Initiative aims to improve Hispanic quality of life

By Kelsey Wilkinson Friday, 23 October 2009

AUSTIN — Nearly half a million Hispanics live in the greater Austin area, and with newly obtained information, city officials are trying to determine the best way to serve Austin’s largest minority group. Data collected for the Hispanic Quality of Life Initiative, established in May 2008 to identify areas of improvement for the Hispanic population, was released to the city council in late August. Recommendations in the report could lead to new partnerships between the city and outside organizations.

“We know that to be successful with the community, we have to partner with other groups whose primary mission is to address those other needs,” said Rudy Garza, Austin assistant city manager and one of the principal organizers of the initiative. “When we advertise the City of Austin, we promote it as a great city, which it is, but there is a big group that does not get to enjoy the same quality of life.”

The initiative was inspired by a 2005 city resolution that concentrated on improving the quality of life for African-Americans. City officials are still in the process of implementing the recommended changes identified through that initiative, but in spring 2008 they turned their efforts toward the Hispanic community as well.

Delivering the data

Nearly 1,800 people from Austin’s Hispanic population contributed to the study by completing an extensive survey and participating in community forums. The forums included topics covering health care, education, economic development/housing and cultural arts. Participants were also asked to prioritize the most pressing issues.

The city contracted consulting firm Adelante Solutions Inc. to collect and analyze data. Based on the forums, Adelante reported that 34 percent of Hispanics rated the overall quality of life in Austin good to very good, while 37 percent said it was adequate and 29 percent rated it poor to very poor.

Adelante, led by former Austin Chief of Staff Paul Saldaña, made recommendations to the council that ranged from minor, budget-friendly policy changes to greater ones, such as offering more services in Spanish and establishing new programs.

“Some of the recommendations are still general recommendations,” Saldaña said. “Not all of our recommendations have budget implications.”

Education

Arguably the biggest issue affecting the Hispanic population is education. The Texas Education Agency reports that only 68.5 percent of Austin ISD’s Hispanic students complete high school, compared with 87.8 percent of white students.

Paul Cruz, chief of school operations for Austin ISD, said he attributes dropping out to poor grades and a lack of investment in the school. He said the district works with the city to bring attention to the issue, but there is still progress to be made.

“The first thing, which we do work with the city on, is to make sure that people are aware of the high drop out rate,” Cruz said. “We know that the dropout rate has been at that level for a few years, and working together with the city, we can eliminate that.”

The city is currently involved in a program that offers students access to computers and the internet, but Garza said he believes the city should go further and make efforts to partner with AISD across several categories.

“What we do believe is that in Austin, we have a role as being a partner to help the school districts and help the kids,” Garza said. “There may be some opportunities for the city to help with tutoring programs. And knowing we are reaching a point where 40 percent of our community is Hispanic, and many come from a background where English is a second language, we need to have programs so people can communicate with educators.”

Education of the Hispanic community is crucial not only to the Hispanic population but to the city’s infrastructure as a whole.

“Latino communities are the spark plug of America’s economic engine,” Saldaña said., “but [Latinos] haven’t learned to link that with education and be self sustaining and just have more economic progress.”

Business

The area’s further economic success hinges on keeping the Hispanic population active in the city’s economic engine. Nationally, the purchasing power of Hispanic businesses totals nearly $9 billion every year.

Garza said he hopes to initiate programs focused on job training, which will also turn the engine. The city already works with organizations like the Greater Austin Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, but members of that partnering organization are eager to see more city involvement.

“We are in partnership with the City of Austin Housing Authority, and they have been supportive from a visibility point of view,” GAHCC President Andy Martinez said about a Hispanic business incubator program that the chamber operates. “They haven’t invested into it financially. We want to get some investment from the city and hire more instructors because we have people on a waitlist right now. A lot of people think now is the time to start a business. Those are the kinds of things that I hope will come out of this initiative. Let’s not reinvent the wheel; let’s just work smarter.”

Cost to the city

City staff members are optimistic about the changes that will take place as a result of the initiative but said they did not set aside a predetermined budget to see the changes go into effect.

“It will be irresponsible for us to come up with a dollar value up front because then we’ve limited ourselves,” Garza said. “Much of the improvements we will be able to make will have no to very little dollars involved.”

The improvements that fall under the city’s umbrella may only involve reorganizing programs, altering the way Austin markets itself to the Hispanic community. Other costs may fall with the partnering organizations. But proponents of the initiative are preparing to respond to critics who believe a heavy focus on the Hispanic population is an inefficient use of taxpayer money during a recession.

“Hispanics will soon be the minority majority,” Saldaña said. “Because of the growing number of Hispanic businesses and because what affects the Hispanic community affects the overall quality of life, we need to make sure that kids are not dropping out of school. If Austin wants to remain competitive in business, then they need to focus on that. What affects the Hispanic community affects Austin. Hispanics are here, and they are not going away. We should have started doing this work a long time ago.”

Changes implemented from African-American Quality of Life Initiative

• The first African-American Cultural Heritage District was developed with a focus on black-owned businesses, churches, Huston-Tillotson University and the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center.
• A joint venture with the Austin Area Urban League and the City of Austin has resulted in greater intern opportunities with various city departments.
• Services provided through the A.K. Black Community Health Center now help more than 3,000 patient visits.
• The Housing Smarts program works to provide homebuyer education and counseling to have a pool of potential homeowners ready for the home-buying process.
• The Austin Police Department’s Community Immersion Program is now required for all APD cadets. The program identifies diverse groups within the community and explores how those groups interact with police.
• Final recommendations regarding the Hispanic Quality of Life initiative were presented to city council in October 2005. Recommendations were implemented, and teams now meet with the community monthly and a commission monitors the initiatives to ensure long-term success.

Issues identified through community forums

Problems and solutions to improve life for Austin’s Hispanic community

• Health care
  • Misunderstanding about city’s role in delivering health care — Create comprehensive bilingual public awareness campaign; provide accessible information website, phone operators
  • Demand surpasses healthcare capacity — Assist Travis County Healthcare District and CommUnity Care to meet financial needs and locate resources
  • Lack of bilingual communication — Collaborate efforts and resources on effective communication strategies
• Education
  • Few options for students transitioning to college — Partner with AISD and colleges to develop strategies to bridge gap
  • Lack of information in Spanish — Improve bilingual communication by combining resources with AISD
  • Little technology availability for students — Increase computer labs and expand Wi-Fi connections in city facilities and neighborhoods
  • Unaligned policies between City and AISD — Work with AISD to maximize underutilized campuses
• Cultural arts
  • Lack of affordable and permanent space for arts — Create an inventory of appropriate spaces; match groups with spaces
  • Artists need to showcase work to increase patronage — Fund the completion of the Mexican American Cultural Center to offer performance space
  • Lack of equitable funding — Review funding process and set goals for cultural arts funding
• Economic development
  • Lack of information on city programs and services — Coordinate information across departments; participate in business network group activities and present information at meetings, committees and luncheons
  • Lack of affordable housing — Encourage developers to provide additional affordable housing; increase information sharing on current affordable housing programs and services
  • Not utilizing financial mechanisms — Create a campaign with businesses and nonprofits on importance of transferring wealth to future generations

Adelante Solutions Inc., a marketing firm focusing on the Hispanic culture, led the community forums and collected the information used in the recommendation report which was presented to the council Aug. 27. The Adelante recommendations will be taken into consideration when the final report is drafted in early 2010.