After working over the last week to support community efforts to serve and support the unhoused community experiencing cold weather, Community Resilience Trust and Creative Policy are shifting our efforts toward responding to the power outages. Join us!
With over 36,000 people out of power, many residents will be waiting for Austin Energy to fix power lines that are not within their jurisdiction. This is because most people are not aware that while AE is responsible for the main lines, lines from the pole to the house are the owners responsibility. This will likely cause a bottleneck of contracts for electricians and arborists.
The Need:
We need to prioritize clear, culturally inclusive communication, along with accessible resources and services (such as cash assistance, pro-bono electricians and arborists, and support for folks for whom lack of power has caused other problems.)
What We Are Doing About It:
We have joined the city’s multi-agency response calls to raise awareness about these issues. We will also be opening a zoom room and collect info from orgs about what is happening throughout our most vulnerable communities. Ultimately, we are asking: Who is being left out? Where are the gaps? What’s missing that would make a difference?
Our goal is to consolidate asks for prioritizing the most vulnerable in our response and providing transparent and inclusive communications.
We are asking organizations to help us evaluate county-wide needs. Please complete the following survey.
