Minutes & Reports – Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging

This has been an encouraging year for the Coalition with the addition of some new members to the Steering Committee with all kinds of new ideas and energy. Their enthusiasm along with the generous support of the The Helper Bees resulted in our first participation in Austin’s PRIDE parade this year. Part of the original impetus for forming the Coalition several years ago came from a young lady who questioned the lack of input in Austin’s Age-Friendly Plan by saying, “we don’t all wear little bitty bathing suits and ride on floats you know.” We didn’t succeed in getting her on the float this year and there weren’t a lot of “little bitty bathing suits,” but LGBT Seniors were loud and proud for PRIDE!

In addition to having fun we also continued to take care of the business side of an organization, moving from the financial sponsorship of AustinUP to our own bank account and acquiring insurance protection for our governing board. In our meeting this month we established rates for sponsoring organizations and will be welcoming those as we continue to provide advocacy for our community.

Minutes of the Meeting

Thursday, October 20, 2022, 2pm

Virtual Meeting

Introductions

Call to Order was done at an unspecified time, on or around 2:00 PM

Steering Committee Roll Call:

Charles Curry
Stephanie Braddock
Richard Bondi
Toby Johnson
Faith Lane
Evan Chiappinelli
Fred Lugo (absent)

Guests:

Garrett Nafzinger
Kathy Bentz
Angel Hanzik, Texas Senior Care Patrol
Madison Bowen

Approval of minutes of September 15, 2022 Steering Committee meeting
1. Questions
  1. Charles had a question on Embrace Austin, not recalling if we were joining. It was also noted that Coalition’s logo did not accurately appear on the Embrace website. Richard will investigate with Embrace on logo and cost
2. Motion to approve as amended (adding agreement to join Embrace) made by Stephanie, seconded by Evan.
3. Motion passed unanimously.

Consider a motion approving the following amendments to the Coalition Bylaws as recommended by the Steering Committee:

Amendment 1: Modify Article I to include the additional verbiage:

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging operates as a 501(c)(3) organization, EIN 87-0825532.

Moved to approve by Richard, seconded by Evan.
Discussion: None
Motion passed unanimously.

Amendment 2: Modify references to Steering Committee Chair(s) to allow for either a single Chair or co-Chairs. This change would impact the following cites.

Article III; Sections 2a, 2c, 2d

Article IV; Sections 1a, 1b, 1c

Article V; Sections 2a, 2b

Moved to approve by Richard, seconded by Toby
Discussion: None
Motion passed unanimously.

Amendment 3: Modify Article III; Section 1b to include the additional verbiage:

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging does not tolerate discrimination or harassment from its members based on race, color, ancestry, national, ethnic, or social origin, religious or political belief, sexual orientation, or gender identity, marital or veteran status, income, HIV status or disability. The Coalition strives for equal representation on the Steering Committee.

Moved to approve by Stephanie, seconded by Richard
Discussion: Richard shared that this amendment mirrored a policy the Steering Committee recently adopted for D&O insurance policy.
Motion passed unanimously.

Amendment 4: Modify Article VI; Section 3 to delete this section in its entirety as the Coalition maintains its own bank account and no longer uses AustinUP as a fiscal agent.

Moved to approve by Richard, seconded by Evan
Discussion: None
Motion passed unanimously.

Consider a motion setting the Coalition dues for the next fiscal year beginning January 1, 2023, at $0 as recommended by the Steering Committee.
1. Moved to approve by Toby, seconded by Stephanie
2. Discussion: Toby (as Treasurer) pointed out that there’s been an ongoing discussion about whether the membership should pay dues or funds should be raised through sponsorships. Recently, Toby added a donate button and we have set policies for sponsorships, so a source of funding has been established.
3. Motion passed unanimously.

Steering Committee Elections:

Nominations for Steering Committee members.
1. Stephanie nominated Kathy Bentz and after clarification of the responsibilities, Kathy accepted
2. Charles self-nominated, as his tenure as Chair was expired.
Consider a motion electing Richard Bondi, Stephanie Braddock, Evan Chiappinelli and Faith Lane to full terms as members of the Steering Committee as recommended by the Steering Committee.
1. Toby moved we accept slate in a single vote, seconded by Evan.
2. Motion passed unanimously.
Fred (in absentia) was nominated to the Steering Committee (this was later on in the meeting, but recorded here)
1. Moved by Richard, seconded by Evan
2. Motion passed unanimously

Election of Officers
1. Nominations for chair or vice chair.
  1. No other nominations
  2. Consider a motion electing Faith Lane and Evan Chiappinelli as Steering Committee Co-Chairs as recommended by the Steering Committee
  3. Stephanie moved to nominate the above Co-Chairs, seconded by Richard
  4. Motion passed unanimously
2. Nominations for secretary
  1. Discussion on Fred Lugo’s status and outgoing Secretary
  2. Stephanie was nominated by Richard, seconded by Faith
  3. Motion passed unanimously

Other business items from the membership
1. Trainer for Coalition – Richard shared that Will Teal had been on previous meeting agendas as the Coalition trainer and Richard expects Will be returning and this could be discussed at our next meeting
2. Faith shared that Faith, Fred and Richard are co-hosting a Community Forum next week, Wednesday, October 26^th, at 2 PM, at 5325 Airport Blvd, the new Travis County HHS building. Event will be a hybrid, allowing for both in-person and virtual participation. Faith posted the link to the event, https://bit.ly/3dQlLST.
3. Charles shared that the various City of Austin Quality of Life Commissions are in the process of appointing Work Groups. Several of the Commissions are creating Work Groups on housing, which was one of the main reasons for the founding of the Coalition (LGBT housing for seniors). Work Group membership is open to members of the public. Richard recently nominated Dylan Lowery to the Joint Inclusion Committee’s Commission Work Group on housing. Dylan has been serving on the Commission on Aging’s Work Group that addressed housing for some time (and was a prior member of the Coalition’s Steering Committee).

If anyone is interested in serving on those Work Groups, let Charles know. Charles hopes that some of the Work Group meetings will be held at some of those affordable housing locations. Charles also explained some of the recent concerns on rent increases that were allowed per the formula but priced out the tenants because the increases were greater than the tenants’ income.

Charles also hopes to hear if LGBT residents of affordable housing are being harassed or discriminated against because of the sexual orientation or gender identity. Charles feels that tenants experiencing this may not know they can file a complaint with the Equity Office.

Toby also shared that the Coalition recently received an email from Judith Caballero, Fair Housing Director with the Austin Tenants Council, about working with us to ensure Fair Housing services to the LGBTQ community. Toby invited her to attend future meetings (but that the October meeting would be focused on our annual business).

Charles added that he supported this idea and agreed that we should put this on the agenda for our next meeting.

Toby asked Angel Hanzik, Texas Senior Care Patrol, to speak about their recent request to attend and present to the Coalition. Angel shared their organization empowered and assisted Medicare beneficiaries, their families, and caregivers to prevent, detect, and report health care fraud, errors, and abuse through outreach, counseling, and education. Angel will share their website (https://texassmp.org/) and their hotline 1-888-341-6187.

Richard suggested connecting Angel with ADRC.

Consider a motion to adjourn
1. Toby moved to adjourn Faith seconded.
2. Motion passed unanimously.

September 15, 2022

ALGBTCOA Steering Committee
Thursday, September 15, 2022 2 pm

Virtual Meeting Minutes

MINUTES by Charles Curry

Introduction of guests (5 min, chair) none

Call to order, roll call and designate timekeeper, secretary (5 min, chair)

Meeting was called to order at 2:10pm

Present: Richard Bondi, Evan Chiappinelli, Charles Curry, Toby Johnson, Faith Lane

Charles Curry designated secretary

Additions to the agenda (5 min, chair)

Treasurer’s Report: Current bank balance is $702.82

Approval of minutes (5 min, Richard) Motion to approve was made by Toby, Faith seconded, motion approved unanimously

Consider a motion recommending approval of the following amendments to the Coalition Bylaws in the annual business meeting October 20 (20 min):
1. Amendment 1: Modify Article I to include the additional verbiage:

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging operates as a 501(c)(3) organization, EIN 87-0825532.

Motion to approve was made by Faith, seconded Richard, motion approved unanimously

Amendment 2: Modify references to Steering Committee Chair(s) to allow for either a single Chair or co-Chairs. This change would impact the following cites.

Article III; Sections 2a, 2c, 2d

Article IV; Sections 1a, 1b, 1c

Article V; Sections 2a, 2b

Motion to approve was made by Faith, seconded by Toby, motion approved unanimously

Amendment 3: Modify Article III; Section 1b to include the additional verbiage:

Motion to approve was made by Richard, seconded by Toby, motion approved unanimously

Amendment 4: Modify Article VI; Section 3 to delete this section in its entirety as the Coalition maintains its own bank account and no longer uses AustinUp as a fiscal agent.

Motion to approve was made by Toby, seconded by Richard, motion approved unanimously

Consider a motion recommending setting the Coalition dues for the next fiscal year beginning January 1, 2023 at $0 in the annual business meeting October 20 (5 min). Motion was approved by the SC in the August meeting and item was deleted from the agenda

Consider a motion recommending the election of Faith Lane and Evan Chiappinelli as Steering Committee Co-Chairs in the annual business meeting October 20 (5 min) Motion was approved by the SC in the August meeting and item was deleted from the agenda.

Consider a motion recommending the election of Richard Bondi and Stephanie Braddock to full terms as members of the Steering Committee in the annual business meeting October 20 (10 min) [Additional people may be recommended for the SC but do not have to be; Richard and Stephanie were both appointed as members by the SC between annual business meetings) Motion was amended to add Evan Chiappinelli and Faith Lane with the recommendation that this item precede the election of officers in the annual meeting agenda. The discussion also included a reminder that the SC was not required to recommend SC members but has traditionally done so for those members appointed between annual meetings. The floor is open for additional nominations at the annual meeting for SC members as well as officers.

Consider a motion expressing the appreciation of the Coalition to the Helper Bees for the contributions and support of the LGBT senior community in the 2022 PRIDE celebration and designating Helper Bees as an honorary sponsor at the platinum level to be effective immediately and through the 2023 fiscal year. The motion to approve was made by Richard, seconded by Toby and approved unanimously.

