BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 20250312XXX: Expand the Equity Mini Grant Funds to $600,000 in support of Immigrant Inclusion, Solidarity with Unhoused People, and for Anti-displacement Prevention Efforts WHEREAS, the City of Austin’s Equity Office provides leadership, guidance, and insight on equity to improve the quality of life for all Austinites by working across City departments and with major institutions, non-profits, and grassroots organizations to advance racial equity; and WHEREAS, the inaugural Equity Mini Grant Fund was established in 2018 in response to Ordinance 20170913-001, which directed the Equity Office, to develop a funding framework for quality-of-life initiatives by allocating $75,000 to the Equity Mini Grant Fund; and WHEREAS, the Equity Office successfully implemented a more approachable and accessible granting framework, awarding the first round of grants in April 2018, and has since expanded its grant programs, including the Reentry Services Grant, which supports organizations transforming outcomes for formerly incarcerated individuals through The Hub Award ($200,000 for 501(c)(3) non-profits providing wrap- around services) and The Spoke Award ($50,000 for direct service providers); and WHEREAS, additional funding opportunities, such as the Reimagining Public Safety Grants and potential future grants focused on immigrant and refugee support, underscore the City’s commitment to addressing systemic inequities through community-driven solutions; and WHEREAS, the Equity Mini Grant Fund has played a critical role in supporting grassroots and volunteer- led efforts addressing significant challenges, including COVID-19 recovery, public safety, homelessness response, and immigrant inclusion, demonstrating its value as a flexible and responsive funding mechanism; and WHEREAS, the FY25 Equity Mini Grant Fund prioritizes support for grassroots efforts organizing community-centered solutions in the areas of immigrant inclusion, solidarity with unhoused people, and anti-displacement/displacement prevention, recognizing these as urgent and critical equity issues in Austin; and WHEREAS, since the inception in 2018, the Equity Mini Grant Fund has supported 87 organizations with a total of $1,495,000 in funding, growing from an initial $75,000 in total grants to $450,000 in FY24-25; however despite this growth, the fund remains insufficient to fully address the scale and scope of community needs; increasing the fund to $600,000 would enable great investment in grassroots initiatives working to address systemic inequities; and WHEREAS, an expansion of the Equity Mini Grant Fund would provide additional unrestricted funding at various award levels ($10,000, $20,000, and $30,000), enabling a broader and deeper investment in community-driven initiatives that address disparities and uplift historically marginalized communities; THEREFORE, …
REGULAR MEETING of the COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS MARCH 3, 2025 AT 6:30PM W. 3rd Street AUSTIN CITY HALL ROOM 1101 AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Commission on Immigrant Affairs 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 Gunjen Mittal at gunjen.mittal@austintexas.gov or (512) 974-6104. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Melissa Ortega, Chair Kevin T. Countie Miriam Dorantes, Vice Chair Adrian De La Rosa Azeem Edwin Aditi Joshi Jeanne “Canan” Kaba Yohana Saucedo Shweta Padmanabha AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up 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 Commission on Immigrant Affairs regular meeting on January 6, 2025. STAFF BRIEFING 2. Briefing by Lieutenant Davis Christopher, Austin Police Department, regarding general updates on policies pertaining to the Immigrant Community. 3. Briefing by Houmma Garba, Language Access and Community Engagement Consultant from the Corporate Communications & Public Information Office regarding the new citywide language access plan. 4. Briefing by Rocio Villalobos, Equity and Inclusion Program Manager - Immigrant Affairs, regarding general updates on immigrant affairs. 5. Briefing by Alejandra Mireles and/or Jeremy Garza, Equity and Inclusion Program Coordinator from (Equity Division) Office of Equity and Inclusion, regarding timeline and steps for Quality of Life Study. PRESENTATION 6. Presentation by Rebecca Lightsey, Co-Executive Director of American Gateways regarding an update on their work, to highlight the effective use of the City's support as the recipient of a City of Austin grant to provide vital legal immigration services to low-income residents and advocate for continued funding for immigration legal services in next year's City budget. DISCUSSION ITEMS 7. Welcome new commissioners to Commission on Immigrant Affairs. 8. Discussion of the Commission on Immigrant Affairs’ Draft Budget Recommendations for Fiscal Year 2025-2026. 9. Discussion on updates on JIC recommendations. Group. Group. 10. Discussion on proposed dates for a Special Called meeting regarding FY26 budget recommendations. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 11. Discussion and action on approving …
(COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS) MEETING MINUTES (6, JANUARY, 2025) COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS REGULAR MEETING MINUTES 6, JANUARY, 2025 The COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS convened in a REGULAR CALLED meeting on 6, JANUARY, 2025, PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO, AUSTIN, TEXAS. Chair MELISSA ORTEGA called the COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS Meeting to order at 6:50 p.m. Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance: Melissa Ortega, Chair Miriam Dorantes, Vice Chair Kevin T. Countie Aditi Joshi Jeanne “Canan” Kaba Luis Osta Lugo Shweta Padmanabha Adrian De La Rosa Yohana Saucedo Board Members/Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Miriam Dorantes, Vice Chair Kevin T. Countie Aditi Joshi Jeanne “Canan” Kaba Luis Osta Lugo Shweta Padmanabha Yohana Saucedo PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL List name of speaker(s) and brief description of topic. APPROVAL OF MINUTES Approve the minutes of the COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS (REGULAR) MEETING on November 4, 2024. 1. 