“At Panhandle Community Services (PCS), our mission is to work as community leaders in the Texas Panhandle to change the lives of low-income people by bridging the gap from poverty to self-sufficiency. We want to provide information to the community about our programs. As healthcare navigators, we provide guidance and free applications for Health Insurance through the federally funded Marketplace and assist with Medicaid and CHIP applications. Sometimes families do not have access to health insurance because their employer does not provide this benefit or it is too expensive for all family members to be covered. Many consumers pay $10 or less per month by using their free premium tax credits to pay for the monthly premium.  So, we can help families have access to health insurance and educate them and your staff about the tax credit available. “

The attachments are about the Community Partner Program, continuous Medicaid coverage, and the special enrollment period. PCS’s other programs include Panhandle Transit, which provides bus service in rural counties outside of Amarillo, covering all top 26 counties of the Panhandle; a Family Development program which uses a whole family approach to help families identify barriers to self-sufficiency and create an individual plan of action; utility assistance through CEAP (Community Energy Assistance Program) helps keep families safe and healthy with assistance for energy costs;

A Housing Choice Voucher Program which subsidizes housing costs, and allows low-income people to select and live in quality housing; a Weatherization Assistance Program helps eligible families reduce energy consumption and heating and cooling costs; career coaching to help in preparing and equipping those looking for employment; education and outreach support in applying for the Earned Income Tax Credit and training for understanding and overcoming Adverse Childhood Experiences; a Low-Income Home Water Assistance Program grant to help pay water bills in select counties;

The Retired and Senior Volunteer Program which enrolls and provides support for volunteers age 55+ with area non-profits; the Restoring America’s Heroes, a project that helps make critical home repairs for veterans or their surviving spouses; emergency assistance specific to veterans; and hygiene closets, made available in partnership with Superior HealthPlan, that provide basic hygiene items like soap, shampoo, cleaning products and more.

PCS has offices in Amarillo, Borger, Childress, Dalhart, Dimmit, Dumas, Friona, Hereford, Memphis, Pampa, Perryton, and Tulia.

For more information log on to www.panhandlehelp.org; call 806.372.2531; 1309 SW 8th Ave., Amarillo, TX 79101; email info@pcsvcs.org.