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PLANNING MATRICES URGENT ISSUE SUMMATION
Basic Needs
- Basic needs resources (food, clothing and shelter) are fragmented and hard
to access.
- Too many people in this community are going without food, shelter or clothing.
Housing
- There is a significantly inadequate amount of affordable housing in our
community due to a lack of: corporate incentives to increase affordable housing;
development/building capacity focused on affordable housing; proactive policies
(appropriately zoned land, dedicated resources and an efficient development
and review process)
- Too many policy makers and community members are not fully aware of the
extent or complexity of the affordable housing crisis in our region and the
impact of a "Not in My Backyard " (NIMBY) community attitude.
- The community is rapidly losing existing affordable homes and apartments
to gentrification, development, deterioration and loss of affordable subsidies.
Homelessness
- Many families and individuals become homeless or cannot transition out of
homelessness because of the shortage of affordable housing.
- Many families and individuals become homeless or cannot transition out of
homelessness because of the shortage of transitional housing
- Many people are turned away from shelters, put on a waiting list, or cannot
utilize existing facilities due to lack of space and/or special needs (safety,
mental health, addiction status).
- Financial hardship and extremely high housing costs are leading to an increased
number of people becoming homeless.
Early Education and Care
- Good quality child care is not available to all families.
- Too many parents are isolated and lack the support to effectively raise
their children
- Many families cannot afford good quality child care.
- The critical importance of educating and raising children is not widely
understood and valued.
Education
- There is a shortage of qualified/certified teachers
- K-12 students are often unprepared to succeed in higher education or the
workforce
- Not enough students are encouraged to enroll in challenging courses/programs.
- High expectations are not consistently communicated to all students.
- Student learning often suffers due to family and community issues (housing,
basic needs, family violence, etc) that are not effectively addressed.
- Resources are fragmented and hard for families and educators to access.
- Too many students are not on track to attain their educational goals or
do not remain in school.
Workforce Development
- Not all stakeholders are fully involved in effective efforts to promote
academic success and workforce solutions.
- Many community members are not aware of financial aid, education and training
opportunities.
- Too few private sector employers are actively engaged in addressing their
employees' child care needs.
Health
- There are significant mental and physical health disparities among some
populations of Travis County.
- There is a lack of focus and sufficient resources to promote creative, effective
efforts in preventing illness and injury, and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
- Not all people have equal access to mental and physical health care services.
- Substance abuse has a negative impact on many aspects of health and quality
of life in this community.
- Persons who use, abuse, or are addicted to substances cannot access the
treatment they need and want.
- Residents of Travis County are not receiving coordinated, consistent and
integrated services to PREVENT substance abuse.
- Our community is not consistently receiving substance abuse services
based upon the most effective principles, strategies, approaches and
models.
Mental Retardation/Developmental Disabilities
- A significant disparity exists in the employment rates of persons with mental
retardation and developmental disabilities (MR/DD).
- People with MR/DD are often excluded from participation in community activities
due to issues with accessibility, lack of financial resources, and lack of
support.
- There is no coordinated, responsible system for responding to persons with
MR/DD who are in crisis.
- There are over one thousand persons with MR/DD waiting for appropriate
services, such as respite, affordable and accessible care, and specialized
assistance, in Travis County
- People with MR/DD are over-represented in the Travis County percentages
for unemployment, poverty, limited and ineffective education and child care,
and involvement with the justice system.
Public Safety
- The importance of emphasizing effective public safety strategies is not
fully understood by policymakers and community members.
- Resources for youth and families, victims and offenders are fragmented and
difficult to access
- The community does not have the data necessary to make informed public
safety planning decisions.
- Funding for prevention and intervention is inadequate to meet the needs
of the community and prevent crime
2001 Urgent Issues Action Plan Home Page
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