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| Texas Budget Woes Among Worst in Nation |
 The worst recession since the 1930s has caused the steepest decline in state tax revenues on record and has left 44 states with projected budget shortfalls for FY 2012, according to an analysis by the national Center on Budget and Policy Priorities. The State of Texas's $13.4 billion FY 2012 budget shortfall is the third largest among all states, behind California ($25.4 billion) and Illinois ($15 billion). Texas ranks fourth in the size of its budget shortfall as a percentage of the current FY budget. |
| Travis County: Community Impact Report |
Travis County has released a new analysis of community conditions with regard to basic needs, housing, workforce, education, health and behavioral health. According to the 2010 Community Impact Report,
- Austin Energy received 17,028 duplicated requests for utility assistance in 2010, a 13% increase from 2009 and nearly double the requests received in 2008.
- Between 2007 and 2010, foreclosure postings in Travis County increased by 134%, from 3,482 postings in 2007 to 8,131 postings in 2010.
- The average number of Travis County residents enrolled in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food Stamp Program) has increased steadily during the past several years. In December 2010, 110,756 people received SNAP benefits.
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| Community Needs in Round Rock |
 The City of Round Rock Community Development Advisory Commission is hosting conversations about community needs in Round Rock. Two public hearings will address what housing, transportation and social services are needed to ensure opportunity for all. The public hearings will be held at Round Rock City Hall, 221 E. Main Street at 6:30 p.m. on February 17th and March 3rd.
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| State of Texas Children 2011 |
A breakfast briefing on the State of Texas Children 2011 will be held this Friday, February 4th at the Four Seasons Hotel. The Center for Public Policy Priorities will release the newest version of its "Texas Kids County Annual Data Book" and share data on how kids are doing in Travis County and across Texas. National speaker, Bruce Lesley, president of First Focus, will give a national perspective on the importance of investing in our children. For more information and registration, visit http://cppp.org/events/event_details.php?eid=297 . |
| Declining Outcomes for Children Threaten State's Competitiveness |
 A new comprehensive report on the status of Texas children finds that, if the state fails to change course, what the governor is calling the "Texas Century" is likely to bring declining prosperity, skyrocketing health costs and a workforce unable to compete with those of other states. A Report on the Bottom Line: Conditions for Children and the Texas of Tomorrow draws on demographic forecasts and national and state data sources to support the finding that Texas is alone among states in its wide gulf between ability to deliver improvements for children and actual outcomes. |
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| CAN Partners Discuss Response to State Budget Cuts | |
Working together to plan ways to respond to anticipated State budget cuts will be a primary topic of conversation at the February 11th CAN Board of Directors meeting. The CAN Board is comprised of elected officials and leaders of each of the CAN Partner agencies. The Board meeting begins at 1 p.m. in the Boards and Commissions Room at Austin City Hall and is televised and streamed live on Cable Channel 6.
The Legislative Agendas of CAN partner agencies are now posted on the CAN website.
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| CAN Overview | | Click here for a brief overview of CAN that includes highlights of 2010 accom-plishments and the 2011 Work Plan. |
| Follow CAN's Tweets |  Get short, timely updates on meetings, research and more on CAN_Austin. |
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www.caction.org | |
Find the latest local, state and national research and reports on a number of community issues by visiting the CAN website. |
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| Immigration Enforcement: Share Your Experiences |
The Community Engagement Center of UT Austin, the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition, and the ACLU of Texas are seeking organizations to participate in a survey focused on immigrant service providers' experience with immigration enforcement. The purpose of the survey is to share information so that advocates can work locally, regionally, and nationally for policies that protect the rights of immigrants, uphold trust between immigrants and law enforcement, and make our communities safer. Organization's participation is voluntary and may be discontinued at any time. Only authorized members of the Community Engagement Center of UT Austin, the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition, and ACLU of Texas will have access to raw data once it is gathered. Data will only be made available publicly after being stripped of subject identifying information in order to protect the privacy and confidentiality of all survey participants. If interested, contact Frank Knaack at the ACLU of Texas tfknaack@aclutx.org or 512-478-7300 x104. |
| Family Planning Safety Toolkit |
 Immigrant Services Network of Austin has released a Family Safety Planning Toolkit to help individuals and families be prepared in the case of a worksite raid by Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE). The toolkit reviews the rights of immigrants and their family members and includes important contact information. |
| Austin Awarded Close to $4 Million for Homeless Services |
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has awarded renewal grants totaling $3,936,050 to local agencies that serve people who are homeless. Grants for new projects will be announced later in the year. Visit the ECHO website to learn more about these grants and about local efforts to end homelessness. |
| St. David's Foundation Awards $14 Million |
