|
|
|
The Equity Action Team (EAT) is a coalition of community members and City of Austin staff focused on advancing racial equity in our communities through partnerships with City departments, non-profits, philanthropic entities and community-based groups.
The EAT meetings are dedicated to critical discussions and strategizing on how to best improve the quality of life for most directly impacted communities in Austin. Join the EAT and find more information on the dashboard.
Everyone is welcome to join the EAT! As a member, your responsibility is to attend and bring your community with you. During our meetings, we hear from community members and City staff to understand community needs and City projects and work together to produce better outcomes for all.
|
|
|---|
|
EQUITY OFFICE ANNOUNCEMENTS |
|
|---|
|
|
Saturday, January 27th, 2024
9:30am-4:30pm at VUKA North Lamar
You can access all graphics for various media, prepped posts, and an email invite template all in one place.
We can't wait to see you there! |
|
|---|
|
|
 |
đź”” Winter Warming Station Alert for Austin, Texas! đź””
As the temperatures drop, it's crucial to know where to find warming stations in Austin. Stay warm and safe this winter by checking our interactive map for real-time updates on available warming stations.
🗺️ Interactive Map: Click HERE to access up to date warming station information via an interactive map
đź”” To Stay Informed:
âś… To be prepared:
- Keep your water shutoff cleared and accessible
- Keep pipes insulated if possible. Pipes can also be kept warm by leaving cabinet doors open
- Disconnect any outdoor hoses and turn off automatic sprinklers
- Drip one faucet to prevent freezing
- If needed, get your heater serviced ASAP
- Do NOT use kerosene/gas heaters, in a closed environment
- Do NOT use your stovetop or oven as a heater
- Make sure your smoke detector works and has backup batteries. Austin Fire Department provides free smoke detectors
- If using a fireplace, make sure to use proper firewood
- If using a fireplace, do not restrict chimney airflow
- Have a 7-day supply of food & water
- Prepare a go-bag with emergency supplies
- Establish a line of communication w/ your neighbors
- Do not drive unless needed
- If you must drive, check road conditions
- If you must drive, share your route and location with a friend
- Report traffic sign outages to 311 - treat malfunctioning signs as a 4-way stop
🌡️ Warming Centers:
- Austin Public Library & Austin Parks and Recreation Department facilities are currently serving as warming centers
- Though most City facilities will be closed on Monday, 1/15, due to the MLK Jr Holiday, three libraries (Little Walnut Creek, Ruiz, & Terrazas branches) will serve as warming centers 9 AM - 6 PM
🛌 Overnight Cold Weather Shelters:
Cold Weather Shelters will be activated for Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday nights. These facilities are meant for overnight sheltering from the cold, primarily for people experiencing homelessness. Registration will be at the One Texas Center (OTC).
More embarkation and registration information will be posted online at AustinTexas.gov/alerts. Individuals can also get information about access and activation by calling the Cold Weather Shelter Hotline at 512-972-5055.
|
|
|---|
|
|
Martin Luther King, Jr. Visits the University of Texas Campus in March of 1962
Martin Luther King Jr. visited UT to speak out against racism and segregation. This panel features former UT students who were here back then, when they worked for The Daily Texan, to discuss Dr. King’s visit and that historical moment in the struggle for integration, on campus, in businesses on the Drag (Guadalupe St.), and beyond, even in Mississippi, reporting that black students were suspended, student government was eliminated, and reporters were being beaten because of protests against segregation.
Photo from MLK's visit to UT Austin, courtesty of the Briscoe Center |
|
|---|
|
|
|
Edited by Cole Brown and Natalie Johnson
In this exquisite anthology of letters and illustrations, Cole Brown and Natalie Johnson bring together a constellation of influential Black figures to write to the people, places, and moments that mean the most to them. With a foreword from John Legend and contributions from Brontez Purnell, Morgan Jerkins, Reverend Al Sharpton, and Dr. Imani Perry, among many others, Black Love Letters is an ode to a phenomenal community: a testament to the fact that where there has been pain and suffering, there has also always been immeasurable, irrepressible joy and love. |
|
|---|
|
|
SURVEYS & COMMUNITY INPUT |
|
|---|
|
 |
|
A CHIP (Community Health Improvement Plan) is an action-oriented plan that outlines the community health issues based on CHA (Community Health Assessment) findings. The community and partners work together to identify how issues will be addressed and how to measure progress. Ultimately, the long-term goal is to improve the community’s health.