Consider a motion to adopt a fee schedule for sponsorships (postponed from July) (Richard 15 min)

The motion to approve the following fee schedule was made by Richard and seconded by Faith. There was considerable discussion, a revision from the originally proposed fee rates, a deletion of a reference to a policy prohibiting advertisements which has not been adopted. The motion to approve as amended was made by Richard, seconded by Faith and approved unanimously.

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging

Sponsorship Fee Schedule

Definition(s)

For this document, these definition(s) apply:

Ads – an enticement, mention, image, or some other device from a for-profit entity, solely intended to solicit business or revenue for that entity. Fundraising activities by non-profit organizations are excluded from this category.

Promotion of Activities – The Coalition website and newsletter may be used to promote activities or events, provided they align with the Coalition’s mission statement. It is expected that these activities are either free or available at a nominal charge. The Coalition will not accept payment in exchange for this type of promotion.

Sponsors – The Coalition may offer levels of sponsorship to individuals, businesses or non-profits at varying levels. It is recommended that sponsorships be fee-based and limited to businesses that support the Coalition in some way, in addition to the sponsorship fee. This additional support could include individuals from the entity serving on the Steering Committee, or as part of the general Coalition membership, promoting Coalition events on its website or social media, volunteering to help at Coalition events, etc.

The sponsorship levels should correspond with size and placement of the entities’ logo on the Coalition website and newsletter. It is suggested that mention of entities is limited to:

Entity name and logo (these are generally combined)
Level of Coalition sponsorship
1. Platinum, Gold, Silver, nonprofit
Link to entity website
1. Web link may be incorporated into the entity logo.

Sponsorship benefits should be limited to a maximum term of one year, per sponsorship fee paid.

The one-year term should align with the Coalition’s fiscal year and not the date the sponsorship fee was paid.

Sponsorship Fees:

Platinum $500. Includes offer to speak at annual meeting, on an approved topic that both aligns with the Coalition’s mission and advances current Coalition issues. Includes gold level item(s).

Gold $200. Includes entity logo on website and newsletter (location to be determined) and postings on Coalition social media. Website size limited to 3 square inches.

Silver $100. Includes entity logo at the bottom of website and newsletter. Website size limited to 1.5 square inches.

Non-Profit $50. Includes entity logo at the bottom of website and newsletter. Website size limited to 1.5 square inches (same as Silver). Organization must present IRS determination letter of NPO status.

Sponsorship Revenue
1. Use of revenue from sponsorships and necessary approval to spend those funds needs to align with the Coalition’s Bylaws. Funds might be used to offset printing costs, web hosting fees, email platform fees, booth space at community events, giveaway, or promotional items as determined by the Coalition, educational seminars or conferences, fees for belonging to LGBTQ+ groups or associations, etc. Again, any expenditure of funds needs to align with the Coalition’s Bylaws.

Photographic Releases
1. Before any photographs of individuals are posted to the Coalition website or shared in the Coalition newsletter, the Coalition should obtain a signed release from the individual(s), allowing the Coalition

the legal right to use the image or likeness of the image with or without identifying the individual.

The release should also include language that states that the individual will not receive any compensation for use of the image.
The exception would be stock photos, purchased or leased from entities such at Getty Images.

Round Robin discussion (all). There was some discussion regarding changes to the Coalition Facebook account with Toby and Robin to follow up after the meeting.
The motion to adjourn was made by Richard, seconded by Evan, approved unanimously and the meeting was adjourned at 3:26pm

August 18, 2022

ALGBTCOA Steering Committee
Thursday, August 18, 2022 2 pm

Virtual Meeting Minutes

Coalition Steering Committee Meeting

notes by Richard Bondi

Introduction of guests (5 min, chair)

None

Call to Order, roll call and designate timekeeper, minutes responsibility (5 min, chair)
1. Charles called meeting to order
2. Roll call
  1. Charles Curry
  2. Toby Johnson

Stephanie Braddock

Evan Chiappinelli
Richard Bondi
Faith Lane (late)

Additions to the agenda (5 min, chair)

No additional items presented at this point in the agenda, however these topics were brought up during the meeting:

History project – Toby involved with this. Coalition’s role is to feed info to Austin
1. History Center, via short talks (5 – 10 mins). UT effort is to train students to do interviews, longer segments. Both will feed into Austin History Center.
Fundraising – What’s the SC/Coalition need for funds (other than D&O insurance
1. and web fees)?
Social meetings – As a suggestion to help engage participation outside SC.
Promoting Groups in Newsletter – Toby suggested a feature in the Newsletter, it could be to promote different organizations.
Acknowledging Char – Evan to think about this and get back. Charles suggested an acknowledgement that appears on our website/newsletter for a year. Evan to discuss at Friday night gathering.
Coalition Help with RCATX Resource Guide – Richard may be asking Coalition staff for help surveying organizations.
CAN People-Centered Approach to Affordable Housing – Charles will send info on this to Richard and will invite Richard to meeting.
SC Bylaws – Web version is not the latest, Charles will look for track/change

version

Approval of minutes (5 min, Faith?)

No minutes from last meeting

Treasurer’s Report (10 min, Toby)

See embedded documents.

Report from Pride planning committee (15 minutes, Richard, Evan, Faith)

Two days before parade!

Evan reported that The Helper Bees is having a get-together Friday, 8/19 at their location, hang out, network, meet each other, discuss decorating strategy.

Also, Friday event will be a good opportunity for The Helper Bees to see the different ways they can be involved in the community.

Trailer rental for Saturday, will decorate at parade in the staging area.

Arrival time for decorating is 6 PM Saturday.

Stephanie will bring masks on Friday

Evan doing banner, OK to send logo updates.

Annual Business meeting items: 30 minutes, Charles)
1. Adopt recommendation on annual dues

Motion – by Richard, no dues

Second – Toby

Carried unanimously

Nomination of officers

No immediate nominations

TABLED nominations at this point (recording stopped to do work session)

After work session, the following nominations were made:

Co-Chairs

Motion – by Stephanie to nominate Evan/Faith as Co-Chairs

Second – Richard

Carried unanimously

Secretary – Fred at term limits

Motion – by Richard to do roving/rotating Secretary

Second – Toby

Carried unanimously

Nomination of SC members

None

Proposed bylaw changes

Motion – by Richard to amend Bylaws to allow for SC Chair or Co-

Chairs (either)

Second – Toby

Carried unanimously

Motion to adopt fee schedule for sponsorships (postponed from July 15, 10 minutes, Richard))

Charles reviewed history of Coalition, suggesting another community

conversation by way of re-invigorating community.

Ensuing discussion on holding off on sponsor fees until we’ve determined ongoing

purpose / direction of Coalition, which feeds into what we’d have to offer sponsors.

It was suggested that this would be the role of the new officers.

Stephanie suggested that if/once it’s determined why we need $$, for SC to

donate (as a give/get).

Update on safe and affordable housing issue:
1. Qwell plans (postponed from July, Richard)

NOT DISCUSSED

Discussion and possible action on financial support for Embrace (postponed from July, 5 min)

NOT DISCUSSED

Facebook, Instagram accounts (continued from July,5 minutes, Richard)

Current FB link that Toby’s using is the one that’s tied to *BOB*’s account.

Toby currently is an administrator on the account.

It was suggested that addressing this be determined once new officers are in place.

It was noticed that some see Robert Cross’ name when selecting “sign up” on FB.

Richard to ask *BOB*:

What they see when they select “sign up?”

Does Erik know how to move FB group account to a different owner?

Discussion of LGBTQ training/Will Teal (postpone to Sep meeting)

NOT DISCUSSED

Round Robin discussion (all)
1. Reminder of event scheduled for this evening at Yarborough Branch library 5pm

Faith is tabling as Charles is isolating. Charles is providing business

cards and brochures for Faith to distribute. It was suggested that those could be passed out Friday and at pre-Pride event.

Adjournment

Motion – by Richard

Second – Toby

Carried unanimously

As a reminder we have set Thursday, Oct 20 as the date for our annual business meeting. There are requirements in the bylaws for 30-day advance notice to the membership of the date, time, location, etc. of the annual meeting. The SC is also responsible for nominating officers and those nominations must be included in the 30- day notice as well as any proposed bylaw changes.

June 16, 2022

ALGBTCOA Steering Committee
Thursday, June 16, 2022 2 pm

Virtual Meeting Minutes

Coalition Steering Committee Member Action Items from June 16, 2022, Meeting

notes by Richard Bondi

Charles

Continue to follow up with the Program Manager at Housing
Charles to invite Dylan to Joint Inclusion Committee meeting where Economic Development is doing a presentation
Include on next SC meeting agenda
LGBTQ+ trainer/training
Treasurer’s report
Discussion/determination of sponsor rates
Modifications to Bylaws
Include on annual meeting agenda
Treasurer’s report
Bank account status / no longer using Austin Up as fiscal agent
Announcement of Harassment/Non-Discrimination policy
Proposed revision to Bylaws (if any)
Liability insurance status
Update on housing initiatives
Sponsor rates / Guidelines, Best Practice for Coalition website policy

Evan

Investigate ‘failed login attempts’ on Coalition website and share info with Toby.
Meet with Faith, Richard on Pride float

Faith

Meet with Evan, Richard on Pride float

Richard

Guidelines/Best Practice for Coalition website
Remove sponsor amounts
Add NPO category
Investigate and compile list of sponsor fees
Continue reaching out to Clayton on QWELL housing initiative
Reach out to Project Transitions
Ask for outcome(s) from June meeting with QWELL on housing
Ask about golf cart resource for August Pride
Meet with Faith, Evan on Pride float
Send Coming of Age insurance policy/contact to Stephanie
Review Coalition Bylaws
Reach out to Will Teal (ADRC Mgr)
About SC membership
More info on being LGBTQ+ trainer/trainings

Stephanie

Share sponsor fees Mir pays to different organizations with Richard
Research insurance costs, get estimate for Coalition

Toby

Address GoDaddy receipt available for downloading on Coalition website
Share meeting recording link with Richard

May 25, 2022

ALGBTCOA Steering Committee
Thursday, May 25, 2022 2 pm

Virtual Meeting Minutes

Present: Charles Curry, Toby Johnson, Richard Bondi, Fred Lugo, Stephanie Braddock, Faith Lane

Call to order: 2:05 pm

Approval of Minutes: Minutes of the April 21, 2022 meeting were presented.
Moved to approve by Toby Johnson, seconded by Richard Bondi. Motion passed.

