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Texans Have Few Assets to Bank On | |
In Texas today, 27.7 percent of households are "asset poor," meaning they have little or no financial cushion to rely on if unemployment or another emergency leads to a loss of income, according to a report by the national nonprofit Corporation for Enterprise Development (CFED). Excluding important assets such as a vehicle or home, the (liquid) asset poverty rate increases to 50.6 percent of Texas residents.
The 2012 Assets & Opportunity Scorecard ranked Texas 41st in the country overall for financial security outcomes across 52 measures in five different issue areas. Many of Texas' residents have jobs, but they lack adequate savings or other assets to cover expenses for three months if they lose a steady income. The report found growing racial gaps in asset poverty, with the number of people of color who are asset poor more than double the number of white people.
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Who Are Texas' Uninsured? |
The Texas Tribune has created an interactive graphical analysis of people in Texas who have no private or public health insurance, as reported by the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. According to this 2010 data, more than one-half of uninsured Texans were employed, and more than one-third had an annual household income above $50,000.
Children and the elderly were most likely to have health insurance coverage. 30% of adults aged 18 - 64 were uninsured. The Texas Tribune analysis also breaks down the data by race and ethnicity, U.S. citizenship status, educational attainment and employment status.
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Texas Tops the List of States that Provide School Breakfasts to Hungry Children |
The Center for Public Policy Priorities cites two national reports on the National School Breakfast Program as demonstrating Texas' strong commitment to improving the nutrition, health, and academic achievement of its students by providing them a nutritious start to the school day.
The Food Research and Action Center's (FRAC) School Breakfast Scorecard 2011 finds that Texas has the highest percentage of schools offering breakfast to students of any state in the nation, with 100 percent of schools offering a School Breakfast Program.
FRAC released a companion report comparing school breakfast participation in large, urban school districts across America. School Breakfast in America's Big Cities: School Year 2010-2011 finds that the Houston Independent School District (Houston ISD) ranks 3rd among urban school districts in the percentage of eligible students eating breakfast at school.
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| CAN Community Council Considers Health Reform | |
The CAN Community Council meeting on Monday, February 13th will focus on what health care reform will mean for consumers and small businesses. This open meeting will be held at 5:30 p.m. in the Boards and Commissions Room of Austin City Hall and will be televised on Cable Channel 6. |
| CAN Events Calendar | |
Keep up with community events and post your own events on the CAN Community Events Calendar. |
| CAN Web Site | |
Visit caction.org for research, the CAN events calendar, links to CAN partners' planning efforts and other important news. |
| Follow CAN's Tweets | |
Get short, timely updates on meetings, research and more on CAN_Austin. |
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Federal Stimulus Kept 7 Million Out of Poverty | |
An analysis of federal data by the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities shows that six temporary federal initiatives, enacted as a part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act, kept nearly 7 million Americans out of poverty in 2010. The analysis of U.S. Census data showed ...
- Expansions in the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC) and Child Tax Credit (CTC) kept 1.6 million people out of poverty.
- The Making Work Pay tax credit, which expired at the end of 2010, kept another 1.5 million people out of poverty.
- Expansions in the duration and level of unemployment insurance benefits kept 3.4 million people out of poverty.
- Expansions in SNAP benefits kept 1.0 million people out of poverty.
The chart at right shows that, in addition to new or expanded programs, safety net programs that already existed prior to the Recovery Act also kept people above the poverty line. The report cautions that joblessness remains high and the six temporary initiatives tracked in the report have all either expired or are set to expire in coming months. The report cites continuing pressures at both the state and federal levels to curtail safety net programs as budget cutting measures. |
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2012 Bond Election - What Investments Should Voters Consider? |
Austin's Bond Advisory Task Force is working to identify and prioritize projects to be included in a 2012 bond election. The bond election is expected to include items that will promote the vision for the city's future that is outlined in the Imagine Austin Comprehensive Plan. The Task Force has formed four subcommittees: transportation, parks and open space, city facilities (which will include public safety), and affordable housing.
