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Local outreach groups urge Austin to fund grassroots providers and include minority-led collaborations in budget

3140104 · April 28, 2025
AI-Generated Content: All content on this page was generated by AI to highlight key points from the meeting. For complete details and context, we recommend watching the full video. so we can fix them.

Summary

Multiple community providers and mutual-aid groups told the April 28 joint committee meeting that city funding and contracting have left frontline, minority-led organizations under-resourced despite heavy reliance on their services; speakers asked for stable contracts, seed funds for community shelters and better inclusion in budget planning.

A string of community providers and grass-roots organizations testified on April 28 that Austin must better resource small, often minority-led outreach groups that do day-to-day work getting people off the streets.

Jo Catherine Quinn, president and CEO of Caritas of Austin, told the committees the city needs a balanced system, uniform performance standards and predictable funding. "Performance-based contracting protects us, those we serve and the taxpayer," Quinn said, and she urged more financial involvement from local government, taxing authorities and the private sector to sustain services.

Chase Wright, executive director and founder of the Hungry Hill Foundation, described a…

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