Transparencies April 2021

April 2021: How do we help Austinites experiencing homelessness?

A Message From Our CEO

A safe, affordable home is the foundation we all need to maintain our health, reach our full potential and contribute to our community. The pandemic has shown us how a life storm like this can exacerbate a humanitarian crisis such as homelessness and even cause it to grow. Like other major cities across the country, organizations are working together across the community to solve this problem. Integral Care staff know from experience that housing with supports creates the foundation a person needs to recover from homelessness, mental illness and other health challenges. And it saves our community precious limited resources. We have the client success stories to prove it.

Since the pandemic started in March 2020, we have housed 142 people, bringing our current total of people in housing to 956. We navigate clients to permanent supportive housing and then provide support services including case management, counseling, whole health care and medication, substance use treatment, employment services and benefit enrollment. This housing model saves public resources, reducing the utilization of EMS and other emergency health services as well as interactions with the justice system.
We have secured employment for 157 people during the pandemic. I encourage you to check out one client’s success story demonstrating the power of permanent supportive housing and employment services.
Our PATH (Programs for Assistance in the Transition from Homelessness) team is out on the street and at campsites every day. The team provides hygiene kits and COVID-19 education, connects people to behavioral health care, and, in collaboration with the City of Austin, ECHO and others, we’ve provided groceries and meals. The team has worked with 828 people over the past year.
The Mobile Medical team, a collaboration with Dell Medical School and CommUnityCare, is serving 45 individuals living on the street with tri-morbidity. They bring an innovative, integrated model of health care to campsites and bridge underpasses – anywhere someone needs care and connection to social services. (In 2019, 45% of individuals experiencing homelessness had a mental illness, 65% of those had a co-occurring substance use disorder, and 45% of those had a chronic medical condition.)
Our crisis residential facilities have served 271 people experiencing homelessness since the start of the pandemic.
Our crisis respite facility has served 110 people over the course of the pandemic. All were recovering from a mental health crisis, many also experiencing homelessness. Staff help them regain stability, access medicine and substance use recovery support, and connect to Integral Care programs and local resources for ongoing care and recovery support.

This excerpt from a recent thank you letter from a crisis respite client demonstrates our impact.

handwritten letter from Integral Care client

The client is now living safely at Esperanza Community, run by The Other Ones Foundation.

When Austinites have tools like a home to regain health and stability, physical and mental health care, and job opportunities to reach their full potential, our city is stronger and everyone thrives. If you would like to support your neighbors experiencing homelessness, please consider donating basic needs items. Learn more here or visit our Amazon Charity List.

David Evans
Chief Executive Officer

HIGHLIGHTS

Integral Care Stands with Asian American and Pacific Islander Communities

Integral Care is deeply saddened by the senseless deaths of 6 women of Asian descent in Georgia. While the roots of this crime are still being investigated, it is widely reported that hate based acts of violence against members of Asian American Pacific Islander (AAPI) communities are on the rise across the United States. The group Stop AAPI Hate tracked nearly 3,800 incidents of hate, discrimination or attacks on Asian Americans from March 2020 through February 2021.

Integral Care is committed to ending racism. We stand with the AAPI communities now and in the future to support their health and well-being. To achieve our vision of Healthy Living for Everyone, all people must be able to live with dignity and without fear. Our community is stronger when we all thrive.

These events weigh heavily on our mental health. Please reach out for help if you need some extra support right now. Our Helpline is available 24/7 at 512-472-4357. We help people who speak languages other than English by connecting to an interpreter.

If you are interested in building your awareness of issues impacting AAPI communities, check out the extensive list below. Local organizations that serve these communities as well as Austin AAPI demographic data and history are included.

Recent Articles & Websites:

Recent Texas Tribune article outlining the impact of racist attacks and the impacts in Texas
Time magazine article “How to Combat Anti-Asian Violence”
NPR story: “‘Model Minority’ Myth Again Used as a Racial Wedge Between Asians and Blacks”
Stop AAPI Hate website

Books & Documentaries

The Racial Healing Handbook (not specific to AAPI but a great workbook for facilitating personal anti-racist work)
The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down (great book that outlines the barriers immigrant families with limited English proficiency experience navigating our healthcare systems)
Yellow: Race in America
PBS 5-part series: “Asian Americans”

Local Community Resources

Austin Data & Information

Austin AAPI demographic and history information (2016)

New Integral Care Clinic on William Cannon Drive

Stonegate Clinic Picture Collage As Travis County continues to grow rapidly, the need for accessible, community-based health services is more important than ever. On March 8^th, our new Stonegate Clinic opened at 2501 W. William Cannon Drive. Our Adult Behavioral Integrated Health Clinic, Child & Family Integrated Health Clinic, and Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) relocated from Dove Springs. The Pharmacy will remain at Dove Springs for the time being. Moving from a rented location to one owned by Integral Care saves limited resources and creates a more sustainable future for our services. The relocation will improve access to quality healthcare services in a more convenient South Austin location designed for our services.

IDD Speaker Series Continues

IDD Speaker Series Photos

The Hub Learning Community, a transition support team at Integral Care, is hosting a speaker series on issues related to intellectual and developmental disabilities. The 90-minute webinars began last month and there are 2 remaining in the month of April. CEUs are available for LPC, LMFT, SWS, and LCDC who work with the IDD community.

April 12^th, 2:00-3:30pm – Adherence to Treatment: What to Do When Clients Don’t Engage

Presenter Dr. Robert Feinstein is Professor of Psychiatry at Dell Medical School, Associate Chair of Education and is the Medical Director of Special Projects for Integral Care. He is a psychiatric consultant, expert teacher, supervisor, mentor, and researcher with more than 30 years of experience in community care and higher education. Register here.

April 26^th, 2:00-3:30pm – Behavior Therapy, Trauma, and Pathways to Healing

Presenter Chad Burns holds a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Austin College and a Master of Education in Special Education: Autism/Applied Behavior Analysis Concentration from Texas State University. He is a Board-Certified Behavior Analyst and a Licensed Behavior Analyst with the state of Texas. Register here.

What’s New at Integral Care

In case you missed our community forum, Caregiver Support in Pandemic Times: Tips, Tools and Resources for the Intellectual and Developmental Disability Caregiver, view the recording here.
Mental Health Month is just around the corner. Stay tuned for the release of our mental health toolkit, a community forum, co-led by NAMI-Central Texas and the release of the Travis County Plan for Children’s Mental Health and Substance Misuse, 2021.
Integral Care received $400K from Del Valle ISD to implement the Truancy Prevention and Intervention Program K-12, which will expand on-campus and community-based care for students to reduce rates of truancy. Services will be delivered on nine elementary school campuses, three middle school campuses, one high school campus and three special campuses: Opportunity Center, Child Development Center, and Discipline Alternative Education Program.
We’re looking forward to our second virtual staff conference focused on building resiliency, happening this month. The conference, Reset and Restart, will incorporate a focus on diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) and how each of us can do our part to support equity within our agency and community. DEI sessions include Implicit Racial Bias in Healthcare Delivery with Maria Flowers; Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion with Oyango Snell; and a panel discussion with Integral Care Diversity and Inclusion Committee.

TRANSPARENCIES