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| Poverty Awareness Month | |
 January is Poverty in America Awareness Month. The Catholic Campaign for Human Development has an on-line "poverty quiz" where you can test your knowledge of the extent of poverty in our nation.
Tomorrow night's CAN Community Council meeting will feature an overview of the latest poverty and low-income statistics in Austin and Travis County. Tune in to Cable Channel 6 or watch the meeting live from your computer from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. |
| Mapping Hunger and Poverty in Central Texas | |
 Capital Area Food Bank has developed a map that charts food insecurity, poverty and other data for each of the 21 counties in its service area. Click on a county to find out information such as poverty rates and the number of people receiving public benefits.
The CAFB has also launched a new Hunger Relief Map that overlays poverty data on a Google map with points of access to hunger relief services. You can zoom in to the neighborhood level to find food banks, community gardens, WIC clinics and other services. |
| Map of Food Deserts in America |  A 2009 study by the Department of Agriculture found that 2.3 million households do not have access to a car and live more than a mile from a supermarket. Slate.com has created a county-by-county map of "food deserts" in America. The map colors each county in America by the percentage of households in food deserts, according to the USDA's definition.
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| Community Resources 101 | |
 2-1-1 Central Texas and United Way Capital Area are offering monthly sessions to train front-line staff and volunteers on how to connect people to a range of community resources. Community Resources 101 is a free training that will teach participants about when to use 2-1-1 and how to use the 2-1-1 Texas Database to find social service and community resources. Click here to learn more about 2-1-1. Click here to register for a training.
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| Imagine Austin - Mapping Future Growth |  During 2011 the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Planning process will shift from a broad visioning of Austin's future to the specifics of determining how and where future growth will occur. This Thursday, January 6th, the City will share a growth scenario that combines neighborhood plans with the growth scenario that was favored by people who shared input in the planning process last year. Click on the map at left to see the full map and attend tomorrow night's meeting from 6:30 - 8 p.m. at One Texas Center, Room 325 to find out how this map was developed. You can learn more and share comments about the plan at the Imagine Austin website. |
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| Travis County Legislative Delegation & CAN Partners Share Priorities | Members of the Travis County Legislative delegation and CAN Partners will discuss goals and priorities for the coming legislative session at the upcoming CAN Board of Directors meetings to be held Friday, January 14th. The meeting begins at 1:30 p.m. at the City Hall Boards and Commissions Room and will also be televised and web-streamed live on Cable Channel 6.
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| Community Council Welcomes New Members | | The Community Council will welcome 8 new members at its meeting this Thursday, January 6th. In addition to the new members, 3 current members have been reelected to new 2-year terms. The Community Council is a self-appointed board that serves as a link between the community and the policy makers on CAN's Board of Directors. The Community Council has an open application and election process each year. Learn more. |
Community Calendar
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Visit the CAN Events Calendar to keep up to date with community events and to post your events.
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| No More Free Rides for Elderly and Disabled | |
 Effective January 16, the Disability Fare Card will become the Reduced Fare ID Card. People who currently ride for free with the Disability Fare Card, or with the Capital Metro-issued ID cards for Seniors 65 and older and those with Medicare Cards will be required to pay a reduced fare equal to half the price of a regular-priced fare. View the new fare schedule.
Riders with a valid Disability Fare Card that expires after January 16, may use their card as a Reduced Fare Card until it expires. Reduced Fare ID cards may be purchased at the Capital Metro Transit Store for $3.
Other changes include expanded tobacco-free policies. Beginning January 16th, tobacco use will be prohibited near bus-boarding areas of all Capital Metro-owned transit centers and park & rides. Capital Metro is working with the City of Austin to develop a long range plan to prohibit tobacco use at all of its 3,000 bus stops. |
| Block by Block Map of America | | Find out the racial make-up of your census block, or any block in the United States. The New York Times has created a map of America that records the latest data from the Census Bureau's American Community Survey, based on samples from 2005 to 2009. Visit Mapping America: Every City, Every Block. |
| Volunteer for Annual Homeless Count |
Hundreds of volunteers are needed to conduct an annual count of people who are homeless in our community. ECHO, the Ending Community Homelessness Coalition, will train teams of volunteers to canvass parks, campsites and other public spaces to count the number of people living unsheltered in Travis County. More than 300 volunteers are needed to conduct the count and to conduct a brief survey of people who are homeless. The count is scheduled for Sunday, January 23rd. Visit www.traviscountyhomelesscount.org for a training video and more information. |
| Foundation Communities Kicks Off 2011 Tax Season |
 Foundation Communities offers free tax assistance to low- to moderate-income people. Hundreds of volunteers and staff are prepared to help file 18,000 tax returns this year. Community Tax Centers will be open at eleven locations throughout Austin. Call 2-1-1 or visit Foundation Communities website for times and locations. Last year, the Community Tax Centers filed over 17,000 tax returns bringing more than $29 million in tax refunds for working families in our community. |
| Forum on Addressing Barriers to Sustained Addiction Recovery |
Faces & Voices of Recovery is conducting a Statewide Community Forum in Austin on Wednesday, January 19th to address discrimination against people seeking long-term recovery from addiction. The forum will be conducted in an open dialogue/town hall meeting format. Participants will be invited to share obstacles and barriers that they, their family members or clients, have faced in achieving long-term recovery from addiction. Topics will include housing, homelessness, employment, criminal justice issues, education, family reunification and public understanding of recovery. The forum is co-sponsored by the Association of Persons Affected by Addiction (Dallas); Association of Substance Abuse Programs; Communities for Recovery (Austin); the El Paso Alliance (El Paso); Homeward Bound (Dallas); Recovery Law Institute (Austin); Recovery Today; Texas Recovers; and the Winner's Circle (Houston). Learn more and register on-line.
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 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 as a convener, connector and informer helps our community: - 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 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, Interfaith Action Central Texas (iACT), 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, 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. |
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