Resource Development

Rapid Response Required

By Darnell Shields Executive Director, Austin Coming Together

Historically, Austin has experienced many inequities that have limited access to the resources and opportunities crucial for its residents to live healthy lives.

These economic and social conditions are referred to as social determinants of health. For decades, areas like Austin have struggled as a result of a lack of investment in almost all determinants, such as education, physical environment, healthcare access, and employment. COVID-19 and the civil unrest that has followed have compounded conditions even further.

Many of Austin’s social service agencies were unexpectedly paralyzed. From the urgent need to reconfigure programming to fit virtual platforms, to finding creative funding sources to cover unbudgeted expenses, the survival of several organizations continues to be at risk. “Going forward, existing businesses must be comfortable in an environment that is likely changed forever,” said Ed Coleman, President and CEO of West Side Forward, an Austin-based nonprofit evolving from Bethel New Life whose services have provided critical guidance to entrepreneurs and business owners during this time. When a crisis strikes, a community’s infrastructure is tested. So for Austin, the last few months have been an unprecedented stress test. The COVID-19 pandemic forced us all to confront our weaknesses. It has made clear for all the unstable ground on which we stand.

With a situation as new and complex as this, there is no one solution. But there is certainly a desperate need for action.

SOME REAL SOLUTIONS

Austin Coming Together (ACT) immediately increased our outreach, surveys, and strategy sessions. Since 2010, ACT’s goal has always been to create sustainable solutions to address Austin’s core needs, and that means adapting to change. Although the challenge was new, we took it on the same way we always have: by listening to the community and leveraging the assets we do have to create the greatest impact.

Austin Coming Together (ACT) created a COVID-19 response strategy to decrease the short-term, negative impact of the pandemic on Austin, while also assisting the community to continue upward momentum for the future. The strategy builds on ACT’s existing work and on the community’s strengths to support Austin through:

1

Advocacy 2 Communication 3 Resource Development 4 Resource Deployment

For ACT, our work is relational. Having such part of Austin’s essential support network strong relationships with key partners, and like ACT, had to pivot to the nuances of frontline services, and block clubs who were our shaken landscape. able to identify families with the highest need “We have seen a drastic increase in people allowed us to quickly respond. Those partners seeking our help. Since March, we have have become essential expanded our service in executing our provisions to include response efforts. financial payment In order to connect assistance, rental residents to the Going forward, existing and homeownership resources they need and improve the quality businesses must be resources to more than 700 households,” of their lives, ACT’s Austin Community Hub comfortable in an says Athena Williams, Executive Director of team continues to build environment that is likely Oak Park Regional relationships with the Housing Center and community. The Hub changed forever. Co-Chair and Strategy is among others like Lead of Austin Forward. it across Chicago that ED COLEMAN, PRESIDENT Together’s Housing make up United Way AND CEO OF WEST SIDE FORWARD Task Force. The OPRHC of Metro Chicago’s agency has also been Neighborhood Network busy providing rental Initiative. Austin’s Hub team has led ACT’s counseling and property management resource deployment of everything from PPE education to property owners. supplies, food, and laptops, to connections And this ability to persevere by always to direct financial assistance, and COVID-19 listening and flexing to community needs testing. hasn’t gone unnoticed. Longtime partners HOW TO MOVE FORWARD are razor focused and new ones are realizing Although the future may seem uncertain, one the time for commitment is now. thing I know for sure is that if we are to be “...there is this incredible knowledge and successful in saving lives, we must address power of communities in addressing large the underlying systemic issues that will still scale problems, and we want to support plague Austin long after the virus does. that,” said Kimberlee Guenther, Chief Impact Efforts to improve social determinants for Officer at United Way of Metro Chicago. Austinites must be endorsed. One of those United Way’s Chicago COVID-19 Relief is a quality-of-life plan for Austin, created by Fund made it possible for nonprofits in the and for the community, called Austin Forward. Neighborhood Network, such as ACT, to Together. Supported by the Local Initiatives leverage unrestricted donations that could Support Corporation (LISC), ACT facilitated a be used where necessary. two-year planning phase involving over 500 The initial support from that Relief Fund community stakeholders. The result was a allowed us to create the Austin COVID-19 shared community vision and a roadmap for Relief Fund, enabling ACT to provide subeconomic revitalization. Implementation of grants to threatened organizations as well as the five-year strategic plan began in 2019. direct deposits to struggling residents. Austin Forward. Together is empowering But although incredibly helpful, these efforts residents to carry out 84 actions across are all just temporary. We must keep up this seven issue areas: Community Narrative, dialogue on innovative ways to fix the City’s Economic Development, Housing, Public deep-rooted problems if we are to bring Safety, Education, Youth Empowerment, Civil the magnitude of resources truly needed to Engagement. neighborhoods like Austin. MORE ACTION NEEDED We are seeing an increased interest in The plan has made significant progress, but neighborhood-led support, but to fully there is still much to do. rebound from economic deprivation, Austin The organizations committed to carrying before. n out the work in Austin Forward. Together are needs reinvestment at a level it has not seen