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New Tool for Mapping Food Deserts |
 The USDA has a new Food Desert Locator that provides a spacial overview of low-income neighborhoods with high concentrations of people who live far from a grocery store. The Food Desert Locator depicts census-level statistics on population groups with low access to healthy food. |
| Public/Private Partnership to Create Affordable Apartments in Downtown Austin |
Developers of BartonPlace condominiums will contribute $500,000 toward construction of an affordable apartment complex in the Zilker neighborhood, through an agreement with the City of Austin and the Zilker Neighborhood Association.
Construction of the Legacy, a 40-unit S.M.A.R.T. Housing development (Safe, Mixed-income, Accessible, Reasonably-priced, Transit-oriented) will begin in January 2012 in the 1300 block of south Lamar Blvd. Twelve apartments will serve people earning at or below 30 percent median family income; 24 will serve residents earning at or below 50 percent median family income; and four apartments will serve residents earning at or below 80 percent median family income.
The Legacy project will be developed by Mary Lee Community, the affordable housing arm of the Mary Lee Foundation, a support agency for people with special needs. As a funding partner, the Austin Housing Finance Corporation has approved $675,000 in HOME Investment Partnerships funding, a federal program designed exclusively to create affordable housing for low-income households. BartonPlace developer Constructive Ventures, Inc. will provide the $500,000 grant for the Legacy project once 90 percent of its upscale BartonPlace condos on Barton Springs Road are sold. |
| Health Rankings: Mobilizing Action Toward Community Health |
Travis County residents continue to be among the healthiest in the State of Texas according to a County Health Rankings project by the University of Wisconsin's Population Health Institute and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The project goal is to link data to action and the rankings emphasize the fact that a community's health outcomes are impacted by many factors, including individual health behaviors, education, employment, the environment, and quality health care. Among the 221 Texas Counties included in the report, Travis County ranked 6th in overall health outcomes and 9th in health factors. Travis received its poorest ranking on its Physical Environment, which includes measures of air pollution, access to healthy food and access to recreational facilities. |
| Chamber Releases Education Progress Reports for Eleven Local School Districts |
 The Austin Chamber of Commerce has just released Education Progress Reports for eleven area school districts. This is the sixth year of publication of these annual reports that summarize student performance trends that the Chamber considers critical to the region's future economic vitality.
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| Tackling Homelessness - Lessons Learned From Other Texas Cities |
Councilmember Sheryl Cole will host a presentation and meeting tomorrow evening with the architects of two award-winning projects that serve people who are homeless - the Haven for Hope in San Antonio and the Bridge in Dallas. The public is invited to learn how these projects were researched, designed and developed and the lessons learned from their experiences. The meeting will be held Thursday, May 5th at 6 p.m. in the City Council Chamber at Austin City Hall. |
| Cinco de Mayo Reflections | |
The Emma S. Barrientos Mexican American Cultural Center Advisory Board will host two nights of panel discussions in honor of the Mexican holiday that celebrates the defeat of the French forces by the Mexican military on May 5, 1862.
On Thursday, May 5th from 6:30 - 9 p.m., a panel of UT professors will discuss issues of Immigration, Texas education policy, and the issues of youth, crime and education south of the border. On Friday night, presentations will celebrate the decision to erect a statue commemorating Tejano colonial history on the grounds of the State capitol. The artist for the work and a professor of history will discuss the significance of Monumento Tejano. The presentations will be held at the Mexican American Cultural Center, 600 River Road.
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| Local Response to State Budget Cuts | |
As the 82nd Legislative Session winds down, CAN partner agencies are preparing for the local fallout of anticipated cuts and job losses that will result. At the CAN Board meeting CAN partners will discuss current funding and how they can work together to minimize the impact in our local community. The meeting will be on Friday, May 13th from 1 to 3 p.m. at City Hall and will be televised on Cable Channel 6. |
| CAN Community Dashboard | |
CAN has updated its Community Dashboard
of key indicators of our community's well-being.
Contact CAN Executive Director, Vanessa Sarria, to schedule a presentation about the dashboard to your group or organization. |
| Like CAN on Facebook |  Community Action Network now has a Facebook page. Like us and Share us with your friends and social media contacts. |
| Follow CAN's Tweets |  Get short, timely updates on meetings, research and more on CAN_Austin. |
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Issue Area Websites | |
Community Action Network helps create, manage and update websites for most of the 14 Issue Area Groups associated with CAN. Check out the newly re-designed websites for...
Basic Needs Coalition
Central Texas Afterschool Network. |
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| A.G.E. Seeks Partners to Offer Caregiver Training |
 The overwhelming majority of people who care for aging adults are family members. Austin Groups for the Elderly, a local non-profit organization, is looking for organizations in Travis, Williamson, Bastrop and Hays counties who wish to partner in offering a six-week training to improve the skills of informal, unpaid caregivers of seniors. The training sessions are funded with grants from the Area Agency on Aging and the St. David's Foundation. Participating agencies receive the training, materials, money and support necessary to conduct the classes which have been proven to enhance the health and well-being of both the caregivers and those for whom they provide care. For more information, contact project coordinator Faith Unger at (512) 451-4611, ext. 244 or funger@ageofaustin.org. The deadline to apply to become a partner agency is Sunday, May 15th. |
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Adult Protective Services - How Do You Think They Are Doing? | |
The Texas Department of Adult Protective Services investigates allegations of abuse, neglect, and exploitation of the elderly and adults with disabilities. When allegations are confirmed, APS provides or arranges emergency services. APS is conducting a survey to gauge how community organizations think the agency is doing in protecting the health and safety of vulnerable adults in Texas.
To ensure your feedback in included in the final report, complete the survey by Friday, May 20th.
http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2011_CS_Community_Organization. |
| Texas Suicide Prevention Symposium |
Texas suicide prevention advocates, survivors and professionals are invited to attend the Texas Suicide Prevention Symposium on Thursday, June 16th in San Marcos. National experts will discuss recent advances in theory, research and practice.
Registration is free, but limited to the first 700 applicants. For information and to register, visit http://texassuicidepreventionsymposium.eventbrite.com. For questions, contact Mary Ellen Nudd at menudd@mhatexas.org. |
| Engaging a Multicultural Community in Your Non-Profit | |
Texas is experiencing a major demographic shift. Engage501 is a free, multi-session series to help non-profit organizations recruit more diverse volunteers, board members and donors. TANO, Cultural Strategies and the Austin Community Foundation are co-sponsoring the sessions that are designed for nonprofit staff, board members, advocates and volunteers who wish to learn a culturally relevant approach to community engagement.
There are three sessions remaining in the four-part series:
- The New Philanthropists: Fundraising with Diverse Populations, August 23
- Multicultural Leadership Engagement: Strategies for an Inclusive Board, September 20
- Multicultural Marketing: An Inclusive Marketing Approach to Reach Diverse Populations, October 25
To register and for more information, visit www.tano.org/engage501. |
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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. Click here to view scheduled trainings. |
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 Community Action Network (CAN) is a partnership of agencies and organizations in Austin and Travis County that provides 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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