The St. David's Foundation recently awarded a total of $14.18 million in grants to local non-profit agencies. $2.48 million will provide innovative educational opportunities in the health care arena for local students. Recipients include Austin Community College, Concordia University Texas, and Capital IDEA. CEO Earl Maxwell commented, "Investing in a strong educational future for the next generation of Central Texans is one of the most important goals at St. David's Foundation." St. David's Foundation also awarded $11.7 million in grants to nonprofits that are improving access to primary health care for low income Central Texans, as well as support services for the aging population. |
| Survey of Transit Needs |
 The Capital Area Regional Transit Coordination Committee (RTCC) is seeking input on unmet transportation needs to help guide a new Transit Coordination Plan for the Capital Area. The RTCC represents more than 25 organizations that are responsible for providing public transportation services or health and human services, or are interested in the coordination of public transit and client transportation services in the 10-county Capital Area region. The goal of the RTCC is to develop and implement a plan for a seamless transportation system that achieves efficiencies, eliminates duplication, increases coordination, and addresses service gaps. The ad hoc committee serves as the Transportation Issue Area Group for the Community Action Network. The RTCC invites transportation consumers, particularly those who have a hard time getting around the region, to share their input through a survey now through February 25th. To take the survey visit http://www.capitalareaRTCC.org and click on the survey link. To request a hard copy of the survey contact Stevie Greathouse, 512-974-9715, stevie.greathouse@campotexas.org. |
| Austin Mayor's State of the City Address | |
Mayor Lee Leffingwell will offer his "State of the City" remarks on Friday, February 25th at 8:30 a.m. in Council Chambers. The event is hosted by the Downtown Austin Alliance, which will provide breakfast tacos and coffee in the City Hall atrium before the address. Seating is limited. Doors open at 8:00 a.m.
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| East Riverside Corridor: Planning for Future Growth |
 The City of Austin seeks input on developing a master plan for the East Riverside Corridor from I-35 to Highway 71. The City is now creating zoning and design regulations to guide growth and development in the Corridor and to transform it to a walkable, vibrant, transit-oriented, and attractive area that provides housing options for people with a range of incomes and provides a great place to live, work and shop for long-time residents and newcomers alike.
A workshop from 9 a.m. to noon on Saturday, February 26th will seek input on where to encourage new development and how to balance new development with existing neighborhoods. The results of this workshop will be shared at a public Forum on Thursday, March 10th from 6 - 8:30 p.m. Both meetings will be held at Parker Lane United Methodist Church, 2105 Parker Lane. Light Refreshments will be provided. Bus Routes nearby: 7, 300, 320, 331. For more information visit: www.EastRiversideCorridor or contact Alan Holt at alan.holt@ci.austin.tx.us or 512-974-2716. |
| HIV: State of the Epidemic |
The Austin Area Comprehensive HIV Planning Council will host its 1st Annual "State of the Epidemic Symposium" on February 18th and 19th. The State of the Epidemic Symposium engages community stakeholders in an informative and interactive forum to exchange information about HIV/AIDS treatment, care, funding, policy, and new initiatives on the horizon. The HIV Planning Council's goal is to garner the valuable information from service providers, clients of HIV/AIDS services, and other stakeholders for effective planning and decision-making in administration of the federal Ryan White HIV/AIDS Grant Program. The HIV Planning Council has been serving the Austin area for nearly 17 years and has allocated over $51 million dollars in federal funds, benefiting thousands of people living with HIV/AIDS.
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| Reentry Roundtable Community Forum | |
Ninety-five percent of all people who are incarcerated eventually return to the community. Successful reentry programs can help reduce recidivism and make families and communities safer. The Austin/Travis County Reentry Roundtable is holding a Community Forum on Tuesday, February 22nd from 6-8 p.m. to invite people to become engaged in efforts to implement collaborative, community-wide strategies for the effective re-integration of people who were formerly incarcerated. Learn more about the Roundtable's Annual Community Forum http://www.atc-reentryroundtable.org/.
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| Envision Central Texas Community Stewardship Awards |
The ECT Community Stewardship Awards recognize and
honor the innovative people, projects and processes that are addressing the growth challenges facing our region in ways that will move us closer to a vision for our future that preserves and enhances our natural resources, economic vitality, social equity, and overall quality of living.
Local non-profit and community organizations, businesses, cities, counties, developers, builders,
designers, media, neighborhood groups and others based in the five-county Central Texas region are encouraged to submit applications for the sixth annual ECT Community Stewardship Awards. Self-nominations or nominations by others are welcome.
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| Community Resources 101 |  United Way Capital Area and 2-1-1 Texas are offering an on-going series of free trainings on community services for front-line staff and volunteers. Participants will learn when to use 2-1-1 Texas and how to search the 2-1-1 Texas database to find information about available community resources. Click here to register. |
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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 of Central Texas, 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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