Planning for Climate Resilience and Extreme Weather Events
Travis County, Texas's fifth largest county, faces many climate emergencies and weather hazards. The frequency of 100-degree days has doubled in the last 40 years, and extreme rainfall, flooding, and drought risks have escalated. These climate hazards threaten all residents, particularly low-income families, older adults, and non-English speakers. The county's... Read more
Combating the Digital Divide by Increasing Equitable Access to Broadband Services
The COVID-19 pandemic has exposed long-seated issues with connectivity in Texas, with almost 900,000 residents lacking broadband internet access across the state. In Central Texas, over 37,000 students are without the high-speed internet needed for online learning, and over 50,000 residents in Austin alone do not have use of the... Read more
Implementing a Robust Restorative Justice Program in Travis County
The Travis County District Attorney (DA) is at the forefront of efforts to dismantle our nation’s endemic over-reliance on incarceration and reimagine and reconceptualize local systems of justice permanently. In just the last few months, the County and DA have worked to bring the jail population down by about 300... Read more
Instituting a Coordinated County-wide Approach to Vaccine Delivery
Travis County recognizes that efficient and effective distribution and delivery of the COVID-19 vaccine is key to reducing case numbers. To that end, the County has hurried to launch mass vaccination sites and drive-thru clinics. It has now administered more than 861,000 doses of the vaccine, and data shows that... Read more
Building a Sustainable Center to Support the Reimagining of Travis County’s Criminal Justice System
Across the U.S., police departments have become the front line of mental health treatment, and jails and prisons are the primary caretakers. The Travis County Jail is one of the largest mental health providers in the county, with around 34% of the jail’s roughly 1,434 inmates having a mental health... Read more