(Source: National Association of County and City Health Officials (NACCHO)
Community members, partners, and stakeholders are working together to address health issues where we live, learn, work, and play. Events were convened where Community members discussed what improvements they would like to see. This process and its findings are summarized in the Community Health Assessment (CHA). Using the community’s feedback, a comprehensive Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP) was drafted. Partners and stakeholders throughout Austin/ Travis County are working on the CHIP’s strategies and objectives with the shared goal of making measurable progress in each area.
|
|
|---|
|
|
Be part of the bigger picture!
It’s time to make our home better for today and for the future.
Climate change affects us all, but the impacts are not felt equally across Austin. To address the worst impacts of climate change, we must set our sights on making Austin a more equitable city that is less reliant on fossil fuels and more resilient to a changing climate. The Austin Climate Equity Plan lays out our city’s strategy for local climate action, and it requires the collective efforts of each and every one of us to foster meaningful change.
Watch Austin’s Climate Equity Plan: Be Part of the Bigger Picture — a new video that helps you learn more about the goals of the Austin Climate Equity Plan and ways that you can get involved.
|
|
|---|
|
|
CITY & COMMUNITY HAPPENINGS |
|
|---|
|
|
Join us this Sunday at Austin Film Society where the Equity Office will be tabling at the event!
Featured Screening:
Razing Liberty Square
Date: Sunday, January 14
Time: 4:00 PM
Venue: AFS Cinema, 6406 N I-35 Suite 3100, Austin, TX 78752
Liberty City, Miami, holds a profound history as one of the oldest segregated public housing projects in the U.S. Today, rising sea levels have transformed its higher ground into real estate gold, driving a wave of interest from wealthy property owners. This shift has created a speculators' market, impacting the historically Black neighborhood that has been overlooked for far too long.Following the screening, we'll have a thought-provoking panel discussion to guide the audience in deepening an understanding of the challenges faced by Liberty City, how these challenges are reflected in Austin, and inspire us to be agents of positive change toward racial equity. FREE and Open to All! |
|
|---|
|
|
|
In honor of National School Choice Week, we are hosting an Austin School Fair!There will be schools from all around the city hosting tables to meet with families and allow parents to find the right educational setting for their children. As a bonus, all families that attend will receive FREE admission to the Bob Bullock Museum. We will also have other family-friendly activities, such as face painting, balloon twisting, a photo booth, snacks, and more!Bring the whole family for this day of fun. You can meet with great schools, let the kids get their face painted, and spend the day at the historic Bob Bullock Museum!
Event Date: Saturday, January 20, 2024
Time: 10am-1pm
ONE ticket per family!
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
Due to Extreme Weather Conditions and in interest of protecting the public from extended outdoor exposure, Monday's march will start at the MLK Statue and end at the Capitol.
The Festival and Food Drive will be rescheduled for Saturday, january 27th from 11am to 3:30pm at Huston-Tillotson University.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
Join us for a morning of inspiration and collaboration at Rise and Shine: Networking for Homelessness Solutions, sponsored by Canva!
Event Overview: January 26, 2024, 9am
Start your day by connecting with like-minded individuals who are passionate about finding solutions to homelessness. During this informal gathering, you will have the opportunity to engage in meaningful conversations, build valuable connections, and explore potential collaborations. This event aims to bring together professional fundraisers, marketing experts, and nonprofit leaders to share ideas, resources, and success stories.
Together, we can help make a difference for our community and work towards a future where homelessness is rare, brief, and nonrecurring. So, mark your calendars and get ready to rise and shine with us!
For inquiries, please contact Sunrise Homeless Navigation Center's events team at events@sunriseaustin.org.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
When: Wednesday, January 24, 2024
Time: 9 a.m. - 12 p.m.
Where: Palmer Events Center
Since 2013, this event has been helping high school students explore careers and higher education. Over 3000 students have already been part of this cool experience! With 200+ booths covering lots of different jobs, the Youth Career Fest is one of the biggest events in the city! You can meet professionals, hear from awesome speakers, and get ready for life after graduation. Guess what? The Equity Office will be there too! We want to talk about why your voices matter in building an equitable future for all, and what career opportunities are out there that relate to your interests and skills.
Why should you come?
- Check out different jobs
- Learn about college options
- Meet people in different careers
- Listen to cool speakers
Excited to be part of this? Have questions? Email youthcareerfest@austintexas.gov!
|
|
|---|
|
|
Join Families Empowered for the Adelante Conference 2024 at the DoubleTree Hotel in North Austin on February 24th, 2024!