Discussion and decision to rotate recording duties. Recorder will forward to Secretary, Fred Lugo, to approve and send prior to the monthly meeting.

Stephanie Braddock – May
Richard Bondi – June

Approve a resolution to transfer the Coalitions’ Bank Account

Action: Funds were withdrawn from Frost. Account will be opened at a credit union. Richard Bondi moved that the funds be deposited in a credit union, seconded by Toby Johnson. Motion passed.

Affordable Housing

Updates

Richard contacted Clayton at Quell regarding presentation sponsor, but hasn’t heard back.
No update available. Will share any report once received. City in budget process.

Community Events

Discussion of participation in the PRIDE celebration. Action: and an subcommittee of Faith/Richard would research and report at the June 16^th

Commission on Seniors Domain Workgroups

Volunteers needed.

Guideline/Best Practices – Website

Richard presented a draft. Action: Richard, Stephanie & Toby will work off line and present revised document at the June meeting.

Rainbow Connection ATX

Richard reported on the structure.

Coalition Annual Meeting

Discussion – Date, Site, Format Action: Approve at next meeting.

Adjourn: 3:45 pm

April 21, 2022

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Steering Committee

Virtual meeting

Minutes submitted by Charles Curry substituting for the Secretary

Present: Richard Bondi, Stephanie Braddock, Evan Chiappinelli, Charles Curry, Toby Johnson, Faith Lane, Dylan Lowery

Call to Order: Meeting was called to order at 2:10pm

Approval of Minutes: Minutes of the March 17, 2022 Steering Committee were approved as submitted

Additions to the agenda: There was an extended discussion of options for organizing meetings and minutes to make it more conducive for continuity and progress by building on previous discussions and decisions. Included in the discussion was the suggestion that minutes should include a “Call To Action CTA” (who is responsible for what action by when). Another suggestion was that agendas should designate a time period for the item, meetings should include a timekeeper and when the agreed time was reached the discussion would either be ended or the members agree on an extension. CTA: The Secretary would be responsible for implementing the minutes suggestion, the Chair would be responsible for implementing the agenda suggestion.

Update on Older Americans Month celebration sponsored by the City of Austin on May 7: Steering Committee was reminded of previous approval for sponsoring a table at this event and members were encouraged to volunteer if able. Chair assumed responsibility for organizing the tabling, materials, etc.

Continuation of the discussion on safe and affordable housing: There was an extended discussion of the Coalition’s approach over the past several years for providing information on LGBT supportive senior housing including: SC visits with senior housing staffs; an informational get together for the organizations of senior housing executives in the Austin area; exploration of a similar project developed by the Coalition for Aging LGBT in the DFW area which includes a matrix of criteria for LGBT supportive; a pilot project with Family Eldercare for two facilities where Family Eldercare maintains staff. These efforts failed to reach fruition largely because of a lack of resources, i.e., either volunteers or staff. The current iteration is an effort with the City of Austin Housing and Planning Department to implement supportive criteria in the contracts with affordable housing developers beginning with the collection of sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) data. Richard reported on an effort by Qwell to develop a list of LGBT supportive housing. CTA: Richard agreed to follow up with Qwell and bring information back to the next SC meeting.

Feedback to City on housing dashboard: SC members provided feedback on their review of the City’s Housing and Planning Department dashboard of information on affordable housing developed with City financial support. The feedback was requested by the Department in an effort to improve their communications with the community and as a part of discussions with the Department related to budget recommendations to City Council by the LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission and the Joint Inclusion Committee. CTA: Charles will provide a copy of the feedback report to the Department as well as updates on the response and next steps at the next meeting.

Discussion on teen mental health and the development of a new app as a resource tool: Richard briefed the SC on a new app launching in June – “IMI”- addressing LGBTQ teen mental health issues. CTA: Richard agreed to provide a link for the app – https://imiguide.org. The discussion also included the need for guidelines regarding information posted on our website and/or in our newsletter. This discussion was not resolved with a CTA and will be added to the SC agenda for the May meeting.

Adjournment: Meeting adjourned at 3:38pm

March 17, 2022

Present: Charles Curry, Fred Lugo, Toby Johnson, Dylan Lowery, Evan Chiappinelli

Guests: Faith Lane, Richard Bondi, Stephanie Braddock

Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 2:04 PM

Safe and Affordable Housing

Charles reported that the LGBTQ Commission is recommending a resolution to the City of Austin addressing the lack of affordable housing efforts to address diversity, inclusion, and respect. The resolution states: Tax supported affordable housing development contracts include language that requires tenant application and selection processes to convey that affordable housing is supportive to all regardless of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, familial status, disability, marital status, student status, creed, national origin, or source of income, and that annual reporting of complete demographic information regarding the tenant application and selection process be required of developers and made available by the City to the community to support the perception of diversity, inclusion and respect with regard to the City’s affordable housing efforts.
Senior living facilities in the Austin area are advertising themselves as being gay-friendly. Recommendation was made to take another look at developing criteria for gay-friendly designation. Recommend explore partnering with AARP to develop an AARP gay-friendly certification.

Revenue Generation

Toby suggested revisiting tiers for membership.
Charles suggested charging for ads in the newsletter
Evan suggested exploring corporate or foundation sponsorships. The SC needs to identify what the funds would be used for.

Older American’s Month

City of Austin sponsoring Older Americans Month Kick-off at Conley-Guerrero, May 7, 10-1. The Coalition agreed to host a table at the event.

Treasurer’s Report

The Coalition has a bank account, but does not have sufficient funds to escape a monthly fee.
Question raised on how to accept donations. Richard recommended using a donation service that works with Go Daddy to accept donations.
Question raised on how to acknowledge non-cash, in-kind contributions. Charles will look at bylaws and make a recommendation.

Appointments to Steering Committee

Toby moved to accept Richard Bondi. Dylan seconded. Approved unanimously.
Richard moved to accept Stephanie Braddock. Toby seconded. Approved unanimously.
Richard moved to accept Faith Lane. Toby seconded. Approved unanimously.

Announcements

Alzheimers and Dementia Community Education series on the 2^nd and 4^th Wednesdays, April – July, 6-7 PM. Hosted by Alzheimer’s Association, Family Eldercare, and LGBTQIA2+ Elder Task Force.

Motion to Adjourn. Richard moved to adjourn. Toby seconded. Passed unanimously.

December 16, 2021

Virtual Meeting Minutes

The meeting was called to order at 2:10 with a quorum present. Attending: Evan Chiappinelli, Charles Curry, Toby Johnson, Fred Lugo
There were no additions to the agenda; approval of the previous meeting minutes was postponed until the January meeting.
Election of a treasurer: A motion to elect Toby Johnson as Treasurer was made by Fred Lugo and seconded by Evan Chiappinelli. The motion carried unanimously.
A motion authorizing opening a checking account for the Coalition was made by Toby Johnson and seconded by Evan Chiappinelli. The motion carried unanimously.
A motion authorizing the Chair (Charles Curry) and Treasurer (Toby Johnson) to sign checks and deposit funds into the Coalition checking account was made by Evan Chiappinelli and seconded by Fred Lugo. The motion carried unanimously.
The meeting was adjourned at 2:45.

November 18, 2021

Annual Meeting

Annual Report 2021

As required by our bylaws, we are providing an annual report of the Coalition’s activities for the 2021 year.

Despite the challenges that the pandemic continued to raise during 2021, the Coalition has been able to move forward in several areas identified as priorities when the group was organized.

Strengthening Our Community: the coalition worked with the City’s LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission and the consulting firm employed by the City to complete the first LGBTQ Quality of Life Study for Austin. Our efforts were focused on encouraging senior participation in the Quality of Life Survey. Given the added communications challenges presented by the pandemic shutdowns we also argued successfully for adding a senior focus group to get additional input and helped to recruit participants that reflected the diversity of Austin’s population. The Quality of Life Study is completed and available on our website. We are looking forward to actively engaging Coalition members as the work begins on implementing the Study recommendations. The Coalition has also continued to support community organizations both old and new. The Golden Generation lunch group has soldiered on during the pandemic, meeting virtually for their weekly conversations and games. Their information is included on our website and in our newsletter. We have also supported a new organization, Embrace, making great strides providing information and programming highlighting the LGBTQ community.

Housing: In 2021 the Coalition joined with Family Eldercare to design a pilot project to recognize LGBT supportive living facilities in Austin. By developing the criteria essential to the LGBT community, providing information and assistance to residential property owners and/or property managers interested in our community, the pilot program could develop an inventory of LGBT supportive facilities – a guide for those in our community looking for appropriate housing.

We continue to receive requests for assistance from people moving to Austin, people forced to relocate for economic reasons and people interested in alternatives to living alone as they age. All of these are reminders that affordable and appropriate housing continues to be a significant challenge in our community.

HIV and Aging: One of the issues identified in our original community forum was the aging population of HIV+ people both nationally and in the Austin area. Our original effort to address this trend included development of a presentation outlining the demographics as well as some of the issues raised by this trend resulting from medical advances in the treatment of HIV. In 2021 we concluded a series of forums featuring representatives of senior care agencies as well as folks from AIDS services organizations. Originally designed as a series of luncheons the forums pivoted to a virtual environment as a result of the pandemic. The goal was to familiarize agencies with the changing challenges ahead: for senior service agencies, clients dealing with the effects of long-term HIV; for AIDS services organization the added complications of aging for the clients they had been assisting in dealing with HIV.

Organization Development: In 2021 the Coalition was recognized as a nonprofit corporation by the State of Texas as well as a 501c3 nonprofit by the IRS, marking the completion of a series of steps since our original organization. From the beginning we have been assisted by AustinUP, first in putting together the community conversation that led to the formation of the Coalition and as we developed by acting as our financial sponsor. Our hats are off to Teresa Ferguson as well as the AustinUP Board for their assistance and support!

Challenges: As we close the year and look ahead, we must also be aware of areas where we have failed to achieve our objectives. As we were forewarned by those who have come before us in this effort, those in our community most in need of assistance have also been the most difficult to reach. We also continue to work for greater involvement in our Steering Committee and in our projects. We are especially in need of strengthening our diversity so that our approach is informed by the voices of all parts of our community.

