The need for crisis assistance services is rising in The Woodlands area due to the recent oil and gas downturn and this spring’s historic floods. Barriers for aging residents already near or at the poverty level, such as lack of transportation and access to a reliable source for meals, are also contributing to the demand.

In Montgomery County, approximately 11 percent of residents are at or below the federal poverty level, which equates to an annual income of $24,250 for a household of four. However, poverty levels vary across different pockets of the county. In The Woodlands, approximately 5 percent of residents are at or below the federal poverty level, compared to 20 percent of nearby Conroe residents, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

“You don’t have to go far in any direction [in Montgomery County] and there can be a drastic change in income,” said Chad Patterson, executive director for the Crisis Assistance Center. “There really are those who have everything and those who don’t have much.” 

Because The Woodlands was developed through a federal Housing and Urban Development grant program, there are pockets of low-income housing in the community that may go unnoticed by many residents, said Missy Herndon, Interfaith of The Woodlands president and CEO.

“It’s an interesting dynamic in The Woodlands because it’s considered such an affluent community, but there’s a lot [of needs] behind the trees and the beautiful manicured areas,” she said. “There are hardworking people who work all day that can’t make ends meet, and the services we provide allow them to stay in their homes and make that burden easier.”

Downturn, flood effects

Patterson said the Crisis Assistance Center, which targets Montgomery County residents, serves two different sets of clients: the working poor and the chronic poor.

“[The chronic poor] are some families who for generations have been dependent on assistance,” he said. “Some people judge [them] as being lazy or taking advantage of the system, but I would say the [reality] is more that people are really struggling. That’s why we focus on raising job capabilities.”

In addition to the chronically poor clients, Patterson said the Crisis Assistance Center saw a boost in calls for service this year due to unplanned events like this spring’s historic floods. A majority of the clients the organization serves—about 8,000 individuals countywide annually—do not have room for margin in their lives, he said.

“Any time there’s a hiccup like the floods, it affects people who were already struggling,” Patterson said. “It deepened their hole—crisis doesn’t discriminate.”

Between January and August, Interfaith of The Woodlands, a social service organization geared toward helping people in need, received more than 17,200 service contacts. The organization typically receives 20,000 per calendar year; the spike can be attributed to the floods and the oil and gas downturn, Herndon said.

“We were seeing roughly 200 more people per month in those first three months [of this year], and then when we hit April and May—those numbers skyrocketed,” she said.

Ashleigh McHenry, Montgomery County Food Bank spokesperson, said the food bank tends to serve elderly residents in areas of affluence like The Woodlands and in communities surrounding Lake Conroe, as well as residents who have lost high-paying jobs because of the downturn in the energy sector.

“Poverty and food insecurity don’t always go hand in hand,” McHenry said. “With the economic downturn that we have seen, we are seeing a lot more people who have lost their six-figure jobs come in that don’t have anywhere else to turn.”

Herndon said Interfaith of The Woodlands is able to serve the community because of the giving spirit of residents over the years.

“It’s because of the generous spirit of this community that allows us to do what we do,” she said. “It could be any one of us that could have an [unexpected] need.”

Barriers for seniors

Aside from those in a crisis, seniors are another large sector of the population in need of services. Two of the most pressing needs for seniors in The Woodlands area are access to transportation and a reliable source of nutrition.

“We are a rural county that’s turned urban, so to speak, so public transportation is behind,” said Allison Hulett, executive director for Meals on Wheels Montgomery County. “I do see an effort by the county and township to catch up, but you really need a vehicle in The Woodlands to get where you want to go.”

Senior citizens in The Woodlands make up approximately 16 percent of the 550 clients served by Meals on Wheels Montgomery County, which delivers meals to the disabled elderly. Eighty-four percent of The Woodlands’ clients are at or below 150 percent of the federal poverty level, and 50 residents are on the waitlist, Hulett said.

“Our clients are very low-income,” she said. “They’re living off Social Security, and most of them do struggle to get through the month. Most of them are at poverty level, inherently because they are elderly and not working.”

In Montgomery County, 75,000 residents, or about 15.2 percent, are considered food insecure, McHenry said. Because of the large pockets of affluence in the county, McHenry said some residents tend to think food insecurity is not a prevalent issue. Hulett agreed and said the notion that no residents in The Woodlands area need assistance is a misinformed one.

“There is a couple on service in Oak Ridge North—he is legally blind and she broke a hip so she’s wheelchair-bound,” Hulett said. “They cannot shop, cook, or feed themselves on their own so they receive Meals on Wheels service. Their daughter has told us that as far as poverty goes, at the end of the month, it’s medicine or meals.”

Interfaith of The Woodlands also helps 175 seniors per month with a grocery delivery service. The program provides them with nonperishable items to last through the month, Programs and Services Director Lucy Gomez said.

“For seniors, transportation is huge,” she said. “If they don’t have transportation, getting groceries is tough.”

The organization also partners with The Woodlands Township to offer a transportation service for seniors; 75 percent of such ride requests are to medical appointments, Gomez said.

“All of our senior programs are around wellness or care,” she said. “We have five days of activities at the community center in partnership with the county and Meals on Wheels. It’s about an overall perspective of caring for seniors and those who care for them.”

Additional reporting by Jesse Mendoza