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Immigrants focus of March 17th CAN Community Council Meeting
Representatives of the Immigrant Services Network of Austin, the Austin Immigrant Rights Coalition and the U.S. Customs and Immigration Services will participate in a panel discussion about issues and challenges facing immigrants in our community.
The meeting on March 17th will be held from 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. in the Boards and Commissions Room of Austin City Hall and will be televised and recorded on Cable Channel 6.
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Aging Population Focus of February CAN Community Council Meeting
The Aging Services Council, the Mayor's Task Force on Aging and St. David's Foundation shared insights into the issues and needs of Austin's fast-growing aging population.
Copies of the presentations shared can be found on Community Council page of the CAN website.
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The Safety Net:
Our Community is Changing - Are We Ready?
As follow-up to the report, CAN will be hosting a series of forums to more deeply examine key barriers and gaps and discuss ways to improve the safety net:
May 7, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.,
IBC Bank, 11400 Burnet Rd., Building 46, Austin, TX 78758
Housing and utility assistance, housing rights, financial counseling, and assistance with poor credit and criminal histories.
June 4, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.,
IBC Bank, 11400 Burnet Rd., Building 46, Austin, TX 78758
Basic education and literacy; job search assistance and training;
child care and other work supports; and assistance for small businesses.
July 2, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m., IBC Bank, 11400 Burnet Rd., Building 46, Austin, TX 78758 Availability of, and legal obligation to provide, interpreter and translation services; enhancing cultural and linguistic proficiency; and diverse leadership and workforce development.
August 6, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m.,
ATCIC, 5015 S. IH-35, Suite 200
Austin, TX 78744
Accessing healthcare, health insurance, Medicaid, MAP, mental health/substance abuse services, and dental care. Promoting healthy behaviors through prevention and intervention.
For more information contact: vsarria@austinisd.org.
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CAN has a new web address:
CAN has a new url to match our new name. Check out the CAN website for research and reports. You will also find the 2014 Work Plan and the agendas, minutes and presentations from the CAN Board of Directors and Community Council meetings.
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"Together We CAN!" is a collaborative project of CAN and Leadership Austin. The website shares practical ideas for action we can all take where we live, learn, work and serve to make our community a better place. You can also share how YOU make a difference.
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Let us come to you!
Do you have an organization, board or community group that would appreciate an overview of community conditions?
CAN staff are available to make presentations. We have recently presented to Hispanic Austin Leadership, Impact Austin, East Austin Rotary, the Central Health Board of Directors and church groups.
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More than 1,000 Twitter followers!
 Join the 1,000 Twitter followers getting 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
City of Austin
City of Pflugerville
Community Justice Council
Del Valle ISD
Goodwill Industries of Central Texas
Greater Austin Asian Chamber
Greater Austin Black Chamber
Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber
Huston-Tillotson University
interfaith Action of 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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CAN 2014 Stakeholder Survey
let us know what you value about our work and how we can improve
Once every two years, CAN surveys the community to find out what CAN products and services they value and how they think we can improve. Please take a few minutes to click on the survey link from the CAN website www.canatx.org. Responses from this link are anonymous. The survey will remain open through March 25th.
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Rental Housing Crisis
Travis County is fifth worst in units affordable to low-income households
Extremely low-income households, those that earn 30% of the Median Family Income, have a difficult time finding an affordable place to live in every community. According to the Urban Institute, that challenge is even greater for households in this community. The Institute looked at the 100 most populous counties in the U.S. to compare the number of extremely low-income households to the number of rental units affordable for these households. Travis County ranked 5th worst among the 100 counties. The study found there are only 13 affordable and available units for every 100 extremely low-income renters in Travis County.
Households in Suffolk County, the "best" county on the list, still face a sizable housing gap. Suffolk, which is home to Boston, has only 50 units of affordable and available for every 100 extremely low-income households.
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UT Pro Bono Law Clinic
help to expunge criminal records
People who are between 17 and 24 years old and who have a criminal record may be able to have their record expunged for free. The University of Texas School of Law is holding an Expunction Clinic to help people clear their records. People can
call 512-232-1989 or email mclifford@law.utexas.edu to see if they qualify and to begin the process.
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Get Austin Covered
City-wide enrollment day March 8th
Open enrollment for health coverage ends March 31st. To ensure that as many people as possible have health insurance in our community, local health partners are hosting a city-wide enrollment drive at Highland Mall on Saturday, March 8th from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Experts will be on hand to assist with enrollment and to answer questions. Be sure to bring, for all members of the household, a W-2 or pay stub, a Social Security number or immigration number, and employer information on current health insurance.
To enroll in health insurance and to learn more about options, visit www.healthcare.gov.