As always, we invite you to get involved.

October 21, 2021

Steering Committee Meeting Notes of the Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging

Present: Charles Curry, Dylan Lowery, Fred Lugo, Toby Johnson, Barry Waller

Guests: Roger Temme, Richard Bondi, Zach Hollander

Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 3:05 PM.

Approval of minutes. Toby moved to approve. Barry seconded. Approved without objection.

Discussion on Quality of Life Study recommendations

Key Recommendations:

Enhance sexual orientation and gender identity information and data collection (SOGI)
Develop affordable housing opportunities
Address health disparities and create pipeline of culturally competent providers
Lead with anti-racist policies, investments, and strategies
Bolster support for queer Black, indigenous, and people of color
Prioritize the needs of transgender and gender-expansive individuals
Invest in the establishment of an LGBTQIA+ community center

Commission may begin prioritizing recommendation at their next meeting and/or the Lunch & Learn on Nov 18. The Commission has talked about forming workgroups including people that are not on the Commission. It is thought that the organizing principle behind the workgroups will be around the recommendations. A sense of urgency exists regarding coming back with more detail around the community center. Commission will probably prioritize SOGI. Two needs were identified: 1) getting City to agree to start collecting this information, along with how and when, 2) getting LGBTQ community to support offering that information.

Barry suggested formulating an opinion around #1 and #7. Richard volunteered to be part of a SOGI group (#1). In terms of the community center (#7), people of color, specifically the Black LGBTQ community, have expressed the need for their own center or space. Zach Hollander (Cantina Co.) noted that they’re building a center and housing in Buda that will be welcoming to LGBTQ.

Already have a workgroup on #2 (Charles and Dylan).

Adjournment. Meeting adjourned at 4:30 PM.

August 19, 2021

Steering Committee Meeting Notes of the Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging

Present: Charles Curry, Dylan Lowery, Fred Lugo, Toby Johnson, Paul Gilmore

Guests: Melissa Taylor, Kathy Bentz, Roger Temme, Richard Bondi

Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 2:06 PM.

Approval of minutes. Toby made motion to approve the minutes for July 15, 2021. Fred seconded. Passed without objection.

Treasurer’s Report. No treasurer’s report

Presentation and Discussion on Quality of Life Study. City of Austin LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission Vice-Chair, Melissa Taylor, gave a presentation on the Quality of Life Study.

March 2017: Commission established
August 2017: Resolution passed to approve funding for study during 2019-2020 budget cycles.
January – March 2019: Commission went through extensive planning and visioning processes to determine the components of the RFP e.g., scope of work, deliverables, key values, evaluation criteria, etc.
Summer 2019: City of Austin Equity Office provided support to draft a scope of work for use within the solicitation
January 2020: RFP posted
Health Management Associates (HMA) selected to conduct study. HMA is a national research and consulting firm dedicated to improvements in health and human services.
July 2020: HMA hosted a kick-off to launch the study
July 2020 – August 2021: Research Advisory Board guided the research design and recommendations of the study. Board included LGBTQ Coalition on Aging steering committee member, Charles Curry.
January 2021: Survey released
August 2021: Analysis and findings presented.
Recommendations and action items will inform the work that the Commission does.
The full report will be presented in September.
Study was statistically relevant and representative to subsets of LGBTQIA population that have been undercounted in similar efforts. 2,000 responses. Goal reached.
Focus group for older adults was added during the response time due to a lack of initial participation among older adults.
This is the first study of the LGBTQIA community and serve as a model for other cities across the country. This will be a first step of many efforts to better serve of the LGBTQIA community. Will make work transparent that is informed by this study.
The Commission’s job was to see that the study was done, not to determine what was in the study. It was an independent, outside-conducted study. This was done to ensure that the Commission did not have an influence on the findings in the study.
Study will be organized in several domains: Community and Social Connectedness, Economic Development and Work, Educational Opportunities and Access, Health (emotional, physical, sexual), Housing, Personal Safety, Social and Public Services/Benefits. They’ll be linked to the city’s strategic plan.

Pilot Project on LGBT-Friendly Senior Housing. Paul Gilmore, Cheryl Young, and Dylan Lowery met with FE leadership to probe interest in the housing guide project. FE’s Joyce Hefner suggested this be presented to the property management firm, Alpha Barnes, for Lyons Gardens and St. Georges Court. The FE leadership team also asked that this be taken up after August. Their perspective is to present to HACA a prototype to buy into project. FE is on board and supportive.

AustinUp Forum. The next forum in the Age-Friendly Plan series will include the newly appointed Civil Rights Officer for the City of Austin. The forum will be held on September 9, from 1:00-3:30 PM. Charles stated that the state does not have an anti-discrimination real estate law. The city of Austin does.

Adjournment. The meeting was adjourned at 3pm.

July 15, 2021

Steering Committee Meeting Notes of the Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging

Present: Charles Curry, Barry Waller, Dylan Lowery, Fred Lugo, Toby Johnson

Guests: Rob Faubion, Richard Bondi, Stephanie Braddock

Call to Order: Meeting called to order at 2:00 PM

Approval of minutes. Bank balance corrected to $1,348.89. Toby made motion to approve. Barry seconded. Passed without objection.

Treasurer’s Report. The coalition has a balance of $1,348.89, with an outstanding check of $275.

Discussion and possible action on exploring a relationship with Visit per their letter to our website. Charles recommended against exploring a relationship with Visit. Sections of agreement seemed problematic regarding who owned data and fees charged. Recommendation to reply that the Coalition is not interested at this time. No motion made.

Discussion and possible action on an offer for tabling at the HIV and Aging Conference scheduled for December 1, 2021 (in person event). Barry made motion to approve. Toby seconded. Motion passes unanimously.

Adjournment. Barry moved to adjourn meeting at 2:10 PM. Toby seconded. Passed without objection.

June 17, 2021

Steering Committee Meeting Notes of the Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging
Present: Charles Curry, Barry Waller, Dylan Lowery, Fred Lugo, Toby Johnson
Guests: Elizabeth DeLuca, Richard Bondi, Roger Temme
Approval of minutes. Barry made motion to approve. Toby seconded. Passed unanimously.
Treasurer’s Report. The Coalition has a balance of $1,349.89.
Reimbursement Request. Toby moved to approve reimbursement request to Charles Curry for federal nonprofit application in the amount of $275. Fred seconded. Passed unanimously.
Updates
• Employee ID received.
• No follow-up meeting has occurred since last SC meeting regarding the housing guide pilot project with Family Eldercare. Dylan hopes to meet with FE staff to move the project forward.
• Family Eldercare has signed an MOU with the LGBTQIA2+ Elder Task Force to establish a SAGE in Austin. FE will continue to collaborate with organizations in the LGBTQ older adult space.
• Charles reported on a recent discussion at the LGBT Quality of Life Commission. It appears that none of the Quality of Life Commissions have focused on the homeless issue to date. In an attempt to try to make a recommendation to the City Council as they move forward with trying to find housing for the homeless population, the LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission formed a working group to study the need for LGBTQ specific housing. The discussion turned to issues LGBTQ youth face. Charles raised the issue of the senior LGBTQ component of the homeless population as well. In the SC meeting, a recommendation was made to connect with Diana Gray with the City of Austin Homeless Strategy Office. A recommendation was also made to bring up the issue at the Commission on Seniors domain meeting, as well as presenting data on homelessness among the aging during public comments at the next Commission on Seniors meeting.
• Vaccination event is set for June 27, 2-6 PM.
• The last event in the HIV & Aging Series will be held on July 21.
Texas Super Slam. Charles will keep the SC posted on the fundraising proposal from Texas Super Slam.
August PRIDE events. There will be a parade, no festival. Due to cost, the Coalition will not participate.
LGBT Quality of Life Commission Resolution. The LGBT Quality of Life Commission passed a resolution requiring the Commission to include the following information in their annual report to the City Council:
o Number of city programs targeting LGBTQ community
o Number of programs collecting sexual orientation and gender identity information from customers
o Number of hate crimes reported to APD based on sexual orientation and gender identify
o Number of discrimination complaints received based on sexual orientation and gender identify
Golden Generation Program. MCC is renewing their contract with MOW regarding the Golden Generation Program. City recreation centers are planning to reopen in August. Charles will contact MOW to determine if there is still interest in providing another site targeted at the LGBTQ senior community.
Adjournment. Toby made motion to adjourn. Barry seconded. Passed unanimously.

May 20, 2021

Steering Committee Meeting of the Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Steering Committee

Present: Charles Curry, Barry Waller, Fred Lugo, Dylan Lowery

Guest: Stephanie Braddock

Call to order. Charles Curry called the meeting to order at 2 PM.

Addition to the agenda. Toby reported on an update on a request to assist a trans person needing housing that was received on our website. They were able to secure 5 months of temporary housing.

Approval of minutes for April 15 meeting. Deferred to next meeting.

Treasurer’s Report. Barry reported that we have $1,348.89 in account.

501(c)(3) application and Employee Identification Number. Fred moved for authorization to submit applications for an Employee Identification Number and 501(c)(3) status and approval of an expenditure of $275 for a 501(c)(3) application.. Dylan seconded. Motion carried unanimously.

Housing guide project. Report from the work group on the Housing Guide project. Member of the Coalition (Charles, Paul, and Dylan) have partnered with Family Eldercare (FE) regarding the housing guide. This partnership is currently focused only on income-restricted, senior properties where FE has a staff presence. They are currently identifying key participants and developing an LGBTQ housing evaluation matrix for facilities interested in self-evaluation. This may lead to assistance from FE and the Coalition to improve their evaluation.

LGBTQ vaccination event. Austin Public Health and LGBTQ+ community partners are hosting a COVID-19 pop-up vaccination clinic at Givens District Park on Sunday, May 23, 2-6:00 PM.

Report on the LGBTQ Quality of Life Survey. Received over 2,000 responses. Responses from surrounding areas were also received. A draft of the Quality of Life Study will be provided by the consulting firm by late summer.

PRIDE Online 2021. (Reference Toby’s email May 5) Will not pursue this invitation to participate.

