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Ending Child Poverty Now
an additional 2% investment can cut child poverty by 60%
notes that the U.S. ranks second to last among developed countries in child poverty. The report calculates that investing an additional 2 percent of the federal budget in existing programs and policies - such as housing subsidies, food benefits, child tax credits, subsidized jobs, Earned Income Tax Credits and minimum wage increases - could lift 6.6 million children out of poverty.
The report takes a closer look at the four states with the highest numbers of children living in poverty - New York, Florida, Texas and California. In Texas, 1.2 million children live in poverty. The report found that the proposed investments would lift almost 60% of these children out of poverty.
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Texas Juvenile Justice
youth confined closer to home are less likely to reoffend
A first-of-its-kind study of Texas youth involved with the juvenile justice system shows that juveniles under community- based supervision are far less likely to reoffend than youth with very similar profiles who are confined in state correctional facilities, the Council of State Governments (CSG) Justice Center announced last week.
Closer to Home: An Analysis of the State and Local Impact of the Texas Juvenile Justice Reforms, which draws on an unprecedented dataset of 1.3 million individual case records spanning eight years, shows youth incarcerated in state-run facilities are 21 percent more likely to be rearrested than those who remain under supervision closer to home. When they do reoffend, youth released from state-secure facilities are three times more likely to commit a felony than youth under community supervision.
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Community Impact
a break down of Travis County's $16 million investment in social services
Travis County has released its 2014 Community Impact Report. This annual report provides performance data, client data, and other information about the social service investments of the Travis County Health and Human Services & Veterans Service Department.
The report is intended to provide the foundation for policy makers, program managers, and others to: better understand these investments, recognize and celebrate accomplishments, identify areas for improvement, disseminate lessons learned, and identify areas warranting further research.
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Get Enrolled by February 15th
or face tax penalty
This Kaiser Health News article warns that people without health insurance may face bad news at tax time. This is the first year the Affordable Care Act will show up on individual tax forms. People who did not have insurance in 2014, and don't meet criteria for an exemption, will face a tax penalty of either $95 or 1% of their income, whichever is greater. Taxpayers without insurance will get a second piece of bad news. After February 15th, it will be too late to enroll in health insurance for this year, so they will face an even larger penalty on their 2015 tax return when the penalty increases to 2% of income.
You can still purchase insurance for 2015 at https://www.healthcare.gov/. If you would like one-on-one assistance completing the enrollment, local help is available. Just call 2-1-1 or visit getenrolledatx.com.
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Aging Services Council
resources for aging adults
The Aging Services Council of Central Texas is sharing two new resource guides for aging adults and their caregivers.
Caregiving: A Family Guide includes information on local programs and resources for older adults and their caregivers.
The Ride Guide: Senior Transportation Options in the Greater Austin Area includes information on everything from getting disability parking permits to public transportation options to volunteer driver programs.
The Aging Services Council is a network of individuals and organizations who work together to ensure that older adults and caregivers have the information and services they need to support themselves and family members as they age. The Aging Council meets the second Thursday of even numbered months at 8:30 a.m. at the St. David's Foundation, 801 Barton Springs Road.
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The New Brackenridge Campus
forum to provide update on status
Central Health will host a community forum to provide an update on the status of the new Central Health Downtown Brackenridge Campus on Friday, March 6th at the Thompson Conference Center at 11 a.m. The presentation will include a review of the project team's work to date, moderated panel discussions on Central Health and Seton Healthcare Family's integrated health care delivery system model, and the expanding opportunities presented by collaborations with partners such as the new Dell Medical School and other longstanding and potential partners.
Central Health will share their most current master plan for the campus following the panel discussions. Space is limited to 200 attendees. Click here to register for the forum and to take a survey to share what you believe the priorities should be for the new Brackenridge Campus.
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I-35 Mobility
improvement proposed for I-35 and 51st Street
Mobility 35 will host an Open House to share proposed improvements to the southbound lanes of I-35 at 51st Street. Learn about the proposed changes and provide your feedback on Thursday, February 12th. Come by the Ridgetop Elementary School Gym at 5005 Caswell Avenue any time between 5 and 7:30 p.m.
Or, review proposed changes and share your comments at the Virtual Open House at www.mobility35.org. All comments received before February 26th will be included in the official Open House record.
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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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