Jacksonville Local Guide
Community Resources & Assistance
Find credible starting points for food, basic needs, household assistance, benefits, housing, employment, mental-health and peer support, transportation, seasonal assistance, legal help, and family-support services.
Start with the type of help you need, then use the official organization or service finder for current eligibility, hours, availability, and application information.
Start Here
Not sure which organization you need?
These broad service finders are good starting points when you need help but do not know which local, regional, or state program handles your situation.
2-1-1 Texas
Call 2-1-1 or 877-541-7905, or search by ZIP code and the type of help you need for food, housing, utilities, transportation and other assistance.
Search 2-1-1 Texas →903Helps
Choose Cherokee County, then search by type of assistance. Check current receiving requirements directly with the organization.
Search Cherokee County assistance →Texas HHS Find Services
Find aging, disability, caregiver and behavioral-health service offices by location and type of need. For navigation help call 855-937-2372.
Find HHS services →Food & Essentials
Food, clothing, and everyday necessities
Jacksonville has local organizations that help with food, clothing, school necessities, household items, and other basic needs when resources are available.
H.O.P.E. Inc.
595 S. Ragsdale St.
Jacksonville, TX 75766
Call about Manna Pantry food assistance (including the case-manager interview), senior food boxes and prescription-assistance appointments. For student weekend food packs, ask a Jacksonville ISD campus counselor or teacher about assessment and current availability.
HOPE’s Sylvia McCarroll Foundation also describes assistance with children’s medical or medication costs; ask about eligibility and referrals. Its kitchen offers meals Monday through Thursday; confirm exact serving times.
Review HOPE program information →East Texas Food Bank
Use the Food Bank’s live Find Food system to locate food pantries, produce distributions, feeding programs, and benefits-assistance resources throughout East Texas.
The Clothes Closet & More
314 S. Main St.
Jacksonville, TX 75766
Provides free clothing and other necessities when available, including school items, toiletries, bedding, personal items, small household goods, furniture, and disaster-loss assistance.
View current resource information →St. Matthew UMC Blessing Boxes
201 S. Bonner St.
Jacksonville, TX 75766
The church’s Blessing Boxes offer food, bottled water and books; personal-hygiene items have also been announced. Supplies depend on donations and current stock. Call to ask about current access.
St. Matthew UMC information →St. Stephens Society Food Pantry
First Methodist Church of Jacksonville lists food assistance on Thursdays, 9 a.m.–noon, except fifth Thursdays. Call to confirm eligibility, access and holiday changes.
Outreach and pantry information →More Than Enough Pantry & Clothes Closet
River of Life serves Cherokee County residents at 677 S. Dickinson Drive, Rusk. Thursday distribution is published, with an evening session on the third Thursday. Confirm current times and requirements.
Pantry and clothing support →Rusk Good Samaritan
At 190 W. 2nd St., Rusk, this program serves households in the Rusk ISD area. Its website lists first- and third-Wednesday food distributions beginning 8:30 a.m. Call before visiting.
Rusk Good Samaritan information →Wells Interfaith Pantry
The City of Wells identifies this pantry at 77 Homer Road N. along with produce distributions. Call about eligibility, dates and hours; holiday schedules can change.
Wells pantry information →Bullard Mission House
Food and clothing support serves a defined Bullard-area boundary, not all Cherokee County. Call to verify your household address and receiving rules before visiting 226 S. Phillips Street.
Check Bullard-area eligibility →American Red Cross Disaster Help
After a home fire or other qualifying disaster, households can contact the East Texas Red Cross about assessment-based emergency support. Assistance depends on circumstances.
Ask about disaster assistance →Utility & Household Assistance
Help with energy and household needs
Greater East Texas Community Action Program (GETCAP) serves Cherokee County with energy and weatherization assistance for eligible households. Use its current application instructions or call 800-621-5746 for intake routing.
GETCAP says processing can take 60–90 days. Assistance is not guaranteed, and a disconnection notice does not prioritize an application. Confirm the correct office before visiting.
Use current energy-assistance forms and appointment instructions; ask before visiting about office location or document submission.