Request for assistance in identifying Austin gay/lesbian historic sites. Preservation Austin made a request for assistance in identifying Austin gay and lesbian historic sites. Information markers will be placed at places of interest where there was gay organizing. A similar request was received earlier from the Austin Parks and Recreation Department. Toby will follow-up on this request and attempt to connect the organizations pursuing seemingly similar objectives.

Request for assistance in collecting information on trans aging issues. A writer from California is seeking feedback from around the country on trans 50+ aging issues. Toby will provide the information to the Elder Task Force; Charles will contact a member of the Golden Generation group.

Steering Committee meeting format (in-person vs. virtual). Virtual meeting on June 17. Family Eldercare and TCHHS are options for hosting an in-person meeting. Will aim for a live meeting at TCHHS in July.

Meeting adjournment. Toby made motion to adjourn. Barry seconded. Motion passed unanimously. Meeting adjourned at 3:16 PM.

Nov 19, 2020

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging

2020 Annual Meeting Minutes

Present: Charles Curry, Toby Johnson, Barry Waller, Fred Lugo, Dylan Lowery, Gary Cooper, Richard Bondi, Rob Faubion, Robert Cross, Paul Gilmore, Glen Hutchins

Call to order. Meeting called to order by Charles Curry at 2:03 PM.

Annual 2020

Review of 2020 accomplishments.

HIV and Aging

Barry Waller reports a series of virtual meetings featuring an ASO and a Senior Service Provider. This forum helps providers in both AIDS services and Senior services to get to know what is provided by these services in order to better serve those with HIV who may also need services from Senior services providers.

Housing

The Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging established a working relationship with the Coalition for Aging LGBT of North Texas. They successfully developed a methodology for evaluating and reporting on LGBT-friendly attributes of senior housing facilities in their area.
The Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging is currently exploring a task force to review their evaluation matrix for sensitivity to intersectional issues with race and sexual orientation/gender identity
The Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging is exploring a partnership with a local nonprofit to produce an Austin LGBT-friendly housing guide

Advocacy

City of Austin LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission. Charles Curry is a member of the Commission.
This year has primarily been focused on a Quality of Life Study
Contract awarded to a consulting firm in the Spring
Consultants formed a Research Advisory Board made up of volunteer applicants from the community
Identified partner organizations to assist with outreach
Developed a methodology for doing power analyses to be used in the study and for the community post-study
Two Town Hall meetings scheduled for December 8 and 10 (registration available on algbtcoa.org)
Survey scheduled for Jan/Feb 2021
City of Austin Age-Friendly Plan. Barry Waller, Charles Curry, and Fred Lugo are involved in planning discussions, as well as Austin Age-Friendly Plan implementation efforts.
The Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging is represented on the Housing, Transportation, Outdoor Spaces & Buildings, Social Participation, Respect and Social inclusion, Civic Participation and Employment, and the Community Support and Health Services domains.
Transportation Domain. Focus was placed on the mobility bond election issue and what would be included.
Social Participation & Outdoor Spaces. Several staff briefings from the Parks and Library departments were held on what they are doing to try and provide services within the restrictions necessary because of the pandemic including both virtually and outdoors.
Social Participation. The Library Department is sponsoring a number of book clubs including one for LGBTQ literature (info on their website).
Community Support and Health Services Domain.
Nursing Homes and reporting COVID-19
External Study of Nursing Homes and issues concerning COVID-19
Budget recommendations
Organizational Infrastructure
Currently completing application for incorporation with the assistance of North Texas Coalition.

Consider motion approving the dues for the 2021 fiscal year to be $0. Motion made by Dylan Lowery, Toby Johnson seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

Election of Officers. The Steering Committee recommends Chair: Charles Curry; for Treasurer: Barry Waller; for Secretary: Fred Lugo. Motion made by Toby Johnson, Dylan Lowery seconded. Motion passed unanimously.

Election of Steering Committee members. 1) Abi Steinsiek nominated by Toby Johnson. Dylan Lowery seconded. Passed unanimously. 2) Dylan Lowery nominated Toby Johnson. Richard Bondi seconded. Passed unanimously.

Senior roommates. CK McFarland requested assistance for finding a senior roommate. Recommendations included contacting AARP, creating a bulletin board for “people seeking roommates,” and presenting the issue to the City of Austin Commission on Seniors. The question of legal liability was brought up. The Coalition will continue exploring how to address this request.

Update on incorporation application. Charles is in the process of writing articles of incorporation for the Coalition.

Update on Housing Guide project. The Coalition is considering doing a Housing Guide in cooperation with a nonprofit organization. A recommendation was made to contact area churches who have a strong LGBTQIA outreach for participation in this effort, e.g. Trinity Methodist, First Methodist, Congregation Beth Israel, University Baptist, University Methodist. Also, a suggestion was also made to contact the UT School of Social Work for an intern.

Meeting adjourned at 3:37 PM.

Sept 17, 2020

Steering Committee Meeting of the Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging

Present: Dylan Lowery, Toby Johnson, Charles Curry, Fred Lugo, Abi Steinsiek (guest), Kevin Gillespie (guest)

Nonprofit Application. Report presented from subcommittee on non-profit process. Question raised by Toby on the need for pursuing nonprofit status. Since, both the Coalition and the LGBT Elder Taskforce have a website and a newsletter, both aim to serve LGBT elders, negligible participation by those who attended the initial Town Hall meetings, plus a lack of diversity within the Coalition, Toby suggested exploring a merger with the LGBT Elder Task Force. Abi suggested developing an outreach strategy to get more community involvement. Fred recommended the chairs of the Coalition and the Elder Taskforce meet to get clarification on where both are headed, and reasons for or against a merger at this time.

Dylan stated that the Coalition would have a home at Family Eldercare regardless of how this ultimately worked out.

Charles will contact World Famous *BOB* to discuss the issue.

Annual Business Meeting. Scheduled for November 19, 2 PM. The agenda will be determined at the SC meeting in October.

Next Meeting. Scheduled for October 15, 10 AM.

Aug 20, 2020

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Steering Committee

Thursday, August 20, 2020

Minutes

Present: Dylan Lowery, Toby Johnson, Barry Waller, Charles Curry, Fred Lugo, KB (guest), Emily Donahue (guest), Abi Steinsiek (guest), RD Childers (guest), Kevin Gillespie (guest)

Embrace Festival. Engaged in a discussion with KB from Embrace on how the Coalition might assist with their Festival scheduled for February 2021. Events are being planned for March (conference), April, May, and summer of 2021. Festival goals deal with education, body movement, entertainment, community building. KB’s ask is to participate in the planning of the Festival. They desire to build cultural competency and community mindedness in Austin. KB’s aim is to get the essence of queerness in Austin involved in the planning, hence the outreach to elders. Barry will volunteer to participate on the planning committee. Additionally, members of the Steering Committee expressed interest in doing panel presentations for the conference component of the Festival in March.

HIV Service Organizations and Senior Services Providers Kickoff Meeting. Kick off meeting scheduled for September 16 via Zoom.

North Texas LGBTQ Coalition on Aging. Scheduled for last Friday of this month. The Zoom meeting will include the attorney that helped them put their organization together. She will share steps necessary to formally become a nonprofit, incorporated, etc. Anyone interested in serving on a committee to formally organize may be involved in the Zoom meeting and then report back to the Steering Committee on the steps needed to formally pursue nonprofit status. Toby, Charles and Abi volunteered to participate in the conversation.

Austin Center for Grief and Loss. Request from the Center for Grief and Loss to promote their services to the membership via our e-newsletter. The ED has suggested forming a group composed of LGBTQ older adults through the Coalition. Their services are offered via telehealth. No opposition to posting article in the e-newsletter.

HUD’s Proposed Amendment to Equal Access Rule Supporting the Rights and Protection of the Trans Community. Concern was expressed that the rule will give providers the latitude to discriminate against transgender people trying to enter shelters. Comments are due by September 22 to HUD. Recommend writing a letter opposing the proposed amendment. Dylan will draft a letter and send to Steering Committee for comment.

Affordable/Subsidized Housing. Question regarding affordable and subsidized housing available in Austin. AAA has information available. Austin Tenant’s Council produces a guide of affordable housing in Austin/Travis County. City of Austin has an interactive map of affordable housing in Austin. A parallel, but related suggestion was made to have LGBTQ affirming housing included in the City’s Age-Friendly asset map. The Steering Committee could focus on public, affordable and subsidized housing that is LGBTQ affirming. Family Eldercare does provide supportive services on site at five HACA sites, at Lyons Gardens, and at RBJ. This could be an easy partnership between FE, AGLSS, and HACA. Before the next meeting, the Steering Committee will look at the matrix from North Texas LGBTQ Coalition on Aging and comment on it.

Meeting Platform. Will continue using TEAMS (Dylan Lowery host).

Next meeting. Thursday, September 17, at 2 PM.

June 16, 2020

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Steering Committee

Thursday, June 16, 2020

Minutes

Present: Dylan Lowery, Toby Johnson, Barry Waller, Charles Curry, Fred Lugo, Abi Steinsiek (guest), Kevin Gillespie (guest)

LGBTQ Quality of Life Study. A kick-off meeting for the LGBTQ quality of study will be held on Wednesday, July 26, at 6 PM. Registration is required for the event. HealthCare Management Inc was awarded the contract to conduct the study.

Build for Texas: The Impact on Opportunity for the Non-Profit Sector event will be held on August 5. An invitation will be placed on the website.

Meetings of AIDS Senior Service Providers and Senior Services Providers. The purpose of these meetings is to foster communication and relationship building between AIDS services providers and senior services providers. The plan, starting in September, is to have a basic orientation through Zoom on HIV basics and services in the community and also a presentation by the Aging Services Council on senior issues and senior services providers. Six meetings will occur every other month to include discussion on linkages and services. The next meeting will occur in August.

North Texas LGBTQ Coalition on Aging. They are releasing a guide on LGBT-friendly housing and services for seniors. The Coalition is trying to create an awareness of an LGBT elder community through lunch learning events. Events occur in 4 north Texas counties. They provide training to service providers and residential facilities. Their training is proprietary. Housing programs in their guide are required to go through their training, plus they have to meet other criteria. Their evaluation of programs is conducted every two years. They have expressed willingness to help us further develop the local Coalition.

