Austin Interfaith Agenda 2013

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Austin Interfaith is a non-partisan coalition of 35 religious congregations, public schools and worker organizations that teach ordinary citizens the skills to act effectively in the public arena. This agenda was developed through hundreds of Individual Meetings and small group House Meetings with thousands of people throughout Central Texas.

Good Jobs/Living Wages

Our poverty rate (21%) is higher than the national average. Among children under 5 years, almost 1 in 3 live in poverty. We consider a living wage at least $33,000-$37,500 for a family of 4 ( $16-$18/hr.)

Increase funding at the federal, state, city, and county level for effective workforce development strategies, especially long-term training for living wage jobs to lift people out of poverty and into the middle class (e.g. Capital IDEA)
Ensure that the public sector pays living wages with benefits (eg. city, county, state, ACC, AISD, Capitol Metro).
Require companies that receive public subsidies and tax breaks to pay permanent employees and construction workers living wages with benefits, a career track, and strategy to hire locally.
Develop strategies to address middle-class and high-knowledge job losses through placement or necessary retraining.
Provide support for people exiting the justice system.
Work to ensure safe working conditions and just wages for constructions workers, cab drivers, and service workers.

Creative Education for a Creative Economy

Engage business and political leaders in developing a comprehensive strategy for education and workforce (pre-k-16, community college, university, after school programs, college scholarships, adult job training and vocational training).
Work to maintain funding for full-day Pre-K for all students on a sliding scale.
Hold school districts accountable to preparing students for the skills needed in the new economy.
Broaden performance standards beyond standardized tests to include graduation rates, college readiness, and workforce placement; this would require changing instruction and impacting federal, state, and school district policy.
Develop strategies to make college more affordable for all students.
Develop a constituency of parents, teachers, school employees, and community members to support public education.

Affordable Health Care

The uninsured rate in Austin is higher than the national average

Ensure that public entities (city, county, state, ACC, AISD, Cap Metro) provide affordable healthcare for employee families.
Expand accessibility and funding for CHIP, Medicaid, and Medicare.
Develop strategies for affordable healthcare for middle class families and veterans.
Expand access and funding for neighborhood clinics (creation of the Dove Springs Multipurpose Health Clinic)
Expand access to healthcare, including preventative and mental health services.
Provide access to dignified quality of life for elders and living wage jobs for their care workers.

Community Safety

Improve police relationships with the African-American community and other minority neighborhoods.
Develop effective strategies to reduce crime in neighborhoods across Austin.
Develop strategies to reduce violence against homeless people.

Immigration

Work for comprehensive immigration reform with pathways to citizenship, workers’ protection and family reunification.
Support the Dream Act
Strengthen the capacity of our institutions to help immigrant families deal with the pressures they face. (eg. Liaison Program with Sheriff’s Department, ESL classes)
Develop public safety policies that do not lead to unnecessary deportation of immigrants for minor offenses.

Affordable Housing

Many families have been displaced due to increased property values. 48% of renters pay 30% or more of income on housing. On average there are approximately 4,000 homeless in Austin per night.

Increase accessibility and public and private investment in affordable housing.
Work with public officials to prevent the elderly and near-elderly from being forced to relocate due to increased property values. Develop strategies to reduce the property tax burden on the most vulnerable.
Work to increase funding for transitional homes, overnight shelters and long-term housing for the homeless, especially the youth. Provide access for daily needs of the homeless such as water, bathrooms and showers.
Keep utilities – electric, gas and water – affordable, making sure that houses of worship and the most vulnerable are not disproportionately burdened.

Austin Interfaith Agenda of Issues 2011

1. GOOD JOBS for a strong middle-class:

· Long-term Job Training: Investment in adult workforce development for living wage jobs.

· Living wages: Living wage requirement for businesses getting taxpayer subsidies to relocate to Austin

· Safe working conditions: OSHA 10-hour training for all workers on city-subsidized projects

· Legacy Permits: Portable permits to veteran taxi drivers so that they can compete for a living wage

2. GOOD SCHOOLS: Creative education for a creative economy

· Innovative education strategies with neighborhood schools to prepare all students for college and a career.

· All day pre-kindergarten; No school closures, Minimize campus level staff cuts.