State Benefits & Financial Support
Apply for or manage Texas benefits
Use official State of Texas systems for current applications, eligibility information, benefit management, and service-office routing.
Your Texas Benefits
The official Texas portal provides application and account management for programs including SNAP food benefits, TANF, Medicaid, WIC information, and other support services.
Benefit amounts and eligibility requirements are not listed here because they can change.
Open Your Texas Benefits →Texas HHS Find Services
Find state offices and service routes for aging, disability, behavioral-health services, intellectual and developmental disabilities, and other Texas HHS programs.
Find HHS services →Texas Lifeline
Texas Lifeline can reduce the cost of basic telephone service for eligible low-income Texas households. Participating providers may offer very low-cost or $0 monthly wireless service, depending on the provider, plan, eligibility, and current availability. Phone or device offers vary and are not guaranteed.
Call the Texas Lifeline administrator or check the Public Utility Commission of Texas for current eligibility, participating-provider information, and application details.
Texas Lifeline information →One-Time TANF for Relatives
Some relatives age 25+ caring for a TANF-certified child can qualify for a once-in-a-lifetime $1,000 payment. Relationship, income, resource and prior-payment rules apply. Texas HHS decides eligibility. Start with the TANF information page or Your Texas Benefits.
Review TANF relative-caregiver rules →Housing & Homelessness Support
Start with the type of housing help you need
Jacksonville residents can access local affordable-housing information and local homelessness or basic-needs support. Availability and program status should always be checked directly.
Employment, Training & Child Care
Support for getting to work and moving forward
Workforce Solutions East Texas serves Cherokee County with employment services, training programs, child-care assistance, and specialized employment support.
Workforce Solutions East Texas
Access job-search assistance, employment services, workforce training, WIOA programs, youth services, and other workforce resources serving Cherokee County.
Cherokee County workforce services →Child Care Assistance
A child-care assistance waitlist is in place. Review Workforce Solutions East Texas parent guidance for job-search and homelessness provisions and instructions for non-parent caregivers. An application does not guarantee immediate placement.
Eligibility and waitlist information →Vocational Rehabilitation
504 E. Pine St.
Jacksonville, TX 75766
Employment-focused support for people with disabilities, including vocational rehabilitation, training, adaptive support, and other employment-related services.
Vocational rehabilitation services →BCFS Mommy and Me
Cherokee County parents may seek case management, parenting education, baby essentials and transportation connections for medical or WIC appointments. Enrollment and items depend on program assessment.
Mommy and Me referral →BCFS Texas Home Visiting
Expecting parents and families with young children can request parenting support and referrals. Published eligibility covers up to age six or kindergarten entry, whichever comes first; confirm with BCFS.
Texas Home Visiting information →ACCESS Family and Youth Success
FAYS provides free family counseling, parenting support and referrals for eligible Cherokee County families with children or school-enrolled youth. Call about age requirements and appointments.
ACCESS FAYS information →Region 7 Head Start
Review Head Start participation and application steps, including Jacksonville programs. Eligibility paperwork and current placement requirements apply; enrollment is not guaranteed.
Head Start application instructions →Gabriel Project of East Texas
Offers confidential pregnancy support, maternity and baby clothing and community referrals, including Jacksonville. Call to confirm availability and your options.
Gabriel Project information →The Fostering Collective
Foster, adoptive and kinship households can ask about parent connections, appointments and available support supplies in East Texas, including a Cherokee County group.
Family Resource Center →Cherokee County Rainbow Room
Clothing, diapers, school items and other supplies may be provided to eligible families through DFPS caseworkers. Ask your CPS or Family Based Safety Services worker; this is not public walk-in distribution.
Rainbow Room program information →Mental Health & Peer Support
Local recovery support and additional service routes
Peer support can provide a community-based place to connect with people who understand recovery. For treatment, crisis care, or other mental-health services, use the broader state and regional service finders for current options.
Cherokee County Peer Support Group
410 Tilley St.
Jacksonville, TX 75766
Provides a safe and accepting place for adults pursuing recovery from mental-health challenges, with support for families. Texas Health and Human Services identifies the group as a consumer-operated service provider serving adults 18 and older.
