DENISON, Texas. Texoma Vet Fest was held in Denison on Saturday, Aug. 29, putting VA benefits information, housing resources and transportation help in front of service members, veterans and their families, according to a Texas Veterans Commission event notice and a Grayson County Sheriff's Office post from that day. For Cooke County readers, the event was regional, not distant: Census Bureau estimates list roughly 2,400 veterans in Cooke County, including about 900 in Gainesville, while Grayson County has about 9,200 veterans, including nearly 1,800 in Denison.
The Texas Veterans Commission advertised Texoma Vet Fest for 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at 4616 N. US Hwy 75. Its notice described the gathering as a place to learn about VA resources and other support services. Listed help included claims assistance, PACT Act information, workshops, housing resources and transportation resources. The Grayson County Sheriff's Office said it had a representative on site Saturday.
Texoma Vet Fest also has recent local precedent. Texoma Community Center posted that a 2024 Texoma VetFest was scheduled for Oct. 26, 2024, in Denison. For that event, the center said veteran-serving nonprofits and government agencies could reserve tables at no charge, and proceeds were marked for Soldier's Village, which the center described as a transitional home for veterans in Bonham.
For Cooke County families, the closest county veterans office listed in the verified records is in Gainesville. Cooke County lists its Veteran Services Officer at 301 South Chestnut Street, with weekday hours of 8 a.m. to noon and 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Grayson County lists its Veteran's Affairs Office at the Grayson County Courthouse in Sherman and gives 903-813-4254 as the office phone number.
Nearby federal VA services listed in official records include the Sherman VA Clinic and the Sam Rayburn Memorial Veterans Center in Bonham. The Sherman clinic provides primary care on weekdays, lists visitor cost information as free and links to veterans transportation services. In Bonham, the Sam Rayburn center says its homeless veteran care program can help veterans who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, including through free health care and community-resource connections.
The housing issue is part of the local record. Census QuickFacts lists Denison's median gross rent for 2020-2024 at $1,309, compared with $1,038 in Gainesville, a gap of roughly $270 a month. The same Census page lists Denison's July 1, 2025, population estimate at 26,822, up 9.6% from its April 1, 2020 estimates base.
State and federal records show the same service categories at a wider scale. The Governor's Office said in June 2026 that Texas Fund for Veterans' Assistance grants were expected to serve more than 125,000 veterans and family members statewide, with funded categories including homeless services, home repair, financial assistance, transportation services, legal services and veteran treatment courts. State releases issued in August 2026 announced regional FVA grants for Central Texas and for San Antonio and South-Central Texas, with the San Antonio-area list including homeless veteran support.
VA records point to heavy demand for the paperwork help advertised in Denison. The department said it processed more than 3 million claims in fiscal 2025 and more than 1.5 million by the midpoint of fiscal 2026. VA Digital reported that, as of Jan. 11, 2025, more than 1.4 million PACT Act claims had been approved, with billions in backdated benefits awarded since the law was signed.
The VA's national homelessness figures do not state conditions in Denison, Gainesville or Cooke County. They are relevant here because housing resources were among the items advertised for Texoma Vet Fest. VA's January 2025 Point-in-Time Count page said 32,495 veterans experienced homelessness, down from 2024 and more than half below the 2010 level; VA also announced it permanently housed 51,936 homeless veterans in fiscal 2025.
_Editor's note: Everyone charged with a crime is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty in a court of law._
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