The City of Austin will hold an open house to learn about the bond election process on Tuesday, February 7th from 4:30 - 830 p.m. at the Palmer Events Center. Light refreshments will be served and Austin musicians will perform for this come-and-go meeting. Free parking is available in the garage. Learn more at the bond election website. |
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UT Symposium Examines Men of Color in Higher Education |
 The 26th Annual Heman Sweatt Symposium on Civil Rights, themed, "Awareness to Action: Advancing Solutions for Men of Color in Higher Education" opens Wednesday, February 8th at 6 p.m. in John Hargis Hall, 1823 Red River St., and is hosted by the UT Division of Diversity and Community Engagement.
A 2010 report published by the College Board Advocacy and Policy Center has generated a growing focus on underrepresented groups of men in institutions of higher education. The report connects the disparate educational outcomes of young men of color with sobering statistics about unemployment, poverty and incarceration. It reveals the lack of success that males of color experience as they navigate the education system in the United States. In response to the report, this year's symposium will provide a forum to discuss issues related to the education of young men of color including the latest research and best practices. For more information about the symposium, visit http://www.utexas.edu/diversity/events/hemansweatt/. All events are free and open to the public.
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| Nicholas Kristof on the Fight to End Human Trafficking | |
 Writing for the New York Times, Nick Kristof has travelled the globe to document the ongoing trafficking of women and girls sold into sexual slavery. Through his Pulitzer Prize winning column, Kristof has introduced readers to heroes fighting to end human trafficking, including survivors who have become activists themselves.
Kristof will share stories of survival and courage from the fight to end human trafficking at a lecture at the LBJ School on Monday, February 13th at 7 p.m. The lecture, presented by Plan II at the University of Texas at Austin, is free and open to the public. Learn more. |
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STEMming Out: Innovation in Out-of-School-Time
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 The Central Texas Afterschool Network will convene their 5th annual professional development conference for out-of-school-time providers on Saturday, February 18th. The conference, held this year at Travis High School, will focus on practices for incorporating Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math into out-of-school-time programming. STEMming Out includes more than 20 different classes as well as a keynote address from award-winning educator and humorist, Debbie Silver. Conference sessions will also cover youth development hot topics such as conflict resolution, effective tools for homework help, and career readiness. More information and registration is available at ctanweb.org.
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| My Health, My Voice: Community Conversations About Health | |
 Key health partners in our community are holding a series of forums in each of the Travis County precincts to gather public input for the creation of a new Health Improvement Plan for Austin and Travis County. The first of these four monthly meetings will be held on Thursday, February 23rd from 6 - 8 p.m. at Reagan High School.
The forums will include free health screenings and refreshments, information about services currently available, and an opportunity to share what kinds of services community members want to see. Partners in the effort include the City of Austin, Travis County, the Austin Travis County Health and Human Services Department, Central Health, St. David's Foundation, the Seton Healthcare Family and UTHealth. Learn more.
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| Learn How to Connect People to Resources in Our Community | |
 2-1-1 Texas offers free monthly trainings on when to use 2-1-1 Texas and how to search the 2-1-1 Texas database to find information about available community resources. The targeted audience for these trainings is social services professionals and volunteers. Registration for the training sessions, offered the last Friday of each month, is not required.
Training sessions are held on the last Friday of every month at 2 p.m. at United Way Capital Area, 2000 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. and last about an hour and a half. For more information, call 2-1-1 and select option 1 or email Amy Price at amy.price@unitedwaycapitalarea.org.
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 Working to promote equity and opportunity. Community Action Network (CAN) is a partnership of agencies, organizations and individuals who work together to enhance the social, health, educational and economic well-being of Central Texas. CAN's role is to enhance awareness of community issues, strengthen partnerships, and support collaborative strategies to promote equity and opportunity.
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 Healthcare Family, 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, HousingWorks, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Coalition, Literacy Coalition of Central Texas, Ready by 21, Reentry Roundtable, Regional Transit Coordination Committee and Success by Six. |
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