Austin Coming Together
Since 2010, Austin Coming Together (ACT) has facilitated collaboration among its member network to collectively impact education and economic development outcomes in Austin. ACT assisted the community in creating its first-ever quality-of-life plan and manages its ongoing implementation, in addition to engaging with residents to get them connected to resources.
As the lead for the Austin Quality-of-Life Plan, ACT supported Westside Health Authority (WHA) in working with community leaders to make the Emmet School building a focal project of the plan. This led to partnerships with WHA and other organizations to submit a proposal for the Chicago Prize called the ASPIRE Initiative. While it was ultimately not selected for the prize (1 of 6 finalists), ACT became a co-developer and anchor tenant of the project to ensure the resources for construction and mobilization of the center into operations could be raised.
While mobilizing the center for operations, anchor tenants identified ACT’s role as lead for service coordination, community organizing, and evaluation. The Hub @ ACWI will play a central role in guiding the implementation of the Aspire Centers Operating Model, coordinating with all Anchor Tenants to connect residents and enhance their awareness of available services and resources. In addition, The Hub @ ACWI will also continue to support service providers and organizations in strengthening their relationship with one another and with the community, while ACT’s P&I team will leverage the center to facilitate high quality action planning sessions and host trainings that will build our collective power to realize the Austin Forward. Together. Quality-of-life plan.
For over 30 years Westside Health Authority (WHA) has been providing support to residents through community reentry, youth development, and employment services. They focus on economic development projects that revitalize and rebuild the Austin community by leveraging the power of its citizens. In 2018, WHA purchased the property of the former Emmet School, now Aspire Center for Workforce Innovation, in a continued effort to create opportunities for the citizens of the Greater Westside on the recommendation of community stakeholders who desired to see the site redeveloped into a safe, attractive space for residents to access commerce and community services.
WHA has sought out to revive the once-bustling intersection of Madison and Central, and the repurposing of the Emmet School is a giant step in that mission. The Aspire Center will serve as a centralized location for Austin’s youth and unemployed and underemployed adults seeking career training and support. WHA is moving their reentry work to ACWI, in addition to their main operations and media and property management teams to make their work more accessible for the community.
Jane Addams Resource Corporation
Since 1985, Jane Addams Resource Corporation (JARC) has trained low-income adults in manufacturing, and will be continuing their free on-site skills training at the Aspire Center. Austin residents will have access to Computer Numerical Control machine operation, welding, and mechanical assembly.
JARC has served as a Strategy Lead for the Austin Quality-of-Life Plan since 2019, on the Economic Development task force. They have sought to disrupt the traditional industry of manufacturing by investing in workers, targeted skills training, comprehensive support services and industry collaboration. With the goal of helping low-income workers, job seekers, and community residents attain financial self-sufficiency through manufacturing skills training and wrap-around supportive services.
JARC will be moving their main offices to ACWI, which will allow them to have a prominent and easily accessible location in Austin for the first time, to further their commitment to bringing wealth opportunities to Austin through their FOC work and continue reshaping the manufacturing industry’s relationship with its workforce.
Through its partnership with United Way of Metro Chicago, BMO was a legacy investor in the Aspire Center and United Way’s ongoing work in supporting the Austin community. Through BMO’s own initiatives, it partners with organizations that drive social change, celebrate and support our local communities and families in providing financial wellness, and bring communities together. Through their community outreach sponsorship program with Aspire, their Zero Barriers to Business program, and their Bank at Work Initiative, they will play a key role in ensuring Austin residents have a clear path to equitable, sustainable wealth creation.
In conjunction with the organizations located within the Aspire Center, as well as those in ACT’s expansive member network, a partnership with BMO will ensure residents have access to integrated services of income support, financial coaching, and other banking products/services.
The Freedom Defense Center of Austin fosters accountability and trust between the Public Defender’s Office and the community it serves. The Freedom Defense Center was founded in direct partnership with Austin residents, standing with and advocating for this community to reduce the impact of the carceral system and fight for justice. It works to change the narrative around harm and safety by honoring community members’ experiences and prioritizing their autonomy.
The Freedom Defense Center provides services aligned with their values: Collaboration, Transparency and Courage.
Legal Aid Chicago addresses legal areas that cover basic human needs. They have a vision that poverty will not be an impediment to justice in Cook County. Legal barriers that perpetuate poverty and inequality will be dismantled. Laws and legal systems will be open and equally effective for all who need their protection, especially those who experience unfair and disproportionately unjust treatment due to personal or community characteristics.
Their involvement with ACWI began with a partnership with Westside Health Authority in 2020, focusing on re-entry work. They offer an array of legal services and provide high quality civil legal aid to people living in poverty and other vulnerable groups. Their move to ACWI will allow them to help even more people in the community.
