"Hello" might well be one of the first words Hurricane Katrina survivors needed to hear as they struggled to start their lives over in Austin. Community Voice Mail became one their lifelines - a way to reconnect by just being able to get phone messages. Through an Impact Austin grant made in 2005, Community Voice Mail went live helping both hurricane victims, as well as Austinites served by social service agencies and suffering from a range of developmental disabilities, as well as mental, emotional and substance abuse disorders.

Grant recipient, Austin Travis County Mental Health/Mental Retardation ( www.atcmhmr.com), administers more than 1,000 Community Voice Mailboxes for their clients. For many, Community Voice Mail provides the first stable contact method to connect with government agencies, employers, and even family members. Hurricane Katrina survivors utilized Community Voice Mail as they sought to re-establish their credentials and obtain driver's licenses and social security cards.  

"We had many people who were ready to get a job but needed an ID," said Andrew Bucknall, executive director of the American Dreams Self Sufficiency program ( www.americandreamaustin.com). "It seems a simple thing but without an ID it's not possible to get a job in Austin. Many of the Katrina survivors had worked for years in the New Orleans hotel industry without ID's. They had the skills, but needed to regain their identity."

Bucknall related that FEMA benefits don't cover such basic necessities as phone service. "Trying to reestablish your identification with nothing is hard to do. So as their benefits are running out, they are trying to get a job without a number to receive call backs."

For one of Bucknall's clients who had finally secured duplicate identification documents, Community Voice Mail meant he now had a way to get calls for interviews. "He was very proud that within a week of signing up for Community Voice Mail he had a job," said Bucknall. "He was going through a hard time but this was a turning point for him and it wouldn't have been possible without Community Voice Mail."

 

 

Can you believe we are starting our fifth year?!  Over the summer, we have welcomed four new board members, finished our 3-year strategic plan and refined our processes - all of which are designed to give you, our member, a richer experience.

We are committed to extending five $100,000 grants in 2008.  That means we need 500 members by the end of this year - four short months!  Please help us meet this goal by inviting your friends to an informational coffee or an event at Grape Vine Market this fall (dates can be found on our website in the calendar section at www.impact-austin.org).  We have met our membership milestone each year by adding 100 members annually, and that's because you have told your friends about us.  Our grassroots, word-of-mouth approach to growing our organization has served us well-please keep sharing the Impact Austin story!

Please let me know if I can personally do anything to help; one-on-one coffee, speaking to your women's group, whatever.  Feel free to contact me at rpowers@impact-austin.org.   I can't wait to celebrate with you in January when we reach our five year goal.  Stay tuned! 

Here's to 500 and beyond -

Rebecca