In November of 2004, SLEHC, at the invitation of St. James Episcopal Church, began an exploratory study in an East Austin neighborhood. The invitation was an opportunity to extend activities in our mission field to Travis County and to apply our HNI model in a different context. More importantly, the characteristics of the neighborhood as an underserved, marginalized, ethnic community made it appropriate for study.

Our study area is two zip codes (78722 and 78723) within East Austin. This area has a population of 42,670 people, 36.4 per cent of whom are Hispanic, 30.5 per cent African American, and 29.2 per cent White. The city of Austin is 30.5 per cent Hispanic, 9.8 per cent African American, and 53 per cent White. East Austin has a larger percentage of households headed by a female (16.7) compared to the city (10.8), and a larger percentage of these households have children under 18 years of age (9.1 compared to 6.5 for the city). Almost 30 per cent of households in East Austin have an annual income under $15,000, compared to 14.7 per cent for the city, and 15.8 per cent of families live below the Federal Poverty Level, compared to 9.2 per cent for the city. More than 13 per cent of East Austin’s adult population has less than a 9th grade education, compared to 8.3 per cent for the city. Close to 65 per cent of the East Austin population speaks a language other than English at home, compared to 31 per cent for the city of Austin; thirty-two percent speak Spanish only. The incidence of heart disease and diabetes is higher in East Austin; a recent study revealed diabetes as one of the most common diagnoses in East Austin (East Austin Community Health Promoters Project, 2002). Births to teenage mothers are twice as high as the city.

The assessment began at St. James Episcopal Church in East Austin under the direction of a community collaborative comprised of 8-10 community leaders, including St. David’s Foundation, Travis County Hospital District, the Indigent Care Collaborative, People’s Community Clinic, Seton Health Care Network, Austin Safeplace, Manos de Cristo, and El Buen Samaritano. Collaborative members determined the designated study area, identified priority populations, and helped to ascertain community concerns. The assessment includes a quantitative data profile and fifteen in-depth interviews of key community leaders, done by a two-member team. In addition, church administrators directed us to segments of their congregation (e.g., undocumented Hispanic immigrants, female African-American church members) for further focus. Community members from these groups were recruited for 2-4 hour participatory exercises to discuss demographic changes occurring within the church and identify congregation strengths, challenges, and priorities. Study findings are reported within the 2006 Community Health Reports: Welcoming Diversity in an East Austin Parish, completed in October, 2006. Next steps will be determined by the collaborative and the congregation.

More Information:
To learn more about 2006 Community Health Report: A Parish Study in East Austin, Texas, please contact us.