demographic trends

Hispanic Central Texas and the 2020 Census

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Coordinating a national census is no small task. Those who attended the recent ‘Hispanic Central Texas, Economic Opportunity and the 2020 Census’ panel presented by the Hispanic Impact Fund of the Austin Community Foundation gained insights into how this monumental endeavor is unfolding in the Austin area.

One key concern to Central Texas is that some populations historically have been, or are at risk of being, missed in the census at disproportionately higher rates. The latest estimates indicate approximately 25%, or nearly 7 million, of Texans, including a large proportion who are Hispanic, live in hard-to-count neighborhoods.

The panelists emphasized the importance of an accurate count. The distribution hundreds of billions of dollars in federal funds, and grants are based on census data. This money is spent on schools, hospitals, roads and other vital programs. An undercount of the Texas population of just 1% could translate to a loss of $300 million in federal funding for the state and for Texans.

The Austin Community Foundation panel included representatives from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, St. David’s Foundation, Todos Juntos Learning Center and the United Way for Greater Austin and was supported by Bank of America.

Spread the word that Census Day 2020 is April 1st. For more information on actions you can take to support an accurate count in Central Texas visit: The United Way for Greater Austin’s Central Texas 2020 Census Resource page.

Panelists and supporters of the ‘Hispanic Central Texas, Economic Opportunity and the 2020 Census Panel’ on February 27th, 2020 presented by the Hispanic Impact Fund of the Austin Community Foundation including representatives from Bank of America, the Housing Authority of the City of Austin, the Austin Community Foundation, St. David’s Foundation, the United Way for Greater Austin, Todos Juntos Learning Center and the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

Independence – what this word can teach you about nonprofit organizations

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Independence. This weekend, as the U.S. celebrates our independence, is a great time to examine this word. It can mean different things to different groups of people. Many senior citizens, for example, value the independence that living at home brings. There is a high loss of independence if health and mobility require someone to move away from home to an assisted living facility.

Focus on Nonprofit Organizations: Capital City Village

The Greater Good Geek blog will occasionally feature a nonprofit organization and “geek out” with a food for thought “case study.” Today’s edition focuses on an organization called Capital City Village. Capital City Village is an Austin, Texas-based nonprofit organization dedicated to helping seniors stay in their homes and communities for as long as possible (a concept called aging in place and community). In other words, the organization supports the independence of senior citizens.

What Nonprofit Leaders Can Learn

This Independence-based nonprofit organization teaches us is how important it is for nonprofit leaders to be in tune with changing demographics. There will be cases when new nonprofit options need to be created to address population trends – and this is one of them.

The Growing Needs of Baby Boomers

The Baby Boom is one of those population trends that cannot be ignored by the community sector. The influence of Baby Boomers stems in part by the size of the group: there are currently 78 million boomers in the U.S. and 8,000 boomers are turning 65 every day (Source: How Baby Boomers Are Changing Retirement Living, Washingtonian, March 13, 2014).

Portrait

Seniors Value Their Independence

The “traditional” retirement options (assisted living, retirement communities) are not fitting the needs of today’s senior citizens. Many want to age at home, retaining independence and saving money. This is where nonprofit leaders saw a trend and Capital City Village (CCV) was created. Founded in 2010, CCV gives seniors access to volunteers, service providers and social and educational programs – helping them age in place.

This Geek’s Case Study

So the Geek’s “case study” lessons for nonprofit leaders are: keep your finger on the pulse of demographic trends, notice needs in your community, shift the focus of your organization (or start a new organization) to address a need that has not been addressed yet.

Population Trends

Questions:

What are some of the recent trends in your community? Do you see a population growth that needs services? Is there a recent community need that a nonprofit organization could better address? Do you have ideas about how those needs could be addressed? Do you have experience with a nonprofit organization that started a new program for the purpose of addressing a new population trend? If so, please share details.

Image credits: Flip Schulke, The U.S. National Archives (first image). Thomas Abercrombie, Internet Archive Book Images (second image).