Versión en español a continuación. Special Called Commission on Seniors Meeting March 26th, 2021 Commission on Seniors to be held March 26th, 2021 with Social Distancing Modifications Public comment will be allowed via telephone; no in-person input will be allowed. All speakers must register in advance (March 25th, 2021 by noon). All public comment will occur at the beginning of the meeting. To speak remotely at the March 26th, 2021 Commission on Seniors Meeting, members of the public must: •Call or email the board liaison at 512-972-5019 or Halana.Kaleel@austintexas.gov no later than noon, (the day before the meeting). The following information is required: speaker name, item number(s) they wish to speak on, whether they are for/against/neutral, email address and telephone number (must be the same number that will be used to call into the meeting). •Once a request to speak has been made to the board liaison, the information to call on the day of the scheduled meeting will be provided either by email or phone call. •Speakers must call in at least 15 minutes prior to meeting start time to speak, late callers will not be accepted and will not be able to speak. •Speakers will be placed in a queue until their time to speak. •Handouts or other information may be emailed to Halana.Kaleel@austintexas.gov by noon the day before the scheduled meeting. This information will be provided to Board and Commission members in advance of the meeting. •If the meeting is broadcast live, it may be viewed here: http://www.austintexas.gov/page/watch-atxn-live Reunión del Commission on Seniors FECHA de la reunion (March 26th, 2021) La junta se llevará con modificaciones de distanciamiento social Se permitirán comentarios públicos por teléfono; no se permitirá ninguna entrada en persona. Todos los oradores deben registrarse con anticipación (March 25th, 2021 antes del mediodía). Todos los comentarios públicos se producirán al comienzo de la reunión. Para hablar de forma remota en la reunión, los miembros del público deben: • Llame o envíe un correo electrónico al enlace de la junta en 512-972-5019 or Halana.Kaleel@austintexas.gov a más tardar al mediodía (el día antes de la reunión). Se requiere la siguiente información: nombre del orador, número (s) de artículo sobre el que desean hablar, si están a favor / en contra / neutral, dirección de correo electrónico (opcional) y un número de teléfono (debe ser el número que se utilizará para llamar). • Una vez que se haya …
COMMISSION ON SENIORS RECOMMENDATION 20210326-04Ai FY 2022Budget Recommendation For Planning and Increased Support To Serve the Needs of Older Adults Experiencing Homelessness March 26, 2021 FY2022 Budget Recommendations Date: Subject: Motioned By: Recommendation The Commission on Seniors recommends the City Council direct the City Manager to implement the following budget recommendations: Seconded By: Temperley Van Sickle 1. The Austin Public Health Homeless Services Division should develop and implement a strategy for serving the needs of older adults experiencing homelessness. Implementation should begin no later than January 1, 2022. The plan should: a. Identify the housing, health care, social, and other needs of older adults experiencing homelessness, including disability, long term care, dementia care, and caregiver support and develop programs to meet those needs; b. Ensure coordinated entry appropriately matches older adults with their needs; c. Include strategies to prevent older adults becoming homeless, such as deeply affordable housing and caregiver support; d. Develop the strategy in consultation with providers serving older adults and providers serving people experiencing homelessness (such as the collaborative described below). 2. At least $2,000,000 of the FY22 budget for supportive housing and other services to prevent homelessness should be dedicated to serving adults aged 55 and older. Of this funding at least $300,000 should be budgeted for Rapid Rehousing for Older Adults (compared to the current budget of $157,750). The remainder should be used to begin implementing the strategy plan for older adults experiencing homelessness and older adults at risk of homelessness (described above). Rationale: Data provided by ECHO about the population experiencing homelessness in the Austin area shows that for all clients who entered a program between Oct 2019 and Oct 2020, 26% were age 50 or older. Nationally, data shows the number of older adults in the homeless population is growing rapidly and will continue to grow for the next decade. 1 The number of older adults in the population of people experiencing homeless requires us to revisit and adapt assistance programs that were designed to address the needs of a much younger group and fail to account for medical, social, and emotional needs that emerge later in life. Older adults experiencing homelessness have diverse needs related to their housing, health care, social, and other needs. Further, the stresses of homelessness cause premature aging; Austin already classifies aged 55 and older in this population as older adults. In October 2020, a collaborative was formed …
