Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission - June 4, 2026
Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Special Called Meeting of the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission
SPECIAL CALLED MEETING OF THE HISPANIC LATINO QUALITY OF LIFE RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2026, 6:00 PM PERMITTING AND DEVELOPMENT CENTER, ROOM 1406 6310 WILHELMINA DELCO DRIVE AUSTIN, TEXAS Some members of the Hispanic Latino Quality of Life Resource 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 at nekaybaw.watson@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2562. CURRENT COMMISSIONERS: Lyssette Galvan, Chair Amanda Afifi Andrea Flores Yesenia Ramos AGENDA CALL TO ORDER PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Dulce Castañeda, Vice Chair Elizabeth Morales Jesús Perales Melissa Ruiz 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 Hispanic Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission regular meeting on May 19, 2026. DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 2. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding funding for the Eloise House and SAFE Austin. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS ADJOURNMENT The City of Austin is committed to compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act. Reasonable modifications and equal access to communications will be provided upon request. For assistance, please contact the Liaison or TTY users’ route through 711. A person may request language access accommodations no later than 48 hours before the scheduled meeting. Please call or email Nekaybaw Watson or Nekaybaw.watson@austinexas.gov, to request service or for additional information. Austin City Clerk’s Office, 512-974-2562 the at at For more information on the Hispanic Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission, please contact Nekaybaw Watson at nekaybaw.watson@austintexas.gov or 512-974-2562.
Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission May 19, 2026 HISPANIC/LATINO QUALITY OF LIFE RESOURCE ADVISORY COMMISSION REGULAR MEETING MINUTES Tuesday, May 19, 2026 The Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission convened in a regular meeting on Tuesday, May 19, 2026, at City Hall, 301 W 2nd St in Austin, Texas. Chair Galvan called the Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Meeting to order at 6:14 p.m. Commissioners in Attendance: Lysette Galvan, Chair Commissioners in Attendance Remotely: Dulce Castañeda, Vice Chair Andrea Flores Elizabeth Morales Yesenia Ramos Melissa Ruiz PUBLIC COMMUNICATION: GENERAL Raul Longoria – Funding SAFE Salvador Espinoza – Funding Eloise House APPROVAL OF MINUTES 1. Approve the minutes of the Hispanic Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission regular meeting on April 28, 2026. The minutes from the meeting on April 28, 2026, were approved on Vice Chair Castañeda’s motion, Commissioner Ramos’ second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioners Afifi and Perales were absent. STAFF BRIEFING 2. Staff briefing regarding an overview and update on the workforce training resources, youth initiatives, and Day Labor Program of the Workforce Development Program. Presentation by Ann Eaton, Assistant Director, Austin Economic Development and Khotan Harmon, Workforce Development & Childcare Acting Division Manager, Austin Economic Development. The presentation was given by Ann Eaton, Assistant Director, Austin Economic Development. 1 Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission May 19, 2026 DISCUSSION AND ACTION ITEMS 3. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding Montopolis Fairway Cases. The motion to approve a recommendation to Council regarding Montopolis Fairway Cases was approved on Commissioner Ramos’ motion, Commissioner Morales’ second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioners Afifi and Perales were absent. 4. Approve a Recommendation to Council regarding the Senior Meal Programs. The motion to approve a recommendation to Council regarding Senior Meal Programs was approved on Commissioner Ramos’ motion, Commissioner Ruiz’s second on a 6-0 vote. Commissioners Afifi and Perales were absent. WORKING GROUP UPDATES 5. Update from the Immigration Working Group regarding meeting with Councilmember Velásquez. Update was provided by Commissioner Ruiz. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Recommendation regarding data centers and library Create a working group for Safe Alliance Recommendation regarding emergency funding for Eloise House and SAFE ATX Discussion regarding council’s decision for a joint working group ADJOURNMENT Chair Galvan adjourned the meeting at 7:28p.m. without objection. 2