Programs, activities, and hours can change. Call before visiting to confirm current information.
Peer Support Group on FacebookTexas HHS Find Services
Use the State of Texas service finder to locate current behavioral-health, disability, developmental-disability, aging, and other support services when you need more than local peer support.
For an immediate emergency or urgent safety concern, use emergency services rather than relying on this resource page.
Find Texas HHS ServicesACCESS Military Veteran Peer Network
Connect veterans, active-duty military members and families with peer support, resource navigation and housing or employment referrals. No particular funding or housing placement is guaranteed.
ACCESS Veteran ServicesTransportation & Daily Support
Getting where you need to go and finding ongoing support
Regional public-service organizations provide transportation and assistance-navigation services for Cherokee County residents.
GoBus
Request trips at least 24 hours ahead. Cherokee County routes, including Tuesday options, have service restrictions and depend on availability. Wheelchair-accessible vehicles are provided, and GoBus lists free rides for active military members and veterans. Confirm pickup, destination, return and documentation when booking.
Cherokee County GoBus BookingArea Agency on Aging of East Texas
Provides assistance and navigation for older adults, people with disabilities, and caregivers across East Texas.
Tri-County Meals on Wheels
Homebound Cherokee County residents may qualify for meals, generally for people 60+ who cannot prepare food. Some exceptions are individually assessed; confirm route and capacity.
Meals on Wheels InformationTexas Ramp Project
Qualifying Cherokee County residents with a mobility need and financial hardship can ask a professional or community organization to submit a ramp referral. Households cannot apply directly; installation may involve a wait.
Professional Referral InstructionsEast Texas Aging and Disability Resource Center
Find caregiver, disability, aging and accessible-housing options. Specialists guide referrals, while programs determine their own eligibility, costs and availability.
ADRC InformationMedicaid Transportation
Eligible Medicaid members should arrange travel to covered appointments through their health plan. Those without a health plan can request state Medical Transportation Program guidance. Confirm eligibility and book ahead.
Medicaid Transportation GuidanceSeasonal Assistance
Holiday help for local children and families
Some community programs operate only during certain times of the year. Check the organization’s current information for application periods, sponsorship opportunities, distribution details, and availability.
Children’s Christmas Tree
Jacksonville’s Children’s Christmas Tree helps provide Christmas for local children who otherwise may go without. The program connects community support and sponsors with children and families during the holiday season.
Application, sponsorship, and distribution details can change each year. Check the organization’s current Facebook page for the latest information.
Children’s Christmas Tree on Facebook →USPS Operation Santa 2026
Mail a stamped letter postmarked by December 5, 2026, to Santa, 123 Elf Road, North Pole, 88888. Include the writer’s full name and complete return address on both letter and envelope. Any age may write, with no writer account required. Mailing a letter does not guarantee adoption or gifts.
Official writing instructions →Civil Legal Help
Legal assistance for eligible residents
Lone Star Legal Aid provides civil legal-assistance routing for qualifying low-income Texans. Cherokee County is served through the organization’s Nacogdoches service area.
The Nacogdoches office serves Cherokee County. Call or use the office page’s Apply Online option for current application instructions and intake hours. Representation depends on eligibility and case acceptance.
Nacogdoches Legal IntakeFamily Safety & Victim Support
Specialized support for adults and children
The Crisis Center of Anderson & Cherokee Counties provides specialized services for people affected by family violence, sexual assault, and child victimization.
Use the organization’s official website for current contact, shelter, advocacy, children’s advocacy, and support-service information.
24-hour confidential hotline: 800-232-8519
Ask about domestic-violence and sexual-assault support, advocacy, safety planning and possible shelter options. Current space and availability must be confirmed with the Center.
Crisis Center SupportBefore You Go
Check current eligibility and availability
Assistance programs change. Funding, eligibility, schedules, locations, application requirements, transportation availability, and available services may be different from one program period to the next.
Use the official links on this page to confirm current details before visiting an office, applying for assistance, or making plans around a particular program.