COMMISSION ON SENIORS RECOMMENDATION 20210326-04Aii FY 2022 Budget Recommendation and Related Recommendations on Expanding Access to Online Connectivity for Older Adults Date: Subject: March 26, 2021 FY2022 Budget Recommendation and Related Recommendations on Expanding Access to Online Connectivity and Digital Literacy for Older Adults Varteressian Seconded By: Angel Motioned By: Recommendation The Commission on Seniors recommends the City Council direct the City Manager to take the following actions to expand access to the Internet to underserved people and communities in Austin. This includes older adults for whom access to the Internet means access to healthcare, economic activity, and social interaction for wellbeing. Research has shown that older adults, especially in communities of color and those with lower incomes, often lack access to the Internet, devices, and digital literacy skills. (See Rationale below). These recommendations include actions that can be taken immediately outside the budget process and recommendations for the FY 2022 budget: 1. Allocate a minimum of $25,000 in the Programming budget of Austin Public Library to develop, implement and promote digital literacy training for older adults that is designed using best practices in older adult learning. 2. Allocate a minimum of $25,000 from the budgets of Austin Public Library and the Parks and Recreation Department to continue and expand the targeted distribution of technology (loaned devices, hot spots and training) to older adults to address social isolation and other needs during the pandemic. APL reprogrammed $11,000 in 2020 and worked with PARD to provide digital devices, hotspots and specialized training to older adults who could no longer participate in in- person programming at PARD and APL sites due to the pandemic. These needs will continue as Austin slowly returns to normal. Further, absent the pandemic there are older adults who are homebound and will benefit from online access to city programs and other services. 3. Allocate a minimum of $150,000 from Austin Public Health’s budget for grants to organizations providing connectivity (devices, internet, and training) to older adults in Austin that need access to the Internet. It is estimated that $150,000 could support access, devices, and training 200-250 older adults for one year. Grantees should be required to leverage other available funding from state and federal programs and enroll clients in the Emergency Broadband Benefit (see description below). 4. Direct Austin Public Health, Austin Public Library, the Parks and Recreation Department, the Housing and Planning Department and any other …
COMMISSION ON SENIORS RECOMMENDATION 20210326-04Aiii FY 2022Budget Recommendations Education and Outreach on Senior Homestead Tax Exemption Varteressian March 26, 2021 Seconded By: Nicola FY2022 Budget Recommendations Date: Subject: Motioned By: Recommendation The Commission on Seniors recommends the City Manager designate at least $20,000 for door to door and community-based education and outreach on the Senior Homestead Tax Exemption. These funds should be allocated from any funds designated for anti-displacement efforts or the most appropriate funding source. Rationale: In 2018 the Commission on Seniors adopted Recommendation Number: 20181114- 4B: Recommendation on Senior Property Tax Assistance, calling for education and outreach to older adults on the Senior Homestead Tax Exemption. Community comments regarding anti-displacement identified high property taxes as a barrier to affordability for older adults living in gentrifying parts of Austin. Further, the Commission heard from older adults that they were unaware of, or needed assistance to, apply for the exemptions they were entitled to. The Council passed Resolution 20190822-070 endorsing the Commission on Seniors resolution. The Council receives periodic updates on implementation of the resolution. http://www.austintexas.gov/edims/pio/document.cfm?id=354893 A relatively new state law makes older adults who have inherited their homes with other relatives eligible for a 100% exemption by filing an updated application with the appraisal district. See : https://law.utexas.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2020/08/2020-12-ECDC-heirproperty_2pg.pdf The Commission on Seniors recommends that the next step to implement this resolution is in-person, community-based interaction with households identified as potential beneficiaries of the Senior Homestead Tax Exemption. This could occur with door to door visits, and/or community-based meetings. Both options should be possible in coming months as more older adults receive the COVID vaccine. While there have been difficulties in identifying specific households, the neighborhoods at risk of gentrification are well-known. A contract or grant with a community-based organization would be used to hold community events and, if appropriate, go door to door, to assist older adults in completing the required paperwork to receive these exemptions and potentially save thousands of dollars on their property taxes. Vote For: Briesemeister, Varteressian, Angel, Bordie, Hauser, Lugo, Nicola, Temperley, Van Sickle, Spain Against: None Abstain: None Absent: Cagle, Kareithi, Garcia-Pittman, Jackson Attest: Janee Briesemeister, Chair