Community Conversation hosted by the Equity Office. The event was targeted to communities of color. Charles reported the takeaway was “the system is not working.” Participants expressed an inability to get assistance, as well as lack of access to food and money offered through pandemic-related assistance programs. The Equity Office is sponsoring another conversation on July 18. It is targeted to the African-American community.

Volunteer Program. Fred provided information on what a volunteer management system typically includes. Discussion occurred on what the Coalition may include for a volunteer management process e.g., interview, resume to establish experience or knowledge, references, volunteer job description, training and orientation, supervision, safety, and criminal background checks depending on activity. A request was made to develop a definitions for “member” and “volunteer” to distinguish between those roles.

Regarding the issue of referring people to other organizations who need volunteers, Toby will post LGBT and aging services volunteer opportunities.

Nonprofit Status. Barry proposed a committee to research what it takes to become a nonprofit. This item will be placed on the next agenda.

Meeting Platform. Dylan will host virtual meetings on TEAMS.

Affordable Housing will be moved to the next meeting.

Next meeting. Thursday, August 20, at 2 PM.

Adjournment. Motion to adjourn – Toby. Second – Dylan. Passed.

April 16, 2020

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Steering Committee

Thursday, April 16, 2020

Minutes

Present: Charles Curry, Toby Johnson, Barry Waller

Call to OrderThe meeting was called to order by Charles Curry at 2:10pm. The meeting was conducted as a virtual meeting utilizing Zoom because of the pandemic social distancing order in effect.

NOTE: The March meeting was cancelled due to the lack of a quorum.

Approval of Minutes: Barry moved approval of the February 20, 2020, minutes as distributed earlier by Secretary Fred Lugo via email. Toby seconded and the motion carried.

Discussion of 2020 Focus areasThe discussion centered around ideas for using volunteers to achieve the three focus areas outlined in the February 20^th meeting. It was agreed that using volunteers was a good strategy for not only achieving the focus areas but also getting more people involved in the work of the Coalition – volunteer opportunities would give people options for doing things in which they had an interest rather than limiting engagement to serving on the Steering Committee.

Diversity training: It was agreed that Charles would follow up on his contact with Lisa and ask if Family Eldercare was interested in pursuing a training video on diversity based on their existing training. If not the Steering Committee might pursue a couple of alternatives: 1) working with the DFW area Coalition on such a video; 2) working with AustinUP to pursue a grant for producing a video; 3) combination of the two.

Housing and aging in place: The housing brochure that the DFW area Coalition advertises on their website was discussed. Charles will follow up by returning the recent contact from that group’s Treasurer.

Community engagement: the discussion focused on volunteer opportunities. Barry will also look for ways in which volunteers might be used by the group exploring how HIV organizations and senior service organizations coordinate services to people who are aging and HIV+. Everyone on the Steering Committee should be encouraged to submit additional suggestions for utilizing volunteers.

Next Meeting:

Assuming a continuation of the need for social distancing we plan to conduct a virtual meeting at our regular meeting time, the third Thursday of the month (May 21) at 2pm. Toby will provide log in information prior to the meeting date.

Meeting adjourned at 2:50

February 20, 2020

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Steering Committee

Thursday, February 20, 2020

Minutes

Present: Charles Curry, Fred Lugo, Barry Waller, Toby Johnson, Dylan Lowery

Call to Order

Charles Curry called the meeting to order at 2:05 PM.

Approval of Minutes

Barry moved approval of the January 16, 2020, meeting minutes. Toby seconded. Motion carried.

AIDS Services Organizations and Senior Service Agencies Collaboration

Barry and Charles are facilitating planning meetings between AIDS services organizations and senior service agencies to help them gain greater awareness of each other’s services and to work collaboratively on providing care for HIV+ individuals as they age. Participating agencies include Hill Country Ride, Integral Care, AIDS Services of Austin, David Powell Clinic, Family Eldercare, Austin Public Health, and AGE of Central Texas.

Property Tax Exemptions

Charles and Janee Briesemeister (Chair of the Commission on Seniors) met with Senator Kirk Watson and the Chief Tax Appraiser to discuss the lack of eligible individuals not receiving homestead exemptions.
Charles reported that several commissions including the LGBT Quality of Life Commission and the Commission on Seniors submitted a City resolution asking the City Manager to make recommendations to the City Council on the most efficient and effective ways of ensuring that seniors are educated about and able to take advantage of existing opportunities to reduce their property tax burden. This included working with the Travis Central Appraisal District to develop metrics for annual reporting on the taxpayer utilization rate of available alternatives for meeting property tax obligations, as well as considering a senior volunteer tax break as a means of offsetting a portion of their property tax at an hourly rate equal to the federal minimum wage. The Commissions are awaiting a response from the City Manager.

Bylaws Review

The bylaws were reviewed to determine which Articles need to be revised.
A correction should be made to Article V, Sec. 1b. Change “September” to “the Fall.” This was approved at the October 27, 2018, meeting, but the correction was never made.
Recommendation to better phrase Article IV, Sec. 1d.
Recommendation to change “Chairs” to “Chair” in Article IV, Sec. 1b.
Recommendation to delete “for approval” in Article III, Sec. 2d.
No changes to the wording affecting meeting notification were recommended; however, it was noted that the steering committee’s agenda should be sent with the newsletter at the middle of the month (at least one week before the meeting).

2020 Issues and Areas of Focus

Charles reported that the City is being encouraged to make better use of nonprofit organizations in carrying out its goals. Due to AustinUp’s success with hosting job fairs, AustinUp will recommend that it organize all City job fairs.
Charles reported that some City budget forums included recommendations to reduce the administrative burden for nonprofit organizations. A recommendation from those forums included reallocating funds from social service contracts to provide administrative assistance to those organizations.
Charles suggested that AustinUp be the Coalition’s fiscal agent for AARP and City grants.
Three focus areas for 2020 include:
- Diversity training. First priority will be for non-residential programs and home care. Family Eldercare has developed the curriculum. Develop goals and strategies at next meeting.
- Housing and aging in place. Goals and strategies may include alternative housing arrangements for LGBT seniors and barrier elimination. Discuss at next meeting.
- Community Engagement. Development goals and strategies at next meeting on utilizing volunteers to accomplish goals for 2020.

Meeting adjourned at 3:58.

Federal Issues Affecting LGBT Seniors

Barry Waller introduced Erin Gurak, Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s District Director.
Erin provided an overview of the Congressman’s current work and committee appointments.
The Steering Committee offered to serve as a resource when federal policy recommendations are being made affecting LGBT seniors e.g., HIV/Services, affordable housing, cultural sensitivity, and non-discrimination policies.
Funding opportunities are available through the Older Americans Act. Erin may be able to suggest grant opportunities for LGBT programming and services.
Erin reminded the committee that the voter registration deadline for the March primary is February 3. Barry is a Volunteer Deputy Registrar and can accept voter registrations.

SAGE

Fred reported that Family Eldercare is working with the LGBT Elder Taskforce and Coming of Age to achieve the SAGE benchmarks for establishing a SAGE in Central Texas.

Communicating Information Regarding Steering Committee Meetings

Charles recommended including the agenda in newsletter meeting announcements.

Meeting adjourned at 4 PM

January 16, 2020

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Steering Committee

Thursday, January 16, 2020

Minutes

Present: Charles Curry, Fred Lugo, Barry Waller, Toby Johnson

Call to Order

Charles Curry called the meeting to order at 2:28 PM.

Approval of Minutes

Barry moved approval of the minutes for November 21, 2019. Toby seconded. Motion carried.

City of Austin 2020-2021 Annual Budget

The Commission on Seniors is distributing its budget survey through City departments and partner organizations. Charles inquired if the survey could be modified to include a question on sexual identity.
Budget forums are being convened to obtain community input on community priorities for the City’s 2020-2021 budget.

Federal Issues Affecting LGBT Seniors

Barry Waller introduced Erin Gurak, Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s District Director.
Erin provided an overview of the Congressman’s current work and committee appointments.
The Steering Committee offered to serve as a resource when federal policy recommendations are being made affecting LGBT seniors e.g., HIV/Services, affordable housing, cultural sensitivity, and non-discrimination policies.
Funding opportunities are available through the Older Americans Act. Erin may be able to suggest grant opportunities for LGBT programming and services.
Erin reminded the committee that the voter registration deadline for the March primary is February 3. Barry is a Volunteer Deputy Registrar and can accept voter registrations.

SAGE

Fred reported that Family Eldercare is working with the LGBT Elder Taskforce and Coming of Age to achieve the SAGE benchmarks for establishing a SAGE in Central Texas.

Communicating Information Regarding Steering Committee Meetings

Charles recommended including the agenda in newsletter meeting announcements.

Meeting adjourned at 4 PM

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging

Annual Report for 2019

MISSION

Improving the condition of the LGBT aging community through advocacy, education and programs/services

This has been a very active and productive year for the Coalition. We have continued to provide representation on a broad range of boards, commissions and work groups dealing with issues impacting LGBT seniors. In addition we have made presentations to conferences, organizational meetings and celebrations to make the community more aware of our population, our challenges and our successes. It is appropriate that we stop to acknowledge where we have come in 2019 and the work that we have done in this Annual Report to our membership.

In keeping with our goal to, “Educate agencies providing aging services in order to increase their awareness to LGBT concerns in outreach and delivery of services”, one of our strategies for advocating for our community and educating others on the issues LGBT seniors face has been to work within existing organizations where decisions impacting us are made. The Coalition is now represented on the HIV Planning Council, the City Commission on Seniors, the City’s LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission, the AustinUp Board, and several of the work groups representing the different areas of Austin’s Age Friendly Plan including the work group on Community Support and Health, the group on Social Participation, Respect and Social Inclusion, and Civic Participation and Employment, as well as the group covering Outdoor Spaces and Buildings, Transportation, and Housing.

The Community Support and Health work group was able to get city funding for the Health Department to work with the public safety departments on identifying and addressing senior issues when responding to residential calls. Both Fire and Emergency Medical Services often respond to calls for medical assistance from seniors in their homes. In addition to addressing the immediate emergency, public safety personnel are receiving training on senior issues such as home safety, fall prevention and social isolation. The Health Department will provide follow up support to work with the senior and identify resources and alternatives for assistance. This same work group has reviewed city emergency preparedness plans and made suggestions to make procedures more age friendly.

