REGULAR MEETING OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION TUESDAY, JANUARY 20, 2026, AT 6:00 PM PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, ROOM 1406 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DR. AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission may be participating by videoconference. Public comment will be allowed in-person or remotely via telephone. Speakers may only register to speak on an item once either in-person or remotely and will be allowed up to three minutes to provide their comments. Registration no later than noon the day before the meeting is required for remote participation by telephone. To register to speak remotely, contact Nekaybaw Watson, 512-974-2562, nekaybaw.watson@austintexas.gov. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Seonhye “Sonny” Sin, Chair Sarah Chen Zachary Dolling Hugh Li Alpha Shrestha Nirali Thakkar CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Padmini Jambulapati, Vice-Chair Sarah Xiyi Chen Hanna Huang Ahmed Moledina Nayer Sikder Kuo Yang AGENDA The first ten speakers signed up prior to the meeting being called to order will each be allowed a three-minute allotment to address their concerns regarding items not posted on the agenda. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission regular meeting on November 18, 2025. STAFF BRIEFING 2. Staff briefing regarding winter weatherization and preparedness. Presentation by Janet Pichette, Assistant Director, Austin Emergency Management. DISCUSSION ITEMS 3. Presentation from the Hope Clinic regarding updates from the 2025 program year. Presentation given by Jodi Schrobilgen, Executive Director, Hope Clinic. 4. Discussion regarding post FY26 budget amendments and how they affect the Asian American and Pacific Islander community. 5. Discussion of the bylaws update ordinance. WORKING GROUP UPDATE 6. Update from the Community Engagement Working Group regarding the scope of work and the clarification of responsibilities for commissioners interested in joining. 7. Update from the Budget Working Group regarding budget priorities for the upcoming budget cycle. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 8. Approve the appointment of Pierre Nguyễn as a stakeholder on the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission. 9. Approve the formation of an AAQoL Commissioner Search Working Group for potential new candidates to be recommended to Council Members or to the commission for action from January to March. 10. Approve the amendment of membership to the Asian American Resource Center Working group. (Current members: Commissioners Huang, Li, and Thakkar.) 11. Approve the addition of members to the Budget Working Group. (Current members: Chair Sin, Vice …
Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Minutes November 18, 2025 Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Regular Meeting Minutes Tuesday, November 18, 2025 The Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission convened in a regular meeting on Tuesday, November 18, 2025, at the City of Austin, Permitting and Development Center, 6310 Wilhelmina Delco Drive in Austin, Texas. Vice Chair Jambulapati called the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Meeting to order at 6:03 p.m. COMMISSIONERS IN ATTENDANCE: Padmini Jambulapati, Vice Chair Hanna Huang Pierre Nguyễn Nirali Thakkar COMMISSIONERS IN ATTENDANCE REMOTELY: Seonhye “Sonny” Sin, Chair Sarah Chen Hugh Li Alpha Shrestha Nayer Sikder Kuo Yang PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL None. APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission regular meeting on October 12, 2025. The minutes from the meeting of October 12, 2025, were approved on Commissioner Chen’s motion, Commissioner Nguyễn’s second on a 10-0 vote. Commissioners Xiyi Chen, Dolling, Easley, Moledina, and Sha were absent. 1 Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Minutes November 18, 2025 WORKING GROUP UPDATES 2. 3. 4. Update from the City Manager’s Office Meeting Working Group regarding meeting recaps of the annual meetings and discussion on if this working group should continue. Update given by Commissioner Huang and Vice Chair Jambulapati. Update from the Asian American Resource Center Working Group regarding Austin Arts, Culture, Music, and Entertainment culture community engagement, staff changes, and programming. Update given by Commissioner Huang and Commissioner Thakkar. Update from the Joint Inclusion Committee Working Group regarding the recent Get to Know Your Commissioners events. Update given by Commissioner Thakkar. DISCUSSION ITEMS 5. 6. Discussion to establish Budget Priorities for the Budget Working Group. Discussion was held. Discussion on what to prioritize with the creation of the Community Engagement Working Group. Discussion was taken up with item 7. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 7. 8. 9. Approve the creation of a Community Engagement Working Group that focuses on engaging the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities with the City, public safety, education, and city resource connections. The motion to approve the creation of a Community Engagement Working Group that focuses on engaging the Asian American and Pacific Islander communities with the city, public safety, education, city resource connections, and language access with Commissioners Li, Xiyi Chen, and Yang as the members was approved on Commissioner Nguyễn’s motion, Commissioner Li’s second …
