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CAN Staff Present at National Conference
CAN staff shared three presentations at the Community Indicators Consortium Conference in Washington D.C. last week. We shared information on the CAN Dashboard, our efforts to better understand the local Safety Net, and CAN's Prevention and Intervention inventory.
Travis County Research & Planning received the CIC's 2014 Community Impact Award for its Community Impact Report which uses data to inform investments.
There were many interesting sessions at the Conference and CAN staff learned a lot. One of the more interesting presentations was by Brookings Institution's Richard Reeves. He shared this video on social mobility.
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Voices From the Street Community Engagement Summit
Currently, many residents are disconnected from civic institutions and left out of public decisions. CAN will host a free, half-day summit on Friday, November 7th to explore how we can work together to engage the people and voices that are usually not at the table.
Network and meet new people with experience engaging different populations. Share your wisdom and helpful strategies that we can share with the CAN network of partner organizations.
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Unlocking Neighborhood Assets
CAN invites you to join us for a free session led by Dan Duncan, a national expert in Asset Based Community Development. The session will be held from 1 - 3 p.m. on Wednesday, October 22nd at the YMCA North on Rundberg Lane. Learn more and register.
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The 2014 CAN Dashboard has been released. This fifth annual report includes two new indicators - food insecurity and college success. Also new this year is a set of recommendations, drawn from the work of CAN, to respond to our community's growth, increasing diversity, and economic segregation.
Call (512) 414-0323 if you would like CAN staff to share a presentation of the findings of the report with your board or community group.
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Cultural Competency, Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit
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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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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 has a new url to match our new name. Check out the CAN website for research and reports.
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One in Ten Austin Adults Lack English Proficiency
big impact on earnings
A new Brookings report estimates there are more than 142,000 Limited English Proficient (LEP) working age adults in the five-county Austin MSA. According to the report, "Investing in English Skills: The Limited Proficient Workforce in U.S. Metropolitan Areas," about 83% of these adults speak Spanish and almost 10% speak Asian or Pacific Island languages.
Increasing English proficiency can lead to increased earning potential. According to the report, working-age LEP adults earn 25 to 40 percent less than their English proficient counterparts. The report states, "Proficiency in English makes the greatest percent difference in earnings for those in the middle of the educational attainment range (high school diploma or some college). Their median earnings are 39 percent higher if they are English proficient ($40,000) than not ($28,700)."
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Austin Unseats LA as Most Overvalued Housing Market
Austin tops Trulia's Bubble Watch
Metropolitan Austin is now the most overvalued housing market in the United States, followed by Los Angeles, San Francisco and Riverside-San Bernadino, according to real estate data company Trulia's Bubble Watch. While home prices are undervalued by 3% nationally in the 3rd quarter of 2014, Austin's home prices are overvalued by 19%, according to Trulia.
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Early Voting Starts October 20th
vote at any polling location
Early voting starts Monday, October 20, 2014 and ends Friday, October 31, 2014 for the November 4, 2014 Joint General and Special Election.
Vote Centers are in effect for this election. You may vote at any polling location where you see a "Vote Here" sign. Click here for a map of Early and Mobile voting locations in Travis County.
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State of Black Education
Greater Austin Black Chamber forum
Join the Greater Austin Black Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday October 21, 2014 at the George Washington Carver Museum from 6 pm to 8 pm to take an in-depth analysis of African American students' education. This years discussion will focus on strengthening Black male achievement in the classroom.
David Johns, Executive Director of the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for African Americans will be the keynote Speaker for the event. Click here to RSVP.
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New Properties Provide Affordable Options
433 unites will serve veterans, older adults and families
The Housing Authority of the City of Austin's subsidiary, Austin Affordable Housing Corporation, is building two new properties in southeast Austin. The Pointe at Ben White and The Villages at Ben White will offer 433-unit garden style apartment homes for veterans, working families and those 55 and older earning 60 percent of Austin's area median income. The Villages will target veterans and seniors and will closely coordinate with the nearby Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic. Family housing will be a priority for The Pointe, with the property coordinating with key social service agencies in the area. The properties are being jointly developed by the Austin Affordable Housing Corporation, a subsidiary of the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, and LDG Development.
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HACA wait list opens Oct 22nd
apply on-line
The Housing Authority of the City of Austin (HACA) will open its wait list for Housing Choice Vouchers for eight days from October 22nd to October 29th. Pre-applications for the wait list will only be accepted on-line. At the end of the eight-day period, 2,500 applicants will be randomly selected by lottery and added to the wait list. In adherence with federal policies, people nationwide will be able to apply for housing in Austin. Due to extensive federal budget cuts, adequate funding is not available to serve all people who are qualified for housing assistance.
HACA serves 5,800 families through the federally funded Housing Choice Voucher program. For more information about the qualifications for this program, visit www.haca.net or follow HACA on Facebook.
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Community Tax Centers Seek Volunteers
help put $35 million back into pockets of families who need it the most
Community Tax Centers are recruiting volunteers to help over 20,000 families file their taxes and bring in more than $35 million dollars in refunds that go directly back into the pockets of the families that need it most. Foundation Communities' Tax Centers will need over 600 volunteers for the 2015 season.
A kickoff luncheon to learn more about volunteering will be held on Friday, October 24th at noon at the Sierra Vista Learning Center, 4320 South Congress Avenue. Learn more at www.foundcom.org/get-involved/.
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Prevention and Intervention
CAN inventory of local efforts
CAN has released an inventory of prevention and intervention efforts focused on the well-being of children and youth in Travis County. Interviews and surveys of 76 local youth-serving organizations informed the report Prevention and Intervention in Travis County: Adverse Childhood Experiences and Youth Risky Behaviors. The report presents a comprehensive picture of prevention and intervention efforts in our community and also summarizes areas requiring collective attention and action. The findings of the inventory will be shared at a forum on October 23rd from 9:30 - 11:30 a.m. at the ATCIC Large Training Room. Register to attend.
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Meet Austin ISD Candidates
candidate forums this week and next
Voters in Austin ISD will elect five people to serve on the nine member Austin ISD Board of Trustees this November. The Austin League of Women Voters will hold a series of candidate forums, which are co-hosted by the Austin Parent Teachers Association. The non-partisan events are free and open to the public.
- Districts 1 & 4 (North Austin) Thursday, Oct 9
- Districts 6 & 7 (South Austin) Tuesday, Oct 14
- At Large District 9 (all of Austin) Thursday, Oct 16
Click here for times and locations for the three forums.
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Veterans Stand Down
resource fair for homeless vets
The Austin Veterans Stand Down will be held on Friday, October 24, 2014, from 9:00 am-12:30 pm (or while supplies last). Services include:
- information on VA housing, medical, substance abuse treatment and mental health treatment,
- veterans benefits counseling,
- clothing,
- haircuts,
- health care immunizations and information,
- lunch, snacks, and beverages
The event will be held at the VFW Post 856 located at 401 East Alpine, Austin, TX 78704. Click here for a printable flier.
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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.
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 (iACT), 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, and Workforce Solutions - Capital Area
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