CANews
January 23, 2013
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In This Issue
Criminal Justice Report
Travis County Snapshot
Guide to Mental Health Systems in Texas
Disproportionality Report to State Legislature
South Austin Neighborhood Planning
Making Your Voice Heard at the State Legislature
Help Set Boundaries for New Council Districts
Conference for Engaging Youth
African American Family Support Conference
CAN Board:  Focus on Pflugerville 
 
The City of Pflugerville, one of the newest members of the CAN Board, will share an overview of the issues facing their community at the CAN Board meeting on Friday, February 8th at 1 p.m.

Austin ISD will review demographic and enrollment projections and where new student growth is occurring.  
  
The meeting will be held in the Boards and Commissions Room of Austin City Hall and will be televised on Austin Cable 6.
 
CAN Community Council: Focus on Voting
The CAN Community Council will continue its focus on the "Safe, Just & Engaged" section of the Community Dashboard with a focus on voter turnout.  Speakers will share information about who does and does not vote in Texas and efforts to increase voter turnout. The Council will also learn about how Austin will make the transformation to 10-one single member district elections.
The meeting will be held on Thursday, February 7th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. in the Boards and Commissions Room of Austin City Hall and will be televised on Austin Cable Channel 6.
Video - Central Texas: Creating the Future We Want
Central Texas Creating the Future We Want
Central Texas Creating the Future We Want
Many thanks to Central Texas leaders and KLRU for helping CAN produce this video on the demographic trends in the Austin region and the challenges and opportunities these changes present.
CAN Community Dashboard
The Community Dashboard tracks key socio-economic indicators for Austin, Travis County and the 5-county Austin metro area.
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Get updates on news, meetings, research and more at CAN_Austin.
 
You can also access research on caction.org.
CAN Partners

Austin Chamber of Commerce

 

Austin Community College

 

Austin ISD

 

Austin Travis County Integral Care

 

Capital Metro

 

Central Health

 

Capital City African American 

Chamber of Commerce

 

City of Austin

 

City of Pflugerville

 

Community Justice Council

 

Del Valle ISD

 

Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce

 

Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

 

Huston-Tillotson University

 

interfaith Action Central Texas

 

Manor ISD

 

One Voice Central Texas

 

Seton Healthcare Family

 

St. David's Foundation

 

St. Edward's University

 

Travis County

 

United Way for Greater Austin

 

University of Texas at Austin

 

Workforce Solutions - Capital Area

  
Criminal Justice Report
Texas can save millions by treating addicts instead of incarcerating them
incarcerated The Texas Criminal Justice Coalition has released a new report Effective Approaches to Drug Crimes in Texas: Strategies to Reduce Crime, Save Money, and Treat Addiction. The report notes that many people incarcerated in Texas have substance abuse problems rooted in addiction and, "A proper response to this public health issue is treatment, not incarceration." A few statistics from the report include.....
  • 30% of incoming inmates in Texas in 2011 were sentenced for drug offenses, 75% of which were for possession. 
  • The individuals who entered TDJC in 2011 for a drug possession offense are costing Texas taxpayers nearly $700,000 every day. 
  • Texas spends roughly $18,500 per year for each inmate. One year of community supervision (formerly called probation) with drug treatment programs costs around $3,500 per client. 
  • Texas has one of the lowest drug treatment admission rates, and one of the highest incarceration rates in the nation. 

The report also notes that people who serve time for drug possession, but do not receive treatment are much more likely to land back in jail in the future.

 

Travis County Snapshot
American Community Survey

The Travis County Snapshot from the 2011 American Community Survey was recently completed by the Research and Planning Division at Travis County Health and Human Services & Veterans Service. The Research & Planning Division conducts an annual analysis of data from the U.S. Census Bureau's American Community Survey. The report is intended to provide a point-in-time "snapshot" of our community and its social, economic, and housing characteristics. You can view and download the report here

  

Some report findings about Travis County residents show:

  • 44% have a Bachelor's degree or higher, 
  • Median Household Income was $53,036 (down from 2006),
  • 32% speak a language other than English at home,
  • 20% of residents do not have health insurance,
  • Married-couple families comprise the majority of households with children, and
  • 25% of children (under 18) were living in poverty.
 