Winter Weather Preparedness Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission Austin Emergency Management | Jan 20, 2026 Agenda • Citywide Preparation Highlights Across the Enterprise • Cold Weather Shelters & Activation Triggers • Winter Shelter Plans • Warming Centers • Preparedness Resources • Winter Weather Tips • How to Help Citywide Preparation Highlights City Initiatives Departments are preparing equipment, supplies, and staff for cold weather. Transportation and Public Works – conducted a field exercise to drive prescribed routes for road treatment, traffic signal exercise, ordered de- icing materials. Austin Energy – conducted an incident command exercise for winter weather preparation in October Austin Public Libraries – Pre-identified Warming Center locations for extended hours Fleet Services – Trained staff to properly apply chains to vehicle tires Austin Parks – coordinating mass care sites with AEM + staging Mission Ready Packages AEM Offered Winter Weather Preparedness Trainings in November & December • Winter Weather Seminar for City, County and Partners • • Public Information EOC Training for all City communication positions Public Information EOC Tabletop Exercise for Winter Weather Roster Cold Weather Shelters & Activation Triggers Cold Weather Shelters are for life safety & are primarily used by people experiencing homelessness. No one will be turned away. • Updated and simplified CWS Threshold for Activation: 35°F or lower using NWS Camp Mabry location • Intake centralized at One Texas Center • Shelter guests are bussed to shelter via CapMetro • Homeless Strategy Office (HSO) contracted with vendor to provide shelter to the first 300 people AEM to coordinate surge operations over 300 people • Meals for shelters • Coordinating with Building Services and APD for shelter security • Coordinating with Animal Services for sheltering service animals • Distributing supplies to shelter locations (mats and blankets) Winter Shelter Plans Mass Care & Shelter Division Winter 2024-2025 Shelter Management Strategy • Use City-owned facilities • Utilize City-owned Mission Ready Packages (MRP) which are pre-deployed at 9 locations with 72 hours of supplies • Utilize reassigned city staff as shelter managers and support staff • Offer training for shelter managers + emotional intelligence de-escalation training with HSO and NGO partners Cold Weather Shelters & Activation Triggers Warming Centers are available at City Facilities, including Libraries and Parks & Recreation Centers • Open during normal hours of operation all winter • Locations and hours kept up to date in real time at austintexas.gov/alerts via Warming Center …
hopeclinicaustin.org hopeclinicaustin.org Hope Clinic Basics ● Completely free primary healthcare for medically underserved neighbors in Central Texas. ● 15+ years of dedicated service to resettled refugees and other marginalized groups. We are a trusted partner within their communities. ● Staff and volunteers are expected to uphold a culture that delivers not only exceptional clinical quality but also genuine compassion. ● The heart of our model is dedicated volunteers including providers, nurses, pharmacists, medical assistants, phlebotomists, and administrators who generously give their time, helping us to keep costs low. hopeclinicaustin.org What Barriers To Care Do Patients Face? hopeclinicaustin.org Services Provided The care is always FREE Lab work Imaging Flu vaccinations Primary care for common illnesses Preventative care ● ● ● Chronic disease management ● Many prescription & OTC medications ● ● ● ● Well-woman exams + family planning options ● Medical and social services case management ● ● At-Home Medical supplies ● Nutrition education Physical therapy ● Eye exams (through partners) ● School physicals for sports only hopeclinicaustin.org Patients are encouraged to donate $10, but no one is ever turned away for inability to donate. Hope Clinic Impact 2023 2024 2025 ● 1295 Encounters ● 1358 Encounters ● 499 Distinct Patients ● 558 Distinct Patients ● 2543 Medications ● 3024 Medications ● 3000+ volunteer hours ● 3500+ volunteer hours ● 3 FTE staff ● 3 FTE staff ● 1614 Medical Visits ● 440 Case Mgmt Visits ● 669 Distinct Patients ● 3102 Medications ● 4000+ volunteer hours ● 3.75 FTE staff Jan 2026: New patient appointments within one month hopeclinicaustin.org Patient Demographics 2025 68% Travis County 25% Williamson County 3% Hays County 3% Bastrop County 1% Other 60% <100% of FPL 25% 100-200% of FPL 4% 200-250% of FPL 3% 250%+ of FPL 2% 300% + 6% No data 35% 26% 13% Asian Hispanic/Latino 57% Female Black/African American 42% Male 16% White 1% Non-Binary 10% Other or Unknown hopeclinicaustin.org Overcoming Language Barriers Language barriers are associated with lower quality of care and poor clinical outcomes. Access to language assistance for patients is important to the delivery of high-quality care for all populations with limited English proficiency. (Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services July 2022) hopeclinicaustin.org Beyond Healthcare Social Determinants of Health 440 Case Management Visits in 2025 A case manager joined the staff in 2023 with funding from Austin Public Health. With her assistance, patients access care beyond what can be …
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 BYLAWS OF THE ASIAN AMERICAN QUALITY OF LIFE ADVISORY COMMISSION ARTICLE 1. NAME. The name of the board is Asian American Quality of Life Advisory Commission. ARTICLE 2. PURPOSE AND DUTIES. The purpose and duties of the board are as follows: to advise the City Council on issues related to the Asian American Resource Center and will provide on-going guidance and support for the City’s Asian American quality of life initiatives. ARTICLE 3. MEMBERSHIP. (A) The board is composed of fifteen members. Eleven members are appointed by the City Council. The Council shall appoint four additional members nominated by the commission who represent community stakeholders. (B) A member serves at the pleasure of the city council. (C) Board members serve for a term of four years beginning March 1st on the year of appointment. (D) An individual board member may not act in an official capacity or speak on behalf of the board except through the action of a majority of the board in which the board identifies who is authorized to speak and identifies the actions the individual board member is authorized to take or topics on which the individual board member is entitled to speak. (E) A board member who is absent for three consecutive regular meetings or one-third of all regular meetings in a “rolling” twelve month timeframe automatically vacates the member’s position subject to the holdover provisions in Section 2-1-27 of the City Code. This does not apply to an absence due to illness or injury of the board member, an illness or injury of a board member’s immediate family member, active military service, or the birth or adoption of the board member’s child for 90 days after the event. The board member must notify the staff liaison of the reason for the absence not later than the date of the next regular meeting of the board. Failure to notify the liaison before the next regular meeting of the board will result in an unexcused absence. (F) At each meeting, each board member shall sign an attendance sheet (or if participating virtually via videoconference, send an email as provided …