1 (COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS) MEETING MINUTES (6, JANUARY, 2025) The minutes from the meeting of (11/4/2024) were approved on Kevin Countie’s motion, Aditi Joshi second on a (9-0) vote. STAFF BRIEFINGS 2. Staff briefing regarding Certified Welcoming update, proposal for an Office of Immigrant Affairs, Know Your Rights presentations, and Immigrant Inclusion Mini Grant. The presentation was made by (Rocio Villalobos, Immigrant Affairs Manager at the Equity & Inclusion Office). PRESENTATION 3. Presentation regarding the Immigrant Hall of Honor initiative focusing on the contributions of immigrants after arriving to the U.S. The presentation by Sara Puig Laas, Board Director of the Immigrant Hall of Honor. DISCUSSION ITEMS 4. Welcome new Commission members to the Commission on Immigrant Affairs. The Chair welcomed new Commissioners to the Board. 5. Discussion and update of the Commission on Immigrant Affairs review at the December 11, 2024, Audit and Finance Committee meeting due to the failure of the Commission to convene for a period of over six months. The Chair provided an overview of the Audit and emphasized the importance of meeting quorum each month. 6. Discussion on planning a retreat for all Commissioners for early 2025. Discussion was had and they are now planning the retreat for another time early in the year. 7. Discussion of the Commission on Immigrant Affairs’ goals and objectives for 2025 budget recommendations as they relate to the Commission’s purpose and duties in City Code. Goals discussed were: public safety, economic development, life assessment, health care, financial literacy, legal literacy, U-Visas approval rate, educational system …
BOARD/COMMISSION RECOMMENDATION Commission on Immigrant Affairs Recommendation Number: 2025030314: Translation and Interpretation Services for Boards and Commissions WHEREAS, Imagine Austin is a 30-year plan that maps out a vision of Austin as a beacon of sustainability, social equity, and economic opportunity; where diversity and creativity are celebrated; where community needs and values are recognized; where leadership comes from its citizens; and where the necessities of life are affordable and accessible to all1; and WHEREAS, a City of Austin report identified that many non-English-speaking residents abstain from engaging in the community due to language barriers and the associated challenges with communicating2; and WHEREAS, a recent audit found the city is not adequately meeting the goals of the policy, established in 2014 to provide translation and interpretation services, intended to give people equitable access to programs and information, leaving people to try to navigate these systems alone3; and WHEREAS, according to City data at iSpeak Austin, 31% of Austinites speak a language other than English at home and 11.4% of Austinites speak English “less than very well”4; and WHEREAS, The Commission on Immigrant Affairs (CoIA) most recent experience highlighted concerns about the current funding practice for language accessibility for Boards and Commissions, as well as the support process for Commissioners with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) who required live interpretation services during onboarding, training, and meetings; and WHEREAS, The CoIA had delays in the onboarding and training of an LEP Commissioner, while these services were ultimately provided, there was some confusion among regarding which department or office was responsible for delivering the translation and interpretation services, resulting in delays in fulfilling the request; and WHEREAS, the current funding practice for covering translation and interpretation services for Boards and Commissions was identified not sustainable. No department supporting Boards and Commissions allocates 1 City Embarks on Community-Wide Effort to Update Imagine Austin | AustinTexas.gov 2 https://services.austintexas.gov/edims/pio/document.cfm?id=367457 3 Austin is not doing enough to communicate with non-English speakers, audit finds | KUT Radio, Austin's NPR Station 4 iSpeak Austin | AustinTexas.gov 5 https://www.austintexas.gov/page/language-access-policy specific funds in the fiscal budget for these interpretation and translation services for Commissioners who need them; and WHEREAS, without a proactive funding system, resources are often diverted from other essential services and programs when a need arises. A sustainable funding plan is necessary; and WHEREAS, The Commission on Immigrant Affairs (CoIA) additionally encountered inconsistencies in the support process of an LEP Commissioner, …
REGULAR MEETING of the COMMISSION ON IMMIGRANT AFFAIRS JANUARY 6, 2024 AT 6:30PM PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER ROOM 1203 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Commission on Immigrant Affairs 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 Gunjen Mittal at gunjen.mittal@austintexas.gov or (512) 974-6104. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Melissa Ortega, Chair Kevin T. Countie Miriam Dorantes, Vice Chair Adrian De La Rosa Luis Osta Lugo Aditi Joshi Jeanne “Canan” Kaba Yohana Saucedo Shweta Padmanabha AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL The first 10 speakers signed up 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 Commission on Immigrant Affairs regular meeting on November 4, 2024. STAFF BRIEFING 2. Briefing by Rocio Villalobos, Program Manager at the Equity & Inclusion Management Services, regarding Certified Welcoming update, proposal for an Office of Immigrant Affairs, Know Your Rights presentations, and Immigrant Inclusion Mini Grant. PRESENTATION 3. Presentation by Sara Puig Laas, Board Director of the Immigrant Hall of Honor, regarding their initiative and non-profit. DISCUSSION ITEMS 4. Welcome new Commission members to the Commission on Immigrant Affairs. 5. Discussion and update of the Commission on Immigrant Affairs review at the December 11, 2024, Audit and Finance Committee meeting due to the failure of the Commission to convene for a period of over six months. 6. Discussion on planning a retreat for all Commissioners for early 2025. 7. Discussion of the Commission on Immigrant Affairs’ goals and objectives for 2025 budget recommendations as they relate to the Commission’s purpose and duties in City Code. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 8. Discussion and possible action on adding Community Stakeholder seats to the Commission on Immigrant Affairs. WORKING GROUP UPDATES 9. Discussion and review of the approved budget recommendation timeline and update membership for the Budget Recommendation working group. Current Members: Chair Ortega, Vice Chair Dorantes, Commissioner Joshi. 10. Update on Quality of Life Study working group and update membership. Current Members: Chair …
