LOVE AND COLLABORATION: AUSTIN COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FORMED AN EMERGENCY RESPONSE EFFORT THAT SAVED HUNDREDS OF LIVES DURING WINTER STORM DISASTER
For Immediate Release
February 20, 2021
For More Information Contact:
Community Resilience Trust
Austin community leaders speak about their experiences collaborating to ensure equitable disaster relief efforts in a city plagued by an overwhelming winter storm.
AUSTIN, TEXAS—Last week, as the weather forecasts began rolling in, community leaders began to prepare for what was to come and knew they would have to step in to fill the gap. After making inquiries about providing equitable support to the unhoused population, they soon realized that the gap was more extensive than one organization could address. Community Resilience Trust (CRT) is a developing organization to the Austin equity scene but is quickly gaining traction due to its practical collaborative approach to disaster response. Within 24 hours, what started with an impromptu zoom call last Saturday, February 15th, to discuss the upcoming state of the community they serve unfolded an entire ecosystem of community-focused organizations collaborating to aid in finding temporary refuge for our unhoused neighbors. As the power outages set in and other emergent needs arose, the collective continued working together and utilizing organizational networks to provide transportation, access to food, and mental health support. In response to the effectiveness of our disaster relief efforts with the unhoused population, the collaborative’s scope has since expanded to accommodate housed residents’ needs as well.
What:
Community Resilience Trust Winter Storm Emergency Response Collaborative Press Conference
Who:
Ruben Cantu, Community Resilience Trust
Janis Bookout, Community Resilience Trust
Gary Santana, Survive2Thrive
Amber Fogarty, Mobile Loaves and Fishes
Devyn Harris, Austin Mutual Aid
Scotty Love
Quincy Dunlap, Austin Area Urban League
When:
February 20, 2021 at 2:00pm CST
Where:
Contact Community Resilience Trust for zoom invite
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Community Resilience Trust (CRT) is a collaborative initiated by Austin community leaders Rubén Cantú and Janis Bookout in March of 2020. CRT was formed to address the question “How can we make Austin the most equitable city in the county, starting with its response to COVID-19”.
CRT is a collective of people from diverse backgrounds working together to think, plan, and act strategically and in cooperation to ensure that the Austin/Central Texas response to COVID-19 is equitable, effective, and sustainable. CRT aims to build trust and partnership among a variety of people, organizations, businesses, and community-based groups, creating a foundation for a connected and resilient community that puts equity first. By providing a community-centered, holistic, strategic, and systemic response to this pandemic in the short term, CRT is building equity as a resilient community in the long term.