The Civic Participation and Employment work group has worked with AustinUp to host 50+ job fairs as well as developing an age friendly business certification that can be used by business owners. One of the Coalition’s goal is to, “Create a coordinated LGBT community addressing aging issues that provides opportunities to congregate, communicate, exercise political power and create a geographic center”. While one strategy for doing this might be to create new opportunities for our community, another strategy could be providing our community with better information on existing opportunities and encouraging their use of those. This work group has also developed an online map (www.austintexas.gov/agefriendlyaustin) that city departments are populating with senior resources and facilities by geographic location. Educating our community on the use of this resource can be a way of improving access to those existing resources.

We should also note that the Parks and Recreation Department reached out to the Coalition to explore ways that we could assist them in better communicating that their senior programs and facilities are open and welcoming spaces for our community. As part of that ongoing, the Coalition’s Steering Committee now holds their monthly meetings at the Lamar Senior Activity Center.

Another Coalition goal is to, “Identify and support appropriate, culturally sensitive housing solutions for LGBT seniors.” A specific objective under that goal is, “Affordability and services for those who choose to stay in their own homes as they age” The importance of this has been underlined this year by the release of a study that found that senior living facilities will be too expensive for low and middle income seniors within the next few years. This trend makes it even more important to identify solutions to enable seniors to age in place in their own residence. The Housing work group has been able to bring attention to the problems facing seniors in the areas of Austin that have seen the steepest escalation of property values as expensive new developments have been attracted by the proximity to the central downtown area. As a result seniors who bought their homes years ago are now faced with higher property tax payments than their former mortgage payments. These high costs are endangering their ability to age in place in their own homes. For LGBT seniors this can mean transitioning from their neighborhood support system to lower cost housing in the suburbs, far from their medical services and with neighbors potentially less welcoming, increasing their risk of the negative impacts from social isolation.

The work group identified issues within the property tax system that have resulted in some seniors not taking advantage of the property tax exemptions made available to owners 65 and older by the city and state. These exemptions measurably reduce city, county and school district taxes. They also make it possible for seniors to waive their taxes until their home is sold, which can be an attractive alternative to giving up a home and it’s memories. The Housing work group, the Commission on Seniors and the LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission were able to garner the support needed to have City Council pass a resolution directing the City Manager to investigate and report back to Council possible solutions.

In the original Community Conversation focus group that resulted in the formation of the Coalition, one of the identified issues that was surprising to many was the observation that of those who are HIV+ and know their status, there are more people over 50 years of age than under. Yet while there are support groups for the younger HIV+ population, none exist specifically for the HIV+ senior population. We addressed that issue (along with others) by developing a goal to “Identify gaps in existing services”. Our strategic plan specifically called for us to educate the community on the existing gap and work to close that in part by supporting ASA’s grant applications to fund an HIV+ Over Fifty support group which we have done.

In addition to that Coalition representatives have made a series of presentations – at the HIV and Aging Conference, to the Aging Services Council, to the leadership of the AIDS service organizations, and to the area social workers organization to highlight this trend in the changing HIV+ demographic and to suggest that senior service agencies and AIDS service organizations should sit down together and discuss how best to serve this population as it presents new and somewhat unfamiliar challenges to both groups. That effort is ongoing; we now have identified representatives from both groups who have agreed to work together to plan such a discussion.

We have also worked to “increase awareness” in other ways – an interview session on KOOP radio, Capital City Village’s Celebrity Salon series, a presentation to the Cultural Care for Aging LGBTQ Workshop and responding to news media queries on LGBT topics

In September of this year our community was given another “opportunity to congregate”. Thanks to the work of staff at Meals on Wheels and the willingness of the Area Agency on Aging, the first LGBT focused lunch program was initiated. The first site is in space provided (or leased) from Metropolitan Community Church at 8601 South 1^st St. The group, which has adopted the name Golden Generation Social Scene, meets on Monday and Wednesday of each week for socializing, crafts, games and a free lunch for those 65+. The Coalition is working to support this effort to address social isolation among LGBT seniors in Austin. Funding is available for an additional site but continued funding is also contingent on a demonstrated need – to paraphrase the saying, “if we don’t come, they won’t fund it”. This is a great opportunity for Coalition members to get involved by helping to identify those members of our community most in danger of isolating themselves and working to get them involved in this program.

Finally, as the year comes to an end the Coalition is working to revive an old project and get it restarted – the Austin Gay History Project. The Austin History Center at 810 Guadalupe St houses an extensive archive of local history. Already some of the figures and activist in the city’s gay and lesbian history are included, like comedian/producer/director Doug Dyer, on the of the creators of Esther’s Follies, and poet/playwright/hippie high priest Dennis Paddie, who’s currently donating his personal and professional archive to the Center.

Recently, Dean Carpenter Turner, a relative newcomer to Austin from Atlanta where he was acquainted with the very active Atlanta Gay History Project, contacted Coalition Steering Committee Toby Johnson about volunteering in such a program here. Johnson and Paddie are beginning to work with him. Because people move away and people die, we need to preserve recollections of a history that will otherwise just be lost.

One way of preserving this legacy is by recording oral histories and video interviews with the people who live through this past. An interview/reporter for KOOP radio is also interested in this effort. This is another opportunity for Coalition members to get involved in a project of value to the community and also a lot of fun.

In concluding, it has been a busy and eventful year. Our work has demonstrated the value of playing an active role in the Austin community. We have found people to be open and interested in learning more about LGBT concerns and issues. We have also established new allies who have helped us make significant progress toward making Austin a MORE LGBT age friendly city. We would like to close the year by expressing our heartfelt thanks to all of those who made the work this year possible.

November 21, 2019

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Annual Business Meeting

Thursday, November 21, 2019

Minutes

Present: Charles Curry, Fred Lugo, Barry Waller, Dylan Lowry, Deric Bownds, Heidi Becerril

Call to Order

Charles Curry called the meeting to order at 2 PM.

Approval of Minutes

Barry moved approval of the minutes for July 18, 2019. Toby seconded. Motion carried.
Toby moved approval of the minutes for October 17, 2019. Dylan seconded. Motion carried.

Introduction of Current Officers and their Terms of Office

Charles Curry, Chair, elected in 2018, term expires in 2020
Barry Waller, Treasurer, elected in 2018, term expires in 2020
Fred Lugo, Secretary, elected in 2018, term expires in 2020

Annual Dues

Barry moved that annual dues remain the same ($0) for FY 2020. Toby seconded. Motion carried.

Steering Committee Appointment

Deric moved that Dylan be appointed to the Steering Committee. Toby seconded. Motion carried.

November Newsletter

Charles recommended including the annual report in the November newsletter. Edits to the draft were made and included in the report.

January Agenda Item: Federal Issues Affecting LGBT Seniors Locally

Suggested issues to be discussed with Erin Gurak, from Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s Office, will include:

HIV and seniors
Housing / federal subsidies for LGBT senior housing
Mental health. Note: Data on LGBT seniors is sparse. Need improved data collection.
Is there any consideration regarding LGBTQ seniors in the Congressman’s agenda or committee work?
How are LGBTQ seniors considered in federal policy direction?

Website

Announce LGBTQ center site on website.
Need to develop policy on which sites to list as resources or services.
Consider adding membership category for business membership. They may be included as a sponsor.

Other Business

Ask AGLSS to present their training to the Steering Committee.

Future Agenda items

Review strategic plan (February). Recommendation to focus training on caregivers rather than senior living facilities.
Erin Gurak, Congressman Lloyd Doggett’s office (January)
Review bylaws (future item)

Meeting adjourned at 4 PM

September 19, 2019

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Steering Committee

September 19, 2019

Minutes

Members present: Curry, Lugo, Waller

There were two items for discussion on the agenda:

The Fall Coalition General Meeting
The meals/recreation program

Fall Coalition General Meeting: There was a consensus among those present that we needed to have the general meeting to comply with the bylaw requirement, that the best date available given the notice requirement in the bylaws was Nov 2, that we would check to see if the County office building was available as a meeting site, and that there would not be a speaker or program given the lack of attendance at previous general meetings, only an annual business meeting.

There was also a consensus on the agenda:

Recommendation on dues (req by bylaws): the consensus was a continuation of $0 dues for the next fiscal year;
Officer elections – none needed, current officers elected last year for 2 year terms
Confirmation vote on Steering Committee members
Annual Report
Slide show (either the HIV and Aging or the Oct 29^th conference presentations.

Meals/Recreation Program: There was extensive discussion but no consensus. The majority of those present felt that although this program was important the current Coalition participation was not sufficient for us to extensively promote the program, that should be the duty of Meals on Wheels and our role would be to publicize events.

An additional item was added to the agenda at the beginning of the meeting: a discussion of long term care facility staff training . We were not able to get to this discussion in the September 19^th meeting.

July 18, 2019

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Steering Committee

Thursday July 18, 2019

Minutes

Members present: Curry, Lugo, Johnson, Waller

The meeting was held at the Meals on Wheels offices (3227 East 5th St) following a briefing on a new congregate meal site focused on LGBTQ seniors.

There were 5 discussion items as follows:

Items for July newsletter;
Potential new Steering Committee members from review of the current mailing list;
Update on nonprofit application project;
Update on property tax exemption project;
Discussion of upcoming presentations.

No action was taken and the meeting was adjourned following the discussion.

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Austin LGBT Coalition on Aging Steering Committee Minutes

Thursday, May 16, 2019

Present: Charles Curry, Toby Johnson, Fred Lugo, Dylan Lowery

Called to order by Charles Curry at 2:15.

1) Minutes approved without objection.

2) Property Tax Exemptions. Charles took the lead in drafting the resolution. The draft will be taken to the Joint Inclusion Committee on May 22. Subsequent revisions may occur in June through additional discussions with the Commission on Seniors and other Quality of Life Commissions.

3) Nonprofit Status. Charles with check with Barry Silverberg at ACC to obtain information on how to establish a non-profit organization.

Charles has contacted BOB and Richard Bondi regarding their efforts in establishing a SAGE. He has proposed working in partnership to jointly obtain nonprofit status. Still awaiting word from BOB.

4) Social Interaction/Community Building

Pride Prom. The LGBT Elder Task Force has registered for a table at the Pride Prom on June 2. The committee decided not to host a table at the event.

Queer Bomb. Occurs June 1 at Fair Market. The committee decided not to host a table at the event.

