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CANews
March 11, 2015
In This Issue
Austin Ranked #1 in Growth and Economic Segregation
CPPP: State of Texas Children Report
Children's Mental Health Plan
143% Increase in Suburban Poverty
Texas: 5th Fastest Diversifying State
Foundation Communities' Tax Prep Software
Community Health Forum
Free Women's Resource Fair
CAN Board meeting: Einstein Project

Kevin Johns, Director of the City of Austin Economic Development Department, will share information about a new initiative called the Einstein Project that will focus on opening doors between the Austin high tech community and Austin students. The meeting will begin at 1 p.m. on Friday, March 13th in the Boards and Commissions Room of Austin City Hall.

 

The meeting can be watched live or on demand on ATXN under the Boards and Commissions tab.

CAN Community Council: focus on Aging
The CAN Community Council is focusing its 2015 meetings on learning from non-profit organizations that use a person-centered service delivery approach. 

This month's CAN Community Council members heard from three panelists who discussed how their organizations use a person-centered approach to provide services to the aging population:  Mary Teeters with Meals on Wheels, Kent Herring with Family Eldercare, and Amy Temperley with H.A.N.D. Click here for full presentations. 

Next month's Community Council Meeting will take place on Monday, April 20th at 5:30 p.m. Community Council members will learn how local service providers use a person-centered approach to serve Austin's immigrant community. Community Council meetings are held in Multipurpose Room B at 700 Lavaca and are open to the public. 
RB21 logo
The Ready By 21 Coalition of Central Texas has updated the RB21 Dashboard. This on-line tool includes demographic data as well as updates on 25 indicators across the spectrum of child well-being.

 

CAN's Dashboard Report provides information on the socio-economic well-being of our community.  
  
Call (512) 414-0323 if you would like CAN staff to share a presentation of the findings of the report with your organization or community group. 
  
Cultural Competency, Diversity & Inclusion Toolkit 
 
Use these on-line resources and information to help your organization promote diversity, inclusion, and cultural competence.
 
Click below to find resources for increasing proficiency in cultural competency, diversity, and inclusion at the individual, organizational, and community levels: 
 
"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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Check out the CAN website for research and reports. 
You will also find the 2015 Work Plan and the agendas, minutes and presentations from the CAN Board of Directors and Community Council meetings.
Austin Ranks Number One 
in growth and economic segregation

The U.S. Census Bureau ranks Austin as the fastest growing major city in the nation, while another recent study shows prosperity is not shared by all.  

Segregated City, a report released by Richard Florida and  the Martin Prosperity Institute, takes a new approach to studying economic segregation in America by focusing on income, education, and occupation. The study finds that Austin is ranked number one among large metros in the United States for economic segregation, finding that those without a high school degree are highly segregated within the city. 

 

Richard Florida is the Director of the Cities Project at The Martin Prosperity Institute housed at the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.  

 

Click here to view the full report.
Despite Some Gains, 25% of Texas Kids Live in Poverty 
new report  provides policy recommendations 

  

One in four Texas children live in poverty, threatening their potential and the state's continued prosperity. According to State of Texas Children 2015, a recently released report from the Center for Public Policy Priorities, improvements in health care and school nutrition don't compensate for inadequate investments in education and child protection. 

State of Texas Children 2015 is part of Texas Kids Count, a project of the Center for Public Policy Priorities, and is supported by the Annie E. Casey Foundation and Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas. 

Click here for full report and CPPP policy recommendations.
Children's Mental Health Plan
A coordinated five-year plan to improve the wellness of children in Travis County

  

The Travis County Children's Mental Health Plan is a coordinated, five-year plan to improve the wellness of children and youth in Travis County. The plan is built upon three assumptions: 

(1) investments in prevention and early intervention can result in significant community savings; 

(2) social and emotional development are essential to school readiness, academic success and economic prosperity; and 

(3) a comprehensive, coordinated children's behavioral health system can help maximize resources, minimize duplication of services, and divert high-risk children and youth from the criminal justice and foster care systems.   

 

Click here to access the full report. 

Study shows calls for help increased 143% in the suburbs 
2-1-1 Call data shows community needs and trends for the Greater Austin area 

  

Since 1996,  United Way for Greater Austin (UWATX) has helped residents navigate the complex system of health and human services in Central Texas through its Navigation Center: a simple,
one-call access point to nonprofits and government resources. 

The most recent data showcases the suburbanization of poverty in our region. While 2-1-1 call volume stabilized in Central and East Austin, UWATX found a significant increase in call volume from outlying areas, including Pflugerville, Manor, San Marcos and portions of Bastrop County.

Click here to view the full report.  

Texas: The fifth fastest diversifying State in the U.S.    

Brookings Institute predicts the U.S. will be "majority-minority" by 2044 

        

The United States is projected to be "majority-minority" by 2044, according to the Bookings Institute Diversity Explosion interactive. Generally, younger age groups are much more diverse than older age groups.

Some diversity stats for Texas:
  • Share of people of color 19 and under:  67%
  • Share of people of color 65 and older:  34%
Click here to view the interactive map detailing the diversification rate for the Austin-Round Rock MSA.
Foundation Communities Tax Preparation Software
Free and easy to use tax preparation software to help low income individuals

   

Foundation Communities Tax Centers are open and ready to help local clients file their taxes. For those who cannot make it to one of their locations, they now offer TaxAct, an online tax preparation software.  Households earning less than $51,000 annually who access the software using the Community Tax Centers dedicated URL, won't be charged a cent for preparing and filing online.  

  

The TaxAct link is available by clicking here, or you can locate it through www.communitytaxcenters.org.

Community Health Forum
Learn about strategies to improve community health

   

A public forum on the Austin/Travis County Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) will be held on Tuesday, March 31st, from 6:30 to 8:00 pm at Austin City Hall. The forum will focus on reviewing progress made in the first year of the three-year health plan and discussing objectives and strategies for year two.

 

Since August 2011, the Austin/Travis County Health and Human Services Department, Travis County Health and Human Services and Veteran's Services, Central Health, St. David's Foundation, Seton Healthcare Family, Austin/Travis County Integral Care, Capital Metro, and other partners have been leading a comprehensive community health planning effort to measurably improve the health of Austin/Travis County residents.  

 

Click here to review the full Health Assessment and Improvement Plan.
Free Women's Resource Fair
To provide services to homeless and low-income women and children


The Austin Young Lawyers Association puts on the free Women's Resource Fair each year for homeless and low-income women and children.  The Women's Resource Fair will be held on Saturday, March 28th, from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m at the Schmidt-Jones Family Life Center, 1300 Lavaca Street.

 

The Women's Resource Fair offers free medical services, legal services, mental health services, education and employment counseling, debt and credit counseling, a free clothing closet, free hair-cuts, free breakfast and lunch, and childcare during the event.  There are no qualification requirements.
 
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