CAN 2010 masthead


October 20, 2010
Austin Area Receives $3.7 Million Sustainable Communities Grant
The Austin region will receive a $3.7 million Sustainable Communities grant from the U.D. Department of Housing and Urban Development.  The grant to the Capital Area Council of Governments will be used to implement CAPCOG's 2035 Long-Range Transportation Plan that visualizes regional growth through a network of 37 mixed-use, mixed-income, walkable, connected and transit-supportive centers.
 
"We are excited to see Central Texas receive the Sustainable Communities Grant," said Mayor Lee Leffingwell. "As our area continues to change we must plan better transportation systems, economic development and preserve our quality of life. This grant will move us closer to the goal line of long-range regional planning and cooperation."
United Way Accepting Grant Proposals
United_WayThe United Way Capital Area is now accepting applications for Community Investment Grants to help meet community goals in three focus areas:  education, income and health.  Organizations must submit an "Intent to Apply" by noon on Friday, October 29th.  For more information, visit the United Way Capital Area website.
City of Austin Launches New Process for Social Service Contracts
After more than a decade of status quo funding for social service contracts, the City of Austin has opened a new process for awarding social service contracts. A Request for Proposals (RFP) has been released for services that address five key self-sufficiency goals:  safety net/infrastructure services, transition out of poverty, problem prevention, universal support services, and enrichment.  City Council Member Randi Shade shared a presentation about the new process at this month's CAN Board meeting.
 
A pre-proposal conference will be held next Wednesday, October 21st at 9 a.m. at City Council Chambers, 301 W. 2nd Street.  The conference may also be viewed on-line on Cable Channel 6. Proposals are due by 1 p.m. on January 1, 2011.  For more information, visit the City of Austin website.
Interactive Map of Poverty by Congressional District
half in tenThe Half in Ten campaign, a joint partnership of the Center for American Progress Action Fund, The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, and the Coalition on Human Needs that seeks to cut poverty in half in 10 years, has released a new interactive map that breaks down the 2009 poverty data by state and congressional district. The map shows both the poverty rate and number of people living in poverty for each state as well as each congressional district, breaking statistics down by race, gender, and age.
Driven Apart:  Impact of Sprawl on Mobility
A new report examines the impact of urban sprawl on commute times and promotes a new mobility measure of total hours of peak travel.  According to this measure, the Austin-Round Rock MSA has the 12th best peak period travel time of the 51 largest metro areas in the U.S. "Driven Apart: How Sprawl is Lengthening Our Commutes and Why Misleading Mobility Measures are Making Things Worse" was released by CEOs for Cities and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation. 
 
The report criticizes the Texas Transportation Institute's "Travel Time Index" as favoring highways and penalizing well-planned cities that allow for shorter commute times.  According to the report, this new measure could help promote better urban and transportation planning.  Quoting from the report, "If every one of the top 50 metro areas achieved the same level of peak hour travel distances as the best performing cities, their residents would drive about 40 billion fewer miles per year and use two billion fewer gallons of fuel, at a savings of $31 billion annually."
Smoking Costs Texas $20.4 Billion a Year
smokerAccording to the American Lung Association, smoking costs the Texas economy $20,405,647,922 a year in health costs, lost worker productivity and premature death.  The ALA notes that while the retail price of a pack of cigarettes in Texas is $5.52, the real price of those cigarettes to society and to the state's economy is $21 per pack. Investing in smoking cessation treatments could net $46.7 million in annual savings through reduced health care costs and increased worker productivity. Learn more about the study.
In This Issue
United Way Accepting Grant Proposals
City Launches New Social Service Contract Process
Map of Poverty by Congressional District
Impact of Sprawl on Transportation
Smoking Costs Texas $20 Billion
Stop Human Trafficking
Hispanic Futures Conference
Spellings to Attend Chamber Screening of Education Documentary
Public Engagement Conference
Liberation-Based Healing Conference
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
Austin Energy Reviews Programs for Low-Income Customers
CAN Events Calendar
Keep up with events in our community by checking out the CAN Events Calendar.
Presentations on Community Indicators
community dashboard logo 
Check out the presentations shared at CAN Community Council meetings this year.  Issue Area Groups and other stakeholders are helping us understand:
  1. where we stand on each indicator,
  2. who is working to move the indicator in the right direction, and
  3. what more needs to be done.
October 30th is Deadline for Butler Award Nominations
Do you know of a collaboration that has been effective at bringing people and groups together to address community needs?  Consider nominating the collaboration for the 2010 Spirit of Collaboration Butler Award.  The deadline for nominations is October 30th.
Link to the Latest Research
Community Action Network is constantly posting new research on social, health, educational and economic well-being on our website and on our CAN_Austin twitter page.  All new postings are featured on our website www.caction.org.  
Join our Mailing List!
Help Stop Human Trafficking in Austin
Human Trafficking is a form of modern-day slavery that primarily impacts women and children.  ALLIES, a community group that supports anti-trafficking efforts in Central Texas, is hosting a screening and panel discussion about of the film "Cargo:  Innocence Lost." The panel will include local experts from the Austin Police Department, Austin US Attorney's Office and the Central Texas Coalition Against Human Trafficking.  This event will take place on Friday, October 22nd from 6:30 - 9 p.m. at the Seton Administration Offices, 1345 Philomena Street.  Learn more
Hispanic Futures Conference
The Austin Independent School District and the City of Austin will sponsor the first in the series of Hispanic Futures Conferences for the 2010-2011 school year from 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday, October 23rd. The conference will be held at the LBJ High School campus, located at 7309 Lazy Creek Dr. 

Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. Students from all AISD schools, and their parents, are invited to attend the conference. The theme of the conference is "Preparing for Success in College, Career & Life." Students and parents will be able to attend sessions on college and university admission requirements, financial assistance for college, preparing for jobs of the future, and making the right choices to prepare for post secondary education.  
Spellings to Attend "Waiting for Superman" Screening
waiting for supermanFormer U.S. Education Secretary Margaret Spellings will moderate a panel discussion of education reform following the screening of the documentary "Waiting for Superman" on Monday, October 25th.
 The National Chamber Foundation, Austin Chamber of Commerce and Texas Association of Business are sponsoring this special screening of this documentary film by Davis Guggenheim about education reform. Registration begins at 3 p.m. with screening at 3:30 p.m. at the South Lamar Alamo Drafthouse Cinema. RSVP to Drew Scheberle, [email protected].
From Chaos to Collaboration: Raising the Bar in Public Engagement

The National Coalition for Dialogue and Deliberation is sponsoring a one-day workshop on Friday, November 5th that brings together community leaders, elected officials, students and others to consider how they can engage community members to work together on tough issues.  Presenters for the workshop include City Council Member Laura Morrison; Gary Chapman, the Director of the 21st Century Project at the University of Texas at Austin; and other local leaders.  The event will be held at St. Edward's University.  Learn more at http://ncdd.org/events/austin.php.

Liberation-Based Healing Conference
How are social activism, counseling and therapy connected in community work?  Local activists, community organizers, educators and members of faith communities are invited to participate in the 5th National Liberation-Based Healing Conference on November 5th and 6th.  This conference, hosted by the UT School of Social Work, will bring together practitioners and therapists, community activists and organizers, educators, and faith community leaders for dialogue and inquiry focused on a system of relational healing that embraces critical consciousness, empowerment, and accountability. Learn more at www.utexas.edu/ssw/ceu/lbh.
Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week
hunger and homelessness weekThe Ending Community Homelessness Coalition (ECHO) and the Basic Needs Coalition of Central Texas (BNC) are co-hosting Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week: Listen. Learn. Lend a Hand., a week of events designed to educate the Austin community on the root causes of hunger and homelessness in Central Texas.
 
This week of events will be kicked off on Saturday, November 13th with a Homeless Resource Fair that connects people who are homeless with medical services, referrals to social service agencies, benefits enrollment, legal assistance, food, haircuts, and much more.  Learn more about hunger and homelessness in Austin and the many events planned for Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week November 13th - 19th
Help Austin Energy Shape Programs for Low-Income Customers

Community-based organizations, churches, non-profits and others who serve low-income customers are invited to attend a day long Customer Assistance Program Summit on Wednesday, November 17th.  Participants will learn about Austin Energy's new rate affordability matrix and will provide input on how the new rate structures may impact people who are low income. Austin Energy will also seek feedback on current programming for low-income customers - how it is working and not working and how it can be improved.  For more information or to RSVP, contact Marcus de la Garza at [email protected].

CAN_logo_noback

Community Action Network (CAN) is a partnership of agencies and organizations in Austin and Travis County that provide resources to improve the health and well-being of people in our community.  CAN is a collaboration of organizations and individuals working together to build a community of equity and opportunity.

CAN's role in the community is to ...

  • enhance awareness of community issues;
  • strengthen partnerships and connect planning efforts;
  • support collaborative strategies that maximize community resources and impact; and
  • mobilize action by reporting on progress made to improve the community's well-being.

CAN Partners: Austin Area Interreligious Ministries, Austin Chamber of Commerce, Austin Community College, Austin Independent School District, Austin Travis County Integral Care, Capital Metro, Central Health, City of Austin, Community Justice Council, One Voice Central Texas, Seton Family of Hospitals, St. David's Foundation, St. Edward's University, Travis County, United Way Capital Area, University of Texas at Austin, and Workforce Solutions - Capital Area.

CAN Issue Area Groups:  Aging Services Council, Austin/Travis County Victim Services Task Force, Basic Needs Coalition, Behavioral Health Planning Partnership, Central Texas Afterschool
Network, Child & Youth Mental Health Planning Partnership, Ending Community Homelessness
Coalition, Early Care and Education, HousingWorks, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Coalition, Literacy Coalition of Central Texas, Ready by 21, Reentry Roundtable, and Regional Transit Coordination Committee.