Item #2 November 2025 Update - Quality of Life Study Women and Girls — original pdf

Backup

N O V E M B E R 2 0 2 5 U P D A T E Quality of Life Study Women and Girls Presented by: Jessica Calderón-Mora, DrPH ASSISTANT PROFESSOR | POPULATION HEALTH DIRECTOR OF OPERATIONS | CANCER CONTROL AND PREVENTION PROGRAMS | UT AUSTIN CANCER CENTER Gratitude to… Commission for Women Community Members UT Austin Undergrad Students Community Organizations UT Austin Dell Med Staff Overview of Quality of Life Study November 2024 – May 2025 Environmental Scan: Community Organization Interviews Community Organization Purpose AFSSA Latinitas SAFE Provides culturally specific support and advocacy for Asian and immigrant survivors of domestic violence, sexual assault, and trafficking in Central Texas Empowers girls through culturally tailored STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, and Mathematics) education, digital literacy, and career exploration and mentoring programs. Works to stop and prevent abuse through shelter, counseling, advocacy, and prevention programs for survivors of violence. Foundation Communities Offers affordable housing and on-site support services to help low-income families and individuals achieve stability and success. Equidad ATX Focuses on equitable, sustainable neighborhood revitalization and breaking the cycle of generational poverty in Austin’s Eastern Crescent. Texas Advocacy Project Provides free legal services and advocacy to end domestic violence, sexual assault, stalking, and human trafficking. GirlForward Mama Sana Supports refugee girls through mentoring, education, and safe spaces to help them thrive in their new communities. Provides free and holistic pregnancy, birth, and postpartum support, resourced, and education to communities of color in Central Texas. Key Findings: Four Core Domains of Service Medical and Mental Health Services Safety and Legal Services Education and Family Engagement Housing Availability and Stability Overarching Themes Emphasis on Holistic Support and Interorganizational Collaboration Impact Measurement of Services Service Needs Identification, Prioritization, and Outreach City Coordination December 2024 – June 2025 Surveys Measures Sociodemographics Transportation Access to and quality of health care Quality of Life and Well-being Neighborhood and Housing Life satisfaction and Stress Distribution by Events Date Location Counts 1/18/2025 Del Valle Equidad ATX 2/7/2025 Turner Roberts 2/12/2025 Northeast Middle School 2/12/2025 Con Mi Madre 2/14/2025 Webber Middle School 2/15/2025 2/18/2025 2/20/2025 2/24/2025 2/25/2025 2/25/2025 2/27/2025 Del Valle Equidad ATX Creedmoor Equidad ATX Dobie Middle School Zilker Studios Foundation Communities Crocket High School Garden Terrace Foundation Communities Turner Roberts LWVB 3/30/2025 I Slay 5/6/2025 iAct 5/30/2025 Burmese Total 47 22 13 39 13 47 31 11 30 4 15 56 43 24 40 435 Distribution by District Key Findings Key Findings Key Findings (cont’d) Health Care Access Neighborhood and Housing Key Findings (cont’d) Transportation Community Attitudes Towards Violence July 2025 Photovoice Sessions Process Shadows The shadow shows our past memories. No matter where you go your past always comes with you. Also like those people in our life that we don’t know what our relationship is with them. My Prayer Room This is the door to our prayer room which is very important to me. I pray here five times a day and through the prayers, I get a lot of comfort. It is the way I get rid of my stress and worries. This is also the play where people from other cultures/religions can come and learn more about Islam and how we practice it. It’s open for everyone. Thank you very much for showing respect to our ways of life. Reflection This picture is kinda a reflection of what we are doing right now and how this relates to the future even if we are not in a good situation or doing okay. The future is gonna be okay. No matter what is happening, if we don't lose our hope, we can have a better life in the future like the times before the Taliban took over my country and we immigrated to the US. It shows how even if bad things happened, it was a part of how we came to the US and how better of a life I have right now and the freedom we have as girls. Session 4: Photovoice Exhibition August 2025 Focus Groups Domain 1: Home, Neighborhood, and Daily Life Domain 2: Health, Wellness, and Support Systems Domain 3: Safety, Stress, Well-being, and Future Visioning Recommendations Recommendations: Resource Availability Recommendation A. Create a centralized repository of information on community, social service, and health care resources. • Goal A1. Increase visibility of the Refugee Services page for newly immigrated and non-native English-speaking residents. • Goal A2. Host resource fairs at least one time annually for new residents in the area. Recommendations: Safety in Schools Recommendation B. Partner with Austin Independent School District (AISD) for support in implementing a peer mentorship program for newly immigrated and non-native English-speaking students in Austin Recreation Centers. • Goal B1. Collaborate with AISD to offer the Peer Assistance, Leadership, & Service Program (PALS) program within youth programming of Austin Recreation Centers. Recommendations: Transportation Recommendation C. Improve public transportation connectivity. • Goal C1. Improve bus and CapMetro Rail coverage to suburbs, outer neighborhoods, underserved areas to expand affordable options for transportation. Recommendations: Housing Stability Recommendation D. Streamline the process to obtain affordable and stable housing. • Goal D1. Assess housing options to create a standardized list of documentation required. • Goal D2. Establish housing navigation events one to two times monthly in a central location for assistance with housing. Recommendations: Healthcare Access Recommendation E. Collaborate with community clinics and federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) to provide cultural sensitivity training and refreshers to health care providers and staff. • Goal E1. Ensure all Austin Public Health Center staff are trained in cultural sensitivity with annual refreshers. • Goal E2. Partner with community clinics and FQHCs to implement culturally sensitive training and annual refreshers. • Goal E3. Implement anonymous reporting of Austin Public Health (APH) Centers, community clinics, and FQHCs for discrimination. Recommendations: Language Accessibility Recommendation F. Provide language accessible materials of resources to all Austin residents. • Goal F1. Translate all materials in multiple languages and tailored to varying literacy levels. Status of Report Action Item UT DMS submits report AEI staff and Commission for Women QoL Workgroup to review and provide feedback UT DMS submits revised report UT DMS will submit slide deck summarizing report Deadline October 31st November 10th November 21st December 12th Jessica Calderón-Mora, DrPH Assistant Professor jessica.calderonmora@austin.utexas.edu