 
Understanding Mental Health
Systems and Services in Texas
teen girl sad The Hogg Foundation has released a new Guide to Understanding Mental Health Systems and Services in Texas 2012 to help people maneuver through the behavioral health system of care.  The report provides a general overview of the behavioral health delivery system and the services provided by various agencies and providers. 
  
Disproportionality Report
Report to 83rd Texas Legislature
The Center for the Elimination of Disproportionality and Disparities has reported its findings of disparities, especially for African American children and youth, in the Texas Juvenile Justice System, Child Welfare, mental health and education. The Center was created by the 82nd Legislature and tasked with examining disparate outcomes across state systems.  
In its report to the 83rd Texas Legislature, the Center recommends closely monitoring data across systems to monitor disproportionality.  The Center also recommends leadership development, the cultivation of a culturally competent workforce, community engagement, cross-systems collaboration, staff training in anti-racist principles, and an understanding of the role of institutional racism in promoting poor outcomes for some populations. 
  
Compact and Connected
Lecture and Open House for South Austin Neighborhood Plan
 
The public is invited to a free lecture on "Retrofitting Suburban Spaces in to Lively Places: Creating Neighborhoods and Districts We Love" on Thursday, January 24th at the First Evangelical Free Church Community Hall, 4220 Monterey Oaks Boulevard.  The lecture is part of the Imagine Austin "Building Compact and Connected" speaker series. Ellen Dunham-Jones, a renowned expert on urban and suburban design, will present her research on the topic.
 
Following the lecture, the City will host an open house highlighting opportunities to put Dunham-Jones' ideas into the South Austin Combined Neighborhood Plan. Learn more.

 

Why Bother?
Your State Legislature, Your Voice
 
Many voters assume their job is done on Election Day, but citizens need to stay engaged to hold elected leaders accountable.  What does it take to get your voice heard in the Texas Legislature? Join a discussion with state legislators, community advocates and others on Tuesday, January 29th from 7:30 - 8:30 p.m. at the historic Austin City Limits Studio 6a, 2504-B Whitis Avenue. Click here to RSVP to this free event.
 
The Annette Strauss Institute for Civic Life, KUT and KLRU are sponsoring a series of televised town hall meetings focused on encouraging people to become engaged in civic life.
Help Implement 10-1 in Austin
Citizens Commission Will Set Boundaries for New Council Districts
Those selected to serve on the Citizens Redistricting Commission will make history in Austin as they establish the boundaries of the 10 new Austin City Council districts.  The League of Women Voters of the Austin Area is sponsoring an open, nonpartisan workshop on how to apply to be a member of the Commission on Saturday, February 2nd from 12:30 - 4:30 p.m. at the Carver Library. For more information on the qualifications and responsibilities of Commission members, visit 
http://austintexas.gov/department/10-one.
   

 

Pathways to Engaging Youth
Free, Full-Day Conference
The Juvenile Support Network will offer a free, full-day conference on supporting youth to promote mental health on February 4th at the Thompson Conference Center at UT. Keynote speaker Dr. Bruce D. Perry, M.D. Ph.D. and a panel of local experts will discuss approaches and barriers to creating trauma-informed communities.  Though the conference is free, registration is required. Learn more.

 

Central Texas African American
Family Support Conference

This two-day conference will feature leaders from the mental health community, healthcare professionals, students and families focusing on topics such as mental health, substance use, spirituality, empowering children, family support and more.  The conference will be held at the Austin Hilton Hotel on February 28th and March 1st.  Learn more.  
  
 
CAN is a partnership of governmental, non-profit, private and faith-based organizations which leverage mutual resources to collectively improve social, health, educational and economic opportunities in our community.
 
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