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

The Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas has published a report, "Gone to Texas," chronicling how immigration has transformed the Texas economy. The report surveys the origins, destinations, education, earnings and occupations of Texas immigrants - both foreign and domestic, authorized and unauthorized.  

The fast growing economy of Texas has been fueled by a young, immigrant population eager to work, but also poses challenges for an already strained social safety net.  According to the authors, "Sustaining prosperity requires making public and private investments in education, English fluency, health care and infrastructure. While costly, such investments will help the

An analysis of employment data since 2007 in the 51 metropolitan statistical areas (MSA) with over 1 million people revealed that the Austin MSA added 17,000 mid-skill jobs.  This was an increase of 7.6%, the largest increase among MSA's studied. The full report is linked here.  

Children's Optimal Health shared maps that depict disparities in health outcomes for Austin's  youngest  residents at last week's Birth Outcomes Summit at Dell Children's Hospital.

The study shows poor birth outcomes are more likely in lower income census tracts and are especially disproportionate among teen-aged African American mothers.  The Birth Outcomes Summit brought together medical professionals, service providers and policymakers to review data and to consider how disparities can be overcome.

"Do You Still Like Me?" Fair Housing PSA (English)

Travis County has released a draft Analysis of Impediments to Fair Housing report and would like public feedback on the report's findings. In addition to an analysis of how Travis County's population and sub-populations have changed and migrated within the county, the report highlights key impediments to fair housing and makes recommendations to address them.  

Comments on the plan will be accepted through December 12th. Comments can be emailed to cdbg@co.travis.tx.us.  A public hearing will be held on Tuesday, December 3rd at 9 a.m. in the Travis County Commissioners Courtroom, 700 Lavaca St.   

The City of Austin Neighborhood Housing and Community Development (NHCD) office has published a draft Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report evaluating its performance in utilizing federal housing grants to meet City housing goals. NHCD receives the following grant entitlement funds annually from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for affordable housing, community development, economic development and public services: Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnership Program, Emergency Solutions Grant (ESG), and Housing Opportunities for Persons with AIDS (HOPWA).

The public is invited to review the document and to provide comment through December 4th.  Visit the NHCD website to find the report and instructions on how to submit public comment. 

There is more to housing affordability than how much rent or mortgage you pay. Transportation costs are the second-biggest budget item for most families, but it is difficult to fully factor transportation costs into decisions about where to live and work. The U.S. Department of Transportation and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development have launched a new Location Affordability Portal. The goal of this web-based tool is to provide reliable, user-friendly data and resources on combined housing and transportation costs to help consumers, policymakers, and developers make more informed decisions about where to live, work, and invest. 

The State Board of Education is considering new rules for high school graduation requirements in Texas.  This past spring, Texas Legislators approved House Bill 5, an education bill that will reduce requirements for standardized testing and revise graduation requirements for students entering ninth grade this fall. 

The new graduation plans are intended to give students more flexibility to pursue academic and career goals and to allow for Career and Technology Education courses to fulfill core curriculum requirements.  Some business leaders have expressed concern that the new requirements will result in fewer students completing Algebra II, physics and chemistry, which are required for many high-demand two- and four-year degrees.  

Learn more about the new graduation requirements and the timeline for adoption on the TEA website. Comments on the implementation rules may be sent to rules@tea.state.tx.us. 

In November of last year, 61% of Austin voters approved a charter amendment calling for City Council Members to be elected from 10 single member districts with the mayor elected at-large. An Independent Citizens Redistricting Commission was created, in accordance with the voter-approved  amendment, to use 2010 Census data to draw the boundaries of the 10 districts. In 2014, Austin will elect one City Council member from each of the ten districts.    

The City of Austin has launched a new interactive tool for geographically locating and tracking capital improvement projects in your neighborhood. The new CIVIC (Capital Improvements Visualization, Information and Communication) website features detailed information about major infrastructure and facilities projects.  The Map Viewer lets you zoom in for a neighborhood level view of the projects funded in whole or in part by the 2012 Bond Program or the 2010 Mobility Bond Program.  

The Meadows and St. David's Foundations are hosting a two-day conference to help nonprofit mental health and substance use disorder providers succeed in the health care reform environment.  The conference will highlight emerging opportunities for agencies to marry their clinical and administrative strategies to achieve their mission in the evolving health care landscape.  

The conference will be held December 3rd and 4th at the LBJ School of Public Affairs.  Click here to learn more and to register. 

The Mayor's Committee for People with Disabilities hosted a forum on the implications of the Affordable Care Act for people with disabilities at the Austin City Council chambers last week. The forum covered the types of insurance options available through the Marketplace and contact information for agencies that will assist people in signing up for insurance. Click here for the presentation shared at the forum.  You can also view this recording of the forum.  

The Central Texas African American Family Support Conference is now accepting 2014 Award Nominations. The Central Texas African American Family Support Conference continues its tradition of honoring community members who have shown leadership, encouragement and advocacy within the community at its annual event. Nominations are due December 13th. 

The 14th annual conference will be held Feb. 25th and 26th at the downtown Hilton. More than 600 people are expected to attend the conference which will feature industry insiders from the mental health community, thought leaders, healthcare professionals, students and families focusing on topics such as mental health, substance use, spirituality, empowering children, family support and much more.