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I live in the Eastside. I see the predatory advertisements every time I walk or drive in my neighborhood. I have the luxury of choices. I can choose to bank at a regular bank or credit union, I can choose to bypass the fastfood restaurants, I can choose to ignore the glaring billboards that send wrong messages to kids and families. People living in poverty don’t have these luxuries. They don’t have the options to spend a little more for fresh foods; They have to pick between a meal that costs $3.00 at a fast food chain or $6.00 at a grocery store. When parents need to feed their children and they want to make sure they have enough to make it through the week. These are tough choices and no family should be put in these types of situation. It is sad that we tolerate these types of conditions for families in Austin. As I was coming home, I took pictures of these types of predatory advertisements. It’s real and they are plaguing the East Austin. See pics… Church’s on East 7th Street Predatory Income Tax Center on East 7th Street Pay Day Loans Billboard on East 7th Street Predatory Check Cashing Center on East 7th Street

John, our marketing director just told me that we hit #11 on YouTube under the Nonprofit & Activism section! That’s friggin’ great! It means we’re doing our job. We’re getting more people to open their eyes and start the discussion. Let’s keep it going! Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/user/unitedwaycapitalarea Tell your friends! Mando

I just gotta say that 211 Texas, our information & referral call center does the job. It’s the one place where people can call for help on social services from getting people connected to tax refunds (EITC), to help with basic needs like rent or food to help during a disaster (anyone remember Hurricane Ike?). Here’s a little more about them… L2R: Mandy Montague, Associate HelpLine Manager, Kay Euresti-Garza, 211 Director, Christina Pina, Helpline Manager 2-1-1 Texas is a private/public partnership between United Way Capital Area and the Texas Health and Human Services Commission. Its job is to connect anyone in need to the most appropriate sources of help and information. That means anywhere in Texas, anyone can call 2-1-1 for free information and referrals to health and human service agencies, nonprofit and faith-based organizations, disaster relief resources, and volunteer opportunities. The 2-1-1 helpline in Central Texas maintains a comprehensive community resource database of services providing assistance with health care, employment, educational, legal, housing, counseling, and transportation needs, and much more.2-1-1 is… Free and confidential Available 24/7 Accessible by TTY/TDD Multilingual Accessible from cell phones October of 2007 marked the fifth year of 2-1-1 in the South Central Texas region. The first 2-1-1 call in Texas came in 2002, and since then, more than 580,000 calls have been answered.As 2-1-1 is in the frontlines of helping people, I took a look at the number of calls they have received asking for help with things like food, paying utility bills, medical […]

Brian Hennington is a graduate of Capital IDEA (Capital Investing in Development and Employment of Adults). One of the main paths out of poverty to stability and financial prosperity is education. Education most definitely pays, so one of our strategies is to help people trying to help themselves. Capital Idea manages educational sponsorships, financial assistance, case management, and counseling to those enrolled in higher education to complete degrees in high-need, high-paying occupations.

Austin City Council Member Mike Martinez finishes his discussion with his vision for what steps we can take after Blog Action Day: Poverty. Take Action!

City Council Member Mike Martinez continues the discussion on poverty with a look at opportunities to get involved, and how he addresses the issue as a public servant. Accept Responsibility

Yesterday, we also met with Council Member Mike Martinez to discuss issues related to poverty. I simply won’t do it justice by trying to describe his very thoughtful responses. So here’s what we did. We created a 3 part video series for our 2pm posting. I encourage everyone to view all the videos and send it to your friends… Povery is Alive & Well

I had to share this video again. In this video, Jeff Clark talks about poverty & life in East Austin. Check it out!

Evan and I were at the East Austin Economic Summit this weekend and were able to interview a few people arouund our work with Financial Stability. We interviewed Gayle Skiera, CEO of the Money Academy. She is a member of United Way Capital Area’s Financial Stability council. Her workshops, camps and afterschool programs help educate children of low income families on the principles of gaining and sustaining financial assets. Some of these children are the first members of their families to open bank accounts. They bring back lessons on money management that will help families be more financially stable, and avoid falling into poverty. Check out here video….

Now I’m getting ahead of the game! We interviewed Council member Sheryl Cole regarding her role as a public servant in alleviating poverty in the city. Enclosed is her message…