3. More affordable and accessible HEALTHCARE to include both physical and mental health.

4. Improve POLICE RELATIONS and responsiveness with minority and immigrant communities.

5. Maintain police focus on public safety and not on enforcement of federal IMMIGRATION laws.

6. Increase accessibility, as well as public & private investment in affordable HOUSING.

How Council Candidates Responded to this Agenda

Video Here

Austin Interfaith “Sign Up & Take Charge” Agenda 2010
www.austininterfaithvotes.org

Building a strong middle class and skilled workforce for shared prosperity

Austin Interfaith is a non-partisan coalition of 28 religious congregations, public schools and unions that teach ordinary citizens the skills to act effectively in the public arena. This agenda was developed through hundreds of Individual Meetings and small group House Meetings with thousands of people throughout Central Texas.

Good Jobs/Living Wages
Median income in Travis County has decreased by 11% since 1999; our poverty rate (16%) and child poverty rate (22%) are both higher than the national average.
• Increase funding at the federal, state, city, and county level for effective workforce development strategies, especially long-term training for living wage jobs to lift people out of poverty and into the middle class (eg. Capital IDEA)
• Ensure that the public sector pays living wages with benefits (eg. city, county, state, ACC, AISD).
• Require companies that receive public incentives and tax breaks to pay workers living wages with benefits and a career track, and recruit local workers.
• Develop strategies to address middle-class and high-knowledge job losses through placement or necessary retraining.

Creative Education for a Creative Economy
The graduation rate for AISD is 58.2, 56% of students need college remediation, both figures are higher than national figures.
• Engage business and political leaders in developing a comprehensive strategy for education and workforce (pre-k-12, community college, university, after school programs, college scholarships, adult job training and vocational training).
• Work to fund full day Pre-K to low income students and students whose second language is English.
• Hold school districts accountable to preparing students for the skills needed in the new economy.
• Broaden performance standards beyond standardized tests to include graduation rates, college readiness, and workforce placement; this would require changing instruction and impacting federal, state, and school district policy.
• Develop strategies to make college more affordable for all students.
• Deepen an education organizing strategy between schools and neighborhood congregations.

Affordable Health Care
25% of Travis County residents are uninsured. Travis County has the highest suicide rate in the state.
• Ensure that public entities (city, county, state, ACC, AISD) provide affordable healthcare for employee families.
• Expand accessibility and funding for CHIP, Medicaid, and Medicare. (eg. currently ½ of uninsured children in Texas are eligible for CHIP or Medicaid)
• Expand eligibility to Medicaid for adults to 100% of poverty level and extend reapplication period to 12 months.
• Expand access and funding for clinics through the Travis County Healthcare District(Dove’s Spring Clinic)
• Expand access to mental health services.
• Develop strategies for affordable healthcare for middle class families. (i.e. Ensure that the Texas Department of Insurance starts regulating Health Insurance Rates just as Auto and Home Insurance rates are regulated).

Police Relationships
• Develop and implement practices that improve police relationships and responsiveness with minority communities.

Immigration
In Travis County, 20% of the workforce is foreign born. 23% of immigrants live below the poverty level.
• Work for comprehensive immigration reform with pathways to citizenship, workers’ protection and family reunification.
• Support the Dream Act
• Strengthen the capacity of our institutions to help immigrant families deal with pressures they face.
• Increase funding and access for English as a Second Language Courses.

Affordable Housing
Fewer families are able to afford to live in Austin. Many families have been displaced due to increased property values. On average there are approximately 4,000 homeless in Austin per night.
• Increase accessibility and public and private investment in affordable housing.
• Work with public officials to prevent the elderly from being forced to relocate due to increased property values.
• Work to increase funding for transitional homes for the homeless.

Agenda de Interfaith del 2010 Firma y Toma las Riendas
www.austininterfaithvotes.org
Creando una Clase Media Fuerte y Trabajadores Capacitados para una prosperidad compartida

Austin Interfaith es una coalición no-partidista de 28 congregaciones, escuelas públicas y sindicatos que enseña a ciudadanos comunes las habilidades para actuar efectivamente en el ámbito público. Esta Agenda fue desarrollada a través de cientos de Reuniones Individualesm Reuniones de Casa en grupos pequeños con miles de personas en el Centro de Texas.

