Leadership training in Spanish co-hosted with the Catholic Diocese
50 leaders from Catholic parishes throughout Austin gathered at Dolores Catholic Church for a half-day of intensive leadership training.
Spanish-speaking Austin Interfaith leaders collaborated with Gil Leija, Director of Hispanic Ministry for the Diocese, to conduct the session and support leadership among immigrants and Spanish-speakers in Catholic churches.
Collaborations established with the University of Texas at Austin
Austin Interfaith was a community partner in a spring semester graduate course that focused on health disparities in central Texas .
Two leaders were enrolled in the course itself and Austin Interfaith collaborated with the professors and students to host a public education workshop for Spanish speakers at Dolores Catholic Church and to present at the international Abriendo Brecha: Activist Scholarship Conference. In addition, an undergraduate anthropology student interned with Austin Interfaith to support research and organizing efforts around health care issues.
House meeting and individual meeting campaigns continue at institutions across Austin
Our Lady of Guadalupe Church's social justice ministry has recently completed a house meeting campaign at their church and St. Catherine of Sienna Church's Community Concerns and Advocacy group is beginning house meetings around health care issues in their parish community. New member Congregation Kol Halev has begun an individual meeting campaign, and institutions such as San Jose, Dolores, and St. Ignatius are using the summer months for individual meeting campaigns as well.
These are the conversations that make it possible to know the people in our communities, stay in tune with the pressures that regular Austinites are facing, and ground plans for action to address them.
St. Ignatius and San Jose leaders work with County Clerk on early voting sites
When a popular and highly utilized early voting location at the HEB on South Congress and Oltorf was unexpectedly moved, southside leaders organized to work with County Clerk Dana DeBeauvoir, HEB employees, the media, and member institutions to minimize the negative effect on voter turnout at this location. They helped publicize the new early voting location and, as a result, increased turnout at the new location in the final days of early voting.
St. Ignatius wins a crosswalk with lights
Leaders of the organizing team at St. Ignatius secured a much needed crosswalk with safety lights. The walk crosses Oltorf Street and connects the church to the HEB parking lot where many parishioners park.
Capital IDEA receives Federal Funding
Austin Interfaith leaders met with Rep. Lloyd Doggett in the summer to discuss the need for a deeper commitment from the federal government to long-term job training for families in Austin. Thanks to the work of Austin Interfaith leaders and Rep. Doggett, the new Federal budget signed 12/27/2007 includes a $238,000 appropriation for Capital IDEA!
Water Lines laid near Santa Barbara
Santa Barbara parishioners and their neighbors are seeing the fruits of their labor. The water lines have finally been laid in the community of Plainview Estates where a number of Santa Barbara parishioners have been living without running water for up to six years. In addition to the public funds that Austin Interfaith fought for and won from Travis County this past April, families now also need to pay for their individual hookups. Because their organizing experience was an opportunity for them to build strong relationships and effective organizing strategies, they are working collaboratively to raise the funds needed to connect all the families to the water mains.
Dolores Catholic Church Signs Up and Takes Charge
Over 600 signatures on Dolores Catholic Church's agenda of issues have been collected in the last six months. One of the issues that was raised during Dolores's house meeting campaign was the need to understand and address the church's budget. The organizing team presented this information to their fellow parishioners during religious education classes and during Sunday Mass, and collections immediately increased, including one mass that doubled its regular contribution.
Public Housing Authority recommends new management at Travis Park Apartments
St. Ignatius, San Jose, Prince of Peace, and Travis Heights Elementary have continued to work with public housing residents to improve the living conditions at the Travis Park Apartments. After several meetings with HUD authorities and other public officials, including U.S. Representative Lloyd Doggett, Southwest Housing Authority recommended that there be a management change at the apartments. This is an important step in creating a safe and decent place to live for all Travis Park residents.
250 House Meetings held so far this year
Since June, 150 house meetings have been held at St. Ignatius, San Jose, Mt. Olive, Dolores, Santa Barbara, and St. Thomas More. This brings the total number of house meetings conducted this year to 250! By holding these meetings the congregations are able to build networks of relationships where leaders are identified, and where people know one another's interests so they are then able to develop agendas of issues that reflect what is most important to the entire congregation.