Wednesday, November 5, 2003
AUSTIN - 23 groups statewide receive funds to help parents who live apart from their children

Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott today announced 23 organizations across Texas will receive federal "Access and Visitation" funding to help parents without custody stay involved in their children's lives.

"Having moms and dads involved in their children's lives is critically important to their future," Attorney General Abbott said. "We must help parents who want to do the right thing for their children. These grants assist them to provide the emotional and financial support that children need to succeed in life."

Access and Visitation grants are administered by the Attorney General's Child Support Division. The grants were awarded to private nonprofit organizations, courts, and local governments across Texas.

"Disputes about access and visitation sometimes create disharmony between the parents, to the detriment of their children," Attorney General Abbott added. "These grants help the parent without custody, usually the father, to stay engaged in his child's life."

The awards, totaling nearly $500,000 statewide, will fund services that help noncustodial parents maintain meaningful contact with their children. Approved services include mediation, visitation enforcement, supervised visitation, counseling, and parenting education. Providing funding to local organizations is a way the Attorney General's office can help children whose parents are engaged in custody or visitation disputes, since federal regulations prohibit state child support programs from handling these matters directly.

Access and Visitation funding is authorized by the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act of 1996 (the Welfare Reform Act). In accordance with the Act, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services distributes $10 million each year to states based on the number of children in the state who do not live with both parents. Texas grantees were selected following a formal application and review process, which included an independent panel of professionals with expertise in child and family issues.

Access and Visitation grant recipients are:

Family Support Services, Inc. — Amarillo
Women's Center of Brazoria County — Angleton
Henderson County HELP Center — Athens
Travis County Juvenile Probation — Austin
Family Support Center, Inc. — Brownwood
Young Women's Shelter of South Texas — Corpus Christi
Legal Aid of NorthWest Texas — Dallas
Child Crisis Center of El Paso — El Paso
NewDay Services — Fort Worth
Tarrant County Government — Fort Worth
The Children's Center — Galveston
Harris County Domestic Relations Office — Houston
Webb County Government — Laredo
East Texas Child Advocates, Inc. — Longview
Court Ordered Visitation Exchange Service — Lubbock
Centers for Children and Families — Midland
318th Judicial District — Midland
Panhandle Crisis Center, Inc. — Perryton
Center for Family Relations, Inc. — San Antonio
Family Services Association, Inc. — San Antonio
Young Women's Association of Texarkana — Texarkana
Campfire USA Tejas Council, Inc. — Waco
The Place, Inc. — Wichita Falls