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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.
To access agendas, minutes, and presentations, click here. |
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 the10-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.
To access agendas, minutes, and presentations, click here. |
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Video - Central Texas: Creating the Future We Want
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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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Use 2-1-1 to Connect People and Services
2-1-1 Texas offers free training on how to utilize the 2-1-1 system to link people in need with available community resources.
Training sessions last about an hour and a half and will be held on the following Fridays at 2 p.m. United Way for Greater Austin, 2000 E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Reservations are not required.
February 22
March 22
May 24
July 26
September 27
United Way 2-1-1 will also provide special training sessions for social service agencies and community groups at their locations. For more information, call 2-1-1 and select option 1 or email Amy Price at
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Follow us!
 Get updates on news, meetings, research and more at CAN_Austin.
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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 |
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Medicaid Expansion
Texas stands to gain $100 billion
The opening paragraph of the report sums up the case: "The 2013 Texas Legislature must decide whether to accept $100 billion in federal funding over 10 years to provide additional Medicaid health care coverage under ACA for our state's neediest citizens. Texas already spends the state match necessary for the expansion on purely state-funded health programs for low-income adults and local funding for charity care. Rejecting these funds would mean unnecessarily rejecting an opportunity to greatly expand the number of insured Texans, improve efficiency in state health programs, provide relief to local taxpayers and increase the financial stability of the health care infrastructure on which all Texans depend."
The report, commissioned by Texas Impact and Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, finds that expanding Medicaid would result in 231,000 new jobs by 2016. The Texas Medical Association has added its voice to the Texas Hospital Association in support of Medicaid expansion. The Texas Hospital Association is taking its case to metro Chambers of Commerce. Click here to see the THA's presentation to the Metro 8 Chambers of Commerce. |
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Plan for Transforming Health
1115 Waiver initiatives will mean up to $620 million for health services
As the administrative "anchor entity" for the 1115 Waiver's Regional Healthcare Partnership 7 (which encompasses Bastrop, Caldwell, Fayette, Hays, Lee and Travis Counties), Central Health has submitted an 1,100 page RHP Plan to the state. This plan details 68 transformational projects that are intended to reform the delivery system, reduce healthcare costs, improve patient outcomes, and increase population health.
Hospitals and other providers that have submitted these projects will receive local and federal funds on a pay-for-performance basis as the projects begin to impact the health of the region and its residents. These providers include Dell Children's, ATCIC, Brackenridge, the Community Care Collaborative, and the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department. Local funds are being offered by ATCIC, Central Health and Austin ISD. The total value of the projects in the six-county plan is approximately $637 million.
You can find the entire plan and a number of presentations about the waiver at www.texasregion7rhp.net. |
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Criminal Justice Reform
conservative voices speak out
 The Texas Public Policy Foundation and the Texas Association of Businesses have added their voices in support of criminal justice reforms, noting that crime rates are at their lowest level since 1973 despite a drop in incarceration rates. Rather than invest in new prisons, the State of Texas has increased funding for probation and encouraged specialty courts, diversion programs and graduated sanctions that provide penalties short of incarceration. |
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What it Really Takes
new family budget estimator
The Center for Public Policy Priorities has released a new family budget estimator that calculates what families in major Texas cities must earn to make ends meet. The Family Budget Estimator includes costs such as housing, transportation, food, medical care and child care and has different calculations for families who have health insurance and those who do not. The data shows it costs more for families to live in the Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos Metropolitan Statistical Area than in other cities in Texas. Families whose employers provide health insurance coverage can make ends meet with substantially less income. In all the cities noted below, the bare minimum required to meet a family's basic needs was two times the federal poverty guideline with health insurance and close to three times the federal poverty guideline without health insurance. Federal poverty guidelines for a family of four was $22,350 in 2011, $23,050 in 2012, and $23,550 in 2013. |
Metro Trends
Urban Institute Data Dashboard
 Metro Trends is an Urban Institute tool that offers a report card of key data so researchers, students, journalists and elected officials can track and compare how communities are doing relative to the U.S. as whole. Graphs and data for unemployment rates, housing costs, crime rates, job creation and net in-migration are included. |
Get Taxes Done for Free!
Foundation Communities Tax Centers
 Community Tax Centers provide free tax preparation at seven locations by IRS-certified volunteer preparers for people who earn up to $50,000 a year. Walk-ins are welcome, but appointments are encouraged. Families are encouraged to beat the rush, avoid needless tax preparation fees and get all the deductions and tax credits they have earned. Learn more. |
Carry-Out Bag Ordinance
training for businesses
 The City of Austin will offer two training sessions for Austin businesses on how to comply with the new Single-Use Carryout Bag ordinance on Thursday, February 7th. Morning and evening sessions will be held at Austin City Hall, 301 W. 2nd Street.
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Water: Key to Our Future
Regional Liveability Symposium
Envision Central Texas will host a full-day symposium focusing on water conservation and management in relation to architecture, engineering, city planning, law and social concerns. The conference will be held on February 15th at the University of Texas Union. Click here for more information and registration.
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Central Texas African American
Family Support Conference
This free, 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.
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Women's Resource Fair
event connects women to resources
The Austin Young Lawyer's Association will hold its 6th Annual Women's Resource Fair on March 23rd at the Schmidt-Jones Family Life Center. Women will receive free medical and legal services, education and employment counseling, clothing, haircuts, food and other resources and referrals.
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National Association of Planning Councils Conference
opening sessions at nation's capitol
"Community Planning at the Intersection of People and Places" is the theme of the 2013 National Association of Planning Councils annual conference in Washington D.C. April 5 - 7. The opening day of the Conference will be held in the U.S. Capitol Building and will then move to a conference center in Old Town Alexandria, Virginia. National speakers and panels of NAPC leaders from local communities will explore topics including the impact of changing demographics and poverty; smart growth and the need for cross-jurisdictional planning; preparing for the local impact of health care reform; how councils are using technology in new ways to accomplish our work; working smarter together toward collective impact; innovative approaches to community engagement and capacity building; and expanding our circle of influence by sharing our message with the community. |
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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.
caction.org |
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