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March 8th CAN Board Meeting
The CAN Board of Directors will focus on the "We are safe, just & engaged" section of the CAN Community Dashboard with a discussion of voter participation at the CAN Board meeting on Friday, March 8th at 1 p.m.
New CAN partner Huston-Tillotson University will share an overview of their organization, plans for the Community Health and Wellness Center, and other opportunities for collaboration.
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. |
March 18th CAN Community Council: Focus on Place-Based Planning
The CAN Community Council will focus on the "Our Basic Needs are Met" section of the Community Dashboard with a focus on place-based planning efforts. Austin has received several grants recently for planning in specific neighborhoods. Representatives of these neighborhoods will share how they are engaging the community and some of the specific issues their efforts will address.
The meeting will be held on Monday, March 18th from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. in the Boards and Commissions Room of Austin City Hall and will be televised on
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
The United Way Navigation Center 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.
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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Affordable Housing Suffers Consequences of Sequester
Texas Loses $59 Million
Texas will loose $50 million in Tenant Based Rental Assistance and another $9.3 million in other affordable housing programs as a result of the federal sequester. The Texas Housers' blog has posted a copy of the letter from the U.S. Housing and Urban Development Department to Governor Perry notifying him of the loss. An article in the Austin American Statesman reports that Austin will see a 5% cut in federal funding for affordable housing. |
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150,000 Workers Commute to Travis County
Majority from Williamson County
 90,000 Williamson County residents work in Travis County, according to U.S. Census Bureau data analyzing commute patterns for 2006 through 2010. In its analysis of the data, an Austin American Stateman article notes that more than 46% of Williamson County workers work in Travis County, making it third in the nation for counties in which residents of one county work in another county. Another 60,000 commuters come to Travis County from other surrounding counties. |
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Community Needs and Trends
Food and Household Expenses Top List of Social Service Needs
The United Way for Greater Austin's Navigation Center has released its 2012 Community Needs and Trends Report based on 342,000 calls to 2-1-1 in 2012. Calls for food pantries increased 55 percent from 2011 to 2012. Household expenses, including electric bill payment (13,879 calls), rent assistance (13,659 calls) and low-income housing (7,574 calls) remained among the top needs. |
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Texas 39th on National Scorecard
Grade of F on Healthcare and D on Income and Education
The Corporation for Enterprise Development has released its annual Assets and Opportunity Scorecard comparing how states' residents are faring on a variety of fronts. The Scorecard includes recommended policies that could impact each issue category.
 | | scorecard.assetsandopportunity.org |
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Health Care Reform
Free Webinars for Small Businesses
The Greater Austin Asian Chamber of Commerce is partnering with the non-profit organization Small Business Majority to offer two free lunch-time webinars on What Healthcare Reform Means to Texas Small Businesses. The webinar will cover who is eligible for small business tax credits, the Health Insurance Exchange, shared responsibility, cost containment, and tools and resources available for business owners to learn more about the law.
The webinars begin at noon and end at 1.p.m. Registration is required.
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Child Abuse and Neglect
Identifying the Signs and Symptoms
The Center for Child Protection in Travis County has established a new program in the prevention and identification of child abuse and neglect. Kate Nyquist will make a presentation about the new program at a meeting of the Social Services Case Manager's Network on Friday, March 15th from 9 to 11 a.m. at Goodwill. She will provide training on identifying signs and symptoms of abuse, what to do if a child discloses abuse and the legal requirements of the mandated reporting laws. The goal is to empower professionals who work with children to properly report when they have suspicions that abuse may be taking place in a child's home, community or school. Continuing education credits are available for social workers. Learn more by contacting nicole.hamilton@austingoodwill.org. |
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Integral Care
2013 Strategic Plan and Budget
 The Affordable Care Act, the 1115 Medicaid Transformation Waiver, Mental Health Parity and the Texas 83rd Legislative Session will all have a profound impact on the way in which Austin Travis County Integral Care serves people with mental health, behavioral health and developmental disabilities. Integral Care invites clients, family members and stakeholders to a moderated conversation about these changes and how it will shape the organization's planning and budget.
This conversation about Integral Care's Strategic Plan and Budget will take place on Tuesday, March 19th from 11:30 a.m. - 1 p.m. RSVP here. |
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Workforce Plan for Austin and Travis County
Public Comment and Input Requested
The Capital Area Workforce Development Board is seeking public comment on its draft Strategic and Operational Plan for workforce development in Austin and Travis County. The plan describes Austin as a "paradox of growth/prosperity and of growing disparity" in which the large and fast growing Hispanic population lags significantly behind other racial and ethnic groups in educational attainment. The report notes the area has a bi-furcated economy with significant job growth in high-skilled, high-wage jobs as well as growth in low-skill, low-wage jobs. The report cites the need for a growth in middle-skill jobs.
The over-arching goals in the plan include reducing disparities in education/skills, employment and income; building an integrated and seamless workforce system; and providing employers with a qualified, skilled pool of talent.
Visit www.wfscapitalarea.com to provide input on the plan. A public hearing will be held on March 27th at 10 a.m. at Workforce Solutions Capital Area, 6505 Airport Blvd. |
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Building Successful University-Community Partnerships
Cultivating Community Engagement
The University of Texas at Austin is hosting a half-day forum on university engagement with communities. The Wednesday, March 20th forum will highlight recent case studies involving UT faculty and students, and will offer an opportunity for meaningful discourse about cultivating effective community engagement relationships and a chance to assess the strengths and challenges of community-university partnerships. The forum will bring together faculty, students, administrators, and community members who are engaged in this work and in a position to influence teaching, policy, and practice. Click here to learn more and to register for the forum.
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Addressing Substance Use Disorders
Free Training for the Faith Community
Faith communities can play an important role in providing a safe and nurturing community setting for people recovering from substance use disorders. Faith Partners, a partner of the Recovery-Oriented System of Care in Austin and Travis County, is providing a free, full-day seminar on Thursday, March 21st at Riverbend Church for clergy, laity and staff of area congregations of all faith traditions. Learn more and register. |
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Women's Resource Fair
Free Services for Women in Need
The Austin Young Lawyer's Association is sponsoring a resource fair for women on Saturday, March 23rd from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Schmidt-Jones Family Life Center at 13th Street and Lavaca in downtown Austin. Homeless and low-income women and their children will receive free breakfast and lunch and a range of free services. In addition to haircuts, clothing and childcare, women will receive free medical services, legal services, mental health services, education and employment counseling, debt and credit counseling and much more.
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Right from the Start:
What Should We Do to Help Our Youngest Children Thrive?
St. Edward's University and UT Elementary School will host a moderated dialogue to explore the development of young children and what can be done to help them get the best possible start in life. The deliberative forum will be held at UT Elementary School, 2200 East 6th Street, on Saturday, April 6th from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
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Hire Our Heroes
Veterans Job Fair
Veteran job seekers active duty military members, guard and reserve members, and military spouses are invited to a job fair on Tuesday, April 16th at the Millennium Center, 1156 Hargrave Street.
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Fair Housing Conference
Austin Tenants Council
The Austin Tenants Council is hosting a free, full-day Fair Housing Conference on Thursday, April 11th in Austin. The conference will include a discussion of recent fair housing legal cases, HUD's "disparate impact" rule and its implication on housing litigation, housing mobility in Austin, and disability issues in housing. Visit www.housing-rights.org for more information and to register.
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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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