The conference will be a full of enriching sessions, networking, and shared learning about multilingual education. Connect with colleagues, discover innovative approaches, and fuel your passion for multilingual education.
Learn more about the ¡Adelante! Conference 2024 and register here to attend!
|
|
|---|
|
|
 |
The Blanton Museum of Art Presents...
Unbreakable: Feminist Visions from the Gilberto Cardenas and Dolores Garcia Collection
On Display Until March 31, 2024
Unbreakable presents artworks with an emphasis on Latina and Chicana artists and their stories of survival and resilience. Selected from the landmark Gilberto Cárdenas and Dolores Garcia Collection, which the Blanton recently acquired, these works explore a major theme shaping the couple’s distinctive collecting practice: art with a feminist framework. Created with various techniques since the 1970s, these works of art represent the act of surviving difficult or violent realities, ranging from immigration and poverty to misogyny and genocide. Artists make figures visible in society who have been overlooked or exploited over time, championing matriarchs, community members,
malcriadas [bad-mannered girls], domestic workers, and the rebellious “other.” The artists in
Unbreakable present the ways in which women and gender nonconforming people navigate, surpass, and dismiss societal boundaries, advocating the belief that a feminist future is possible.
Curated by Claudia Zapata, Associate Curator, Latino Art, Blanton Museum of Art.
|
|
|---|
|
|
GRANTS | TRAINING | SERVICES |
|
|---|
|
|
Jan 26, 2024 09:00 AM on Zoom (Must register to attend)
This training is PART 1 of 3. This training focuses on aspects to improve the co-occurring treatment of trauma and substance abuse issues. By the end of this training, participants will be able to recognize the signs and symptoms of trauma; Integrate knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices; and explore ways to actively avoid re-traumatization. 2 CE hours are offered through NAADAC and NBCC.
|
|
|---|
|
|
Dispute Resolution in Special Education
Join the Texas Education Agency and SpedTex (Special Education Information Center) for this free statewide webinar on January 31, 2024, at 12:15 p.m. (CT).
Staff from the Texas Education Agency (TEA) will be presenting on strategies and ideas for how to identify and resolve disagreements related to special education at the local level. Additionally, TEA will provide an overview of the dispute resolution options available at the state level.
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
Check out this resource list was put together by Travis County, the City of Austin, and various organizations listed on the website to provide residents with information on digital Central Texas resources.
¿Habla español? Aprenda información sobre los recursos digitales del centro de Texas, en español.
Find help with digital resources at
|
|
|---|
|
|
Distribution Dates for January 2024:
Tuesday, January 23rd (4th Tuesday) |
|
|---|
|
|
The City of Austin Housing Department announces that applications are open for 8 million dollars of rental assistance and eviction prevention support. Administered by El Buen Samaritano, the City’s new I Belong in Austin program will provide financial assistance with rent, moving, and storage/relocation costs for tenants at risk of eviction. Residents are encouraged to review eligibility and apply for rental assistance at www.AustinTexas.gov/RENT.
El Departamento de Vivienda de la Ciudad de Austin anuncia que se han abierto las solicitudes para asistencia para el pago del alquiler y prevención de desalojo por 8 millones de dólares. Administrado por El Buen Samaritano, el nuevo programa “I Belong in Austin” de la ciudad brindará asistencia financiera para costos de alquiler, mudanza y almacenamiento/reubicación para inquilinos en riesgo de desalojo. Alentamos a los residentes a revisar la elegibilidad y solicitar asistencia para el alquiler en www.AustinTexas.gov/RENT.
|
|
|---|
|
|
The City of Austin's Boards & Commissions Need YOU!
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
Williamson County Point-In-Time Count January 2024!
WilCo Homeless Coalition:
homelesswilco@gmail.com
What is the PIT Count?
The Point-In-Time (PIT) aims to provide a snapshot of individuals and families experiencing homelessness in our county, over the course of one night.
Why do we need Volunteers?
Volunteers are needed to survey unhoused neighbors. The data is used to help our community in the fight to end homelessness.
How can I get involved?
Email: homelesswilco@gmail.com
https://tinyurl.com/WHCPIT
DONATIONS NEEDED!
Gift Cards (small $5-$10 gas, fast food, grocery stores, etc.)
Harm Reduction Kits
Individually wrapped snacks
Small Flashlights (with batteries)
Sponsorship Opportunities Available for Businesses!
For donation arrangement, please contact
rogelio.deleon@amerigroup.com
|
|
|---|
|
|
|
|
 | | |
|  |
|
|
|
|