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Recommendation Number: 20260604-002: Emergency Budget Recommendation for SAFE Alliance - Eloise House Date of Approval: June 4, 2026 Recommendation: The Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission recommends that the Austin City Council and the Mayor’s Office, in partnership with Travis County allocate a minimum of $430,000 in funding to preserve Eloise House as a community-based, non-hospital forensic exam and advocacy center operated by SAFE Alliance from June 9 through September 30, 2026, and $200,000 to keep the SAFE domestic violence shelter open from October 2026 through October 2027. The Commission further recommends that the City commit to a sustainable, multi-year funding strategy that ensures continuity of SAFE’s full wraparound model without displacement into hospital settings. Services include: ● Forensic exams ● Trauma-informed advocacy ● Shelter ● Legal services ● Culturally responsive care Finally, the Commission calls on the Austin City Council to immediately pause the Mayor’s proposed transition of forensic nursing services to hospital systems and BRAVE Alliance, and to require a meaningful community input process that centers survivors, advocates, and the communities most impacted before any transition moves forward. A press release is not a plan. Survivors and the organizations that serve them deserve a seat at the table before services that took decades to build are dismantled in weeks. Description of Recommendation to Council: Eloise House, operated by SAFE Alliance, is the only non-hospital forensic exam facility in Austin. It provides sexual assault forensic exams and rape kits at no cost to survivors, in a setting purporse built for: ● Trauma-informed care ● Outside the emergency room ● Free from billing ● Staffed by advocates who remain with survivors throughout the process The Mayor’s May 5, 2026 announcement proposed transitioning forensic nursing services to hospital systems and BRAVE Alliance, a Cedar Park-based organization with no demonstrated capacity at Austin’s scale. This Commission asks Council to reject that transition and instead fund Eloise House directly, preserving the co-located model of exam, advocacy, and wraparound care that has made it the destination of choice for survivors; accounting for 95% of all forensic exams in the region. Funding of at least $630,000 would allow SAFE to sustain approximately 600 forensic exams annually, maintain 24/7 SAFEline access, and continue serving the more than 700 survivors per day who rely on SAFE’s shelter, counseling, legal support, and preservation programming. SAFE Alliance - …
RECOMMENDATION TO COUNCIL Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission Recommendation Number: 20260604-001: Emergency Budget Recommendation for SAFE Alliance - Eloise House Date of Approval: Recommendation: The Hispanic/Latino Quality of Life Resource Advisory Commission recommends that the Austin City Council and the Mayor’s Office, in partnership with Travis County allocate a minimum of $430,000 in funding to preserve Eloise House as a community-based, non-hospital forensic exam and advocacy center operated by SAFE Alliance from June 9 through September 30, 2026, and $200,000 to keep the SAFE domestic violence shelter open from October 2026 through October 2027. The Commission further recommends that the City commit to a sustainable, multi-year funding strategy that ensures continuity of SAFE’s full wraparound model without displacement into hospital settings. Services include: ● Forensic exams ● Trauma-informed advocacy ● Shelter ● Legal services ● Culturally responsive care Finally, the Commission calls on the Austin City Council to immediately pause the Mayor’s proposed transition of forensic nursing services to hospital systems and BRAVE Alliance, and to require a meaningful community input process that centers survivors, advocates, and the communities most impacted before any transition moves forward. A press release is not a plan. Survivors and the organizations that serve them deserve a seat at the table before services that took decades to build are dismantled in weeks. Description of Recommendation to Council: Eloise House, operated by SAFE Alliance, is the only non-hospital forensic exam facility in Austin. It provides sexual assault forensic exams and rape kits at no cost to survivors, in a setting purporse built for: ● Trauma-informed care ● Outside the emergency room ● Free from billing ● Staffed by advocates who remain with survivors throughout the process The Mayor’s May 5, 2026 announcement proposed transitioning forensic nursing services to hospital systems and BRAVE Alliance, a Cedar Park-based organization with no demonstrated capacity at Austin’s scale. This Commission asks Council to reject that transition and instead fund Eloise House directly, preserving the co-located model of exam, advocacy, and wraparound care that has made it the destination of choice for survivors; accounting for 95% of all forensic exams in the region. Funding of at least $630,000 would allow SAFE to sustain approximately 600 forensic exams annually, maintain 24/7 SAFEline access, and continue serving the more than 700 survivors per day who rely on SAFE’s shelter, counseling, legal support, and preservation programming. SAFE Alliance - Eloise House Statistics …