Participation in this year’s event is still open for discussion.

4) Presentation for HIV & Aging Conference.

Charles and Barry are giving a presentation on HIV and its effect on the aging process. Suggest convening a meeting of HIV and senior service providers, sponsored by an elected official, to look at trends and developing a plan on jointly addressing issues.

5) LGBT Survey. UT Medical School is doing the survey in multiple cities. Clayton’s involvement is presently unknown.

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Steering Committee Minutes

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Present: Charles Curry, Toby Johnson, Barry Waller, Fred Lugo

Guest: Dylan Lowery

Called to order by Charles Curry at 2:04.

Question was raised if we were following the Coalition’s bylaws by not following Roberts Rules of Orders. Bylaws were reviewed; all agreed the bylaws are being followed by having approval without objection.

Approval of minutes for the Feb 21 Steering Committee meeting. Approval without objection.

Financial Report: The fiscal year with a balance of $548.89 and have spent $243.99 for website expenses for a current balance of $304.90. Recommendation to have a future agenda item on fundraising/generating more funds.

Roundtable updates:
1. Report on the LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission budget forum. Charles and Barry attended the forum. Input provided by those in attendance and will be transcribed into a summary. The meeting concluded without knowing next steps. Steering Committee recommendation: 1) report to the Coalition on the LGBTQ’s Commission’s budget recommendations, 2) send notice to Coalition membership about attending the Commission on Seniors’ budget town hall on Thursday, March 28, 10 AM.
2. HIV and Aging Symposium presentation scheduled for June 21.
3. Aging Services Council presentation scheduled for June 6.
4. Great Austin Social Workers presentation scheduled for August 16. Awaiting confirmation.
5. Report on March Fun Force event. Held at Barrel O’Fun Comedy Club.

Discussion and possible action on a request from Clayton Gibson for a Letter of Support for a City budget proposal for $200,000 for FY20 for QWELL’S “Austin Outpost” project (LGBTQIA Community Center popups at the City’s community centers). Steering Committee recommendation: no position will be taken without detailed information. With detailed information, the Steering Committee would consider calling a Coalition meeting to discuss the issue.

Produce 30-minute videos on LGBTQ awareness for senior living facilities through Family Eldercare. Family Eldercare staff suggests two ~30-minute videos to be presented during shift changes. FE staff will storyboard. Recommendation: seek foundation grants for video production, or convey as a need through the LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission’s budget request.

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 21, 2019

STEERING COMMITTEE MINUTES

Attending: Barry, Toby, Charles (Fred absent for medical reasons)

Discussion of HIV and Aging Conference presentation

Barry and Charles (on behalf of the Coalition) have been invited to make a presentation at this June conference on HIV+ seniors, demographics and service implications for agencies assisting seniors as well as those assisting the HIV+ population.

Those present expressed support for the Coalition’s involvement in this conference.

Invitation to present at “Greater Austin Social Workers” monthly meeting” in August. Those present expressed support for this presentation on behalf of the Coalition as well.

Discussion of upcoming LGBTQ Quality of Life forums
1. Budget March 6: Those present reviewed a proposed informational mailing to the Coalition membership. A similar informational piece will be in the Prime Timers monthly newsletter. There were no other suggestions for other communications to encourage attendance.

Quality of Life study. The LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission has discussed an additional forum to discuss the Quality of Life study funded in this year’s City budget but has not yet set a date. Potential involvement for the Coalition will be discussed as more information becomes available.

Barry also brought up a possible presentation to the senior service providers of the Aging Services Council that Fred had suggested at our last meeting. There needs to be a followup on the date as well as coordination to make sure that we have been able to obtain the necessary Austin specific data on the HIV+ population in time for a presentation. There was a discussion and decision that contacts with additional service agencies should be scheduled after this presentation as part of the preparation for the HIV and Aging Conference.

Discussion of membership for individual or organization (such as Family Eldercare)

There was a suggestion that an organizational membership category could be considered in the future with a possible bylaw amendment, particularly if a decision were made to charge annual dues (currently authorized in the bylaws but set at $0 ). There was also a concern that while input from organizations, service agencies, etc., would be useful, it should be structured to ensure that the interests of individual memberships were not overshadowed.

Other discussion: Toby reported on an invitation sent to the Coalition website from the Austin Public Library to staff an information table at the QUEER SPACE: PRIDE PROM on June21, 2019, 6:30 to 10 pm at the Special Event Center at the Central Library on 710 W. Cesar Chavez. That was forwarded to the FunForce (*BOB*).

January 17, 2019 Steering Committee

Present: Charles Curry, Barry Waller, Toby Johnson, Fred Lugo

Updates

Coming on Seniors – Housing Update – Property Tax Exemptions

The Chair of Commission on Seniors asked the Gentrification Task Force if people were taking advantage of property tax exemptions. Studies showed that many weren’t. The Task Force recommended establishing a City position to assist people in taking advantage of exemptions.

HIV Planning Council

The HIV Planning Council will host a public hearing to develop strategies for reaching out to hard to reach, underserved groups. Public hearing is tentatively scheduled for February 25, 2018.

City Budget

The City’s budget process for the next fiscal year has started. The City Manager is seeking more community input into the budget process. Quality of Life Commissions, including the Commission on Seniors, will conduct town halls to obtain community input.

LGBT Commission

Commission meeting dates are changed to the second Monday of the month, 7–9 PM.

Austin Fast Track

Austin Fast Track plan is being developed. Headed by Dr. Huang at APH. Participation is open to anyone.

Ryan White Conference

Barry attended the Ryan White Conference in DC. Evidence shows that senior health issues manifest themselves earlier in people who have HIV than those who are non-HIV.

Website

Spam has disappeared with user blocks and eliminating the blog page.

HIV & Aging Conference.

Charles and Barry have met conference planners and recommended the inclusion of sessions that address issues related to aging with HIV and getting senior and HIV services that are seamless to the client. The Coalition has been invited to kick off the conference with a presentation. The conference will be held in June.

2019 Coalition Goals/Objectives

Align Coalition goals and objectives with the City’s strategic plan.
A strategy will be added to have conversation with the senior LGBT coalitions in Dallas and Houston. Phone calls will be held beforehand to gauge if further conversation should take place.
Last year, Project Transitions sought the Coalition’s assistance to develop senior housing. Status of their housing project is unknown. Charles will follow-up with them to determine if this is still a goal of theirs.

III. Topics for Next Meeting

Investigate training options.
Conduct agency visits to senior service providers like Family Eldercare.
Use of social media. Nonexistent at present.
Nonprofit status. Have not pursued.
Suggest discussion of these items and developing some timeframes.

Next meeting February 21, 2-4 PM.

November 15, 2018 Steering Committee Meeting Minutes

Present: Charles Curry, Barry Waller, Toby Johnson, Fred Lugo

Regarding the Oct 27, Coalition Annual Meeting:

Fred will update Bylaws. Toby will put on website.
Turnout was poor. Why? Possibly communication. Possibly the type of event. This wasn’t a town hall type of event that generally has better attendance. Half of those on the distro did not open the meeting invitation. Members comment that they value the information received and work accomplished. Suggestions: 1) use Facebook, 2) continue utilizing email, but make introductory part of the email (preview) more interesting, 3) provide examples of incremental change/success, 4) use MeetUp (cost is $15/month, payable in six-month installments).

AustinUp looking for a Hispanic representative on their Board. Let Charles know if have recommendations.

Aging Services Council Survey

Question 7: include HIV/AIDS
Question 9: why the top two? Seems like that there are a lot of important issues on the list that may be close to the top two.
Question 47: include “living together/not married”

HIV & Aging Conference. Planning committee is looking for input. Recommend having a conference that links the two together, instead of sessions that separate the issues. Would like to see conversation around senior service providers developing programs for those aging with HIV/AIDS.

Topics for next meeting:

What distinguishes LGBTQ seniors from straight seniors?
Nonprofit status
Visits with agencies like Family Eldercare
Use social media
Trips to Houston and Dallas

Meeting frequency: 3^rd Thursday of every month at 1:30 PM

Next meeting: January 17, 2019, 1:30 PM

March 24, 2018

Spring Coalition Meeting

The March 24 Coalition meeting featured Dr. Victor Martinez, Chair of the City of Austin LGBTQ Quality of Life Commission as our guest speaker. Dr. Martinez gave some background information on the Commission:

Approved by the City Council in 2017 as the fourth Quality of Life Commission for the City of Austin
Role is to advise the City Council on issues impacting our community
Consists of 11 members selected by the Mayor and City Council members and 4 members selected by Commission members to achieve appropriate diversity
Currently considering a recommendation to Council on the 2018-19 City Budget.

The discussion period that followed focused primarily on the prospects for an LGBTQ community center facility. Dr. Martinez reported on a recent presentation by the newly formed Board of the PRIDE organization responsible for the annual PRIDE Festival. There is a separate non-profit that has worked on developing a community center proposal. Currently there is no schedule for City funding for such a facility. In past discussions the completion of a study defining the characteristics and priority issues of the LGBTQ community in Austin was suggested as a prerequisite for consideration of City funding. Such a study is likely to be the primary budget recommendation from the Commission as it was last year.

There was also a discussion of possible visits to LGBTQ community centers in other communities to see what programs and group activities they offer as a way of providing an impetus for Austin groups to design and create programs.

Progress Report

Following the presentation by Dr. Martinez Coalition members discussed progress and strategies for reaching our goals.

Strengthen Our Community: As Dr. Martinez outlined in our Coalition meeting it is unlikely that we will see a city funded LGBT community center facility in the next several years.. A possible interim strategy is to develop alternatives for social opportunities in existing facilities, such as the City’s recreation facilities. In fact one of the ongoing discussion points around a community center is whether a single centrally located facility is the best option given our dispersed population and the transportation challenges.

For the immediate future perhaps the best approach is to focus on the question of what services and activities would Coalition members most like to see if a community center existed. One suggestion for organizing that discussion would be to ask members what types of services and activities they would like to see offered as well as how far they would be willing/able to travel for each type.

Encourage LGBTQ Sensitive Services: A group from the Steering Committee met recently with Patricia Bordie, Executive Director of the Area Agency on Aging (AAA) to discuss the services that agency provides and opportunities for making those more LGBTQ sensitive. AAA’s service