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New Southeast Health & Wellness Center
former VA Clinic will serve Southeastern Travis County
Work has begun to transform the former Veterans Administration Austin Outpatient Clinic into the new Southeast Health & Wellness Center, located at 2901 Montopolis Drive. Community leaders and organizations in the Montopolis and Dove Springs neighborhoods have worked with Central Health to plan the 70,000 square foot facility. Phase I, scheduled to open in October of this year, will offer primary care, a dental clinic, specialty care, behavioral health care, radiology, a laboratory, and a pharmacy, as well as community meeting space. Phase II of the project, expected to open in 2015, will potentially include health screenings, eligibility and enrollment services for health care coverage programs, and exercise classes, among other services to promote wellness and prevention.
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Austin Accepting Applications
$13.8 million available for social services across the continuum
 The City of Austin is soliciting applications for $13.8 million in social service contracts. The City is seeking applications from qualified providers with demonstrated experience in providing social services to children, youth, adults and families, and/or seniors and persons with disabilities with diverse needs along a self-sufficiency continuum. They are requesting applications that address social services' self-sufficiency goals across the Life Continuum.
A pre-bid meeting for possible applicants will be held on Wednesday, March 19th from 9 - 11 a.m. at 1520 Rutherford Lane, Building 1 Auditorium. The deadline for applications is April 24th at 11 a.m. Click here for more information.
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Travis County Accepting Bids
for early childhood services
Travis County is currently seeking bids for early childhood services. Travis County is investing $605,000 in services such as parenting education, home visiting, quality improvements to early care and education settings, and linking families and children to preventative mental health services. The bids must be received by 3 p.m. on March 13th. Visit The Travis County Purchasing web site for more information.
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Help Travis County Prioritize Funding Needs
for housing and community development
 Each year, Travis County receives a little more than $900,000 in Community Development Block Grants to support projects benefiting low and moderate income residents who live in the unincorporated areas of Travis County or in the Village of Webberville. Travis County is asking residents to complete a survey by March 31st to help prioritize how those funds should be spent in the coming year and also for the next five program years. A public forum is also planned for Friday, March 21st from 9:30 - 11:00 a.m. at the Del Valle Community Center.
For more information, visit the County's website.
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CAMPO 2040
have a say in region's long-range transportation plan
 Every five years, the Capital Area Metropolitan Planning Organization updates the region's long-range transportation plan. A series of public hearings are planned throughout the region for this month and next. The Travis County Open House will be held on March 31st from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at One Texas Center, 505 Barton Springs Road. This CAMPO Calendar lists other counties' meetings. This link to the CAMPO 2040 Plan web page will help you keep up to date with the planning process.
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Housing+Transportation
"Getting on Track" forum April 4th
 | | Forum speaker: Shelley Poticha, Director, Urban Solutions, Natural Resources Council |
The Opportunity Forum and HousingWorks Austin are sponsoring a forum on linking transit and affordable housing policies to build sustainable, inclusive communities. As Austin prepares for a November bond referendum on a new high-capacity transit investment, the forum will explore why Austin needs to link plans for transit with affordable housing. National and local experts will share information about the tools available to get transit and affordable housing on track together.
The forum will be held on Friday, April 4th from 8 a.m. to noon at the Bass Lecture Hall at the University of Texas at Austin. The event is free, but registration is required. Learn more.
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Child Abuse Prevention
April 4th is statewide "Wear Blue" day
 Prevent Child Abuse Texas reports that four children die from child abuse or neglect on average every week in Texas. Many more suffer the life-long consequences of violence and abuse. April is national Child Abuse Prevention Month. Advocates encourage everyone to help raise awareness of this important issue by wearing blue on Friday, April 4th.
In Travis County, there were 2,645 confirmed cases of child abuse in 2013. For more details about recent data trends related to the well-being of children and youth in our community, view this presentation or visit the ReadyBy21 website for past trends.
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Austin's Housing Needs
getting an accurate picture
Every five years, the City of Austin updates its plan for how it should invest federal, state and local funding for housing needs across the continuum of services. The City is seeking the input of residents into the development of its Five Year Consolidated Plan. This document will guide City investments through 2019.
A series of public forums is planned March 13th through April 14th. Visit http://www.austintexas.gov/five for more information about how to have a say in how Austin prioritizes its housing funding over the next five years.
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Home Away From Home
event welcomes new immigrants
The Austin Police Department's Office of Community Liaison will host its 2nd annual "Home Away From Home" event to welcome new immigrants to Austin. Participants will meet the Austin Police Liaison for their District and learn about crime prevention, how to report crime and how to be safe in the community. There will also be information on other city and community services. The event, on Saturday, March 15th will be held from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Gus Garcia Recreation Center, 1201 E. Rundberg Lane.
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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.
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