Trabajos buenos/salarios justos
El ingreso medio del condado de Travis ha desminuido 11% desde 1999; nuestro proporción de pobreza (16%) y proporción de pobreza de los niños (22%) son más altos que la proporción nacional.
 Aumentar fondos al nivel federal, estatal, de cuidad y condado- para estrategias que desarollan una fuerza laboral, especialmente programas de entrenamiento a largo plazo que eleven a personas de la pobreza y que entren en la clase media (Ejemplo: Capital IDEA).
 Asegurar que el sector public pague sueldos justos con prestaciones (la ciudad, el condado, el estado, ACC, AISD).
 Exigir que las compañías que reciben incentivos públicos y reducciones de impuestos paguen a sus trabajadores salarios justos con prestaciones y que cuenten con la posibilidad de hacer una carrera, y reclutar trabajadores locales.
 Desarrollar estrategias para encontrar soluciones a los trabajos pérdidos en la clase media y trabajos profesionales por medio de la relocalizacion o reentrenamiento.

Educación Creativa para una economía creativa
Las tasas de graduación de AISD es de 58.2, 56% de los estudiantes necesitan cursos de reforzamiento para la universidad. Ambos números son mas altos que las figuras nacionales.
• Involucrar lideres empresariales y políticos en el desarrollo de una estrategia para la educación y la fuerza laboral (pre-kinder al grado16, colegio comunitario, universidad, programas después de la escuela, becas universitarias, capacitación para adultos, y formacion profecional).
 Financiar día completo de Pre-Kinder a los estudiantes de bajos ingresos y estudiantes cuyo segundo idioma es el Inglés.
 Asegurar que el distrito escolar prepare a los estudiantes con las habilidades necesarias en la nueva economía.
 Ampliar las normas de rendimiento más allá de las pruebas TAKS para incluir las tasas de graduación, preparación universitaria, y colocacion de empleo, require cambiar instrucción y cambiar polisas estatales, federales y del distrito escolar.
 Desarrollar estrategias para hacer accesibles los estudios universitarios.
 Profundizar la estrategia de educación de la organizacion entre las escuelas y las congregaciones.

Cuidados médicos accesibles
25% de los residentes deTravis no tienen seguro médico. Travis tiene el índice mas grande de suicidios en el estado de Texas.
 Asegurar que entidades públicas (ciudad, condado, estado, ACC, AISD) tengan un plan de salud alcanzable para la familia del trabajador.
 Extender la accesibilidad y fondos para CHIP, Medicaid y Medicare. (Ex; 1/2 de los niños sin seguro médico en Texas califican para CHIP o Medicaid).
 Extender elegibilidad a Medicaid para adultos a 100% del nivel de pobreza y extender el periodo de reaplicación a 12 meses.
 Extender acceso y fondos para las clínicas por medio del distrito de salud del condado de Travis.
 Extender acceso a los servicios de salud mental.
 Desarrollar estrategias para un plan de salud accesible para las familias de la clase media. (p.ej. Asegurar que el Departamento de Seguros de Texas comience a regular las tarifas de Seguro Medico como las tarifas de Seguros para Vivienda o para Automóviles están reguladas)

Relaciones entre la policía y el público
• Desarrollar e implementar prácticas que mejoren las relaciones de respuesta con la policía y las comunidades minoritarias.

Inmigración
En Travis, 20% de los trabajadores es de orijen extranjero. 23% de los inmigrantes viven por debajo de la línea de pobreza.
 Trabajar para reformas migratoria integral con las vías a la ciudadanía, la protección de los trabajadores y la reunificación familiar
 Apoyar el Dream Act.
 Fortalecer la capacidad de nuestras instituciones para ayudar a las familias de inmigrantes a las presiones que enfrentan.
 Aumentar la financiación y el acceso de cursos de Inglés como Segundo Idioma (ESL).

Viviendas Asequible
Menos familias pueden vivir en Austin. Muchas familias han sido desplazadas debido al aumento del valor de las propiedades. En promedio hay 4000 personas approximadamente sin vivienda en Austin.
• Aumentar inversiones públicas y privadas para crear mas accesibilidad de viviendas asequible.
• Trabajar con funcionarios públicos para prevenir que las personas mayores sean forzadas a relocalizarse debido al aumento del valor de las propiedades.
• Trabajar para aumentar el financiamiento de casas de transición para la gente sin hogar.