aging and elderly, and small business finance programs. The aims of the Older Americans Act (OAA) Title III program are to secure and maintain maximum independence and dignity in a home environment for older individuals capable of self-care with appropriate supportive service; remove individual and social barriers to economic and personal independence for older individuals; provide a continuum of care for vulnerable older individuals; and secure the opportunity for older individuals to receive managed in-home and community-based long-term care services. The Area Agency on Aging (AAA) is responsible for managing the Older Americans Act (OAA) and other state funded programs to provide service that helps older individuals live full, healthy, and productive lives. The target population are those individuals 60 years of age and older (with special emphasis on those living in rural areas) with greatest social and economic need, including minorities, persons with severe disabilities, limited English speaking ability, and with Alzheimer's disease or related disorders. (See 42 U.S. Code (USC) Section 3026, and Older Americans Act of 1965, as amended). Contractors will furnish services for all older persons; however, Contractors will target services to eligible persons in greatest need. Targeting services: (1) ensures those in most need receive services, (2) reduces social and economic barriers, and (3) promotes personal independence for older persons. Service contractors will comply with the provisions on targeting contained in the Older Americans Act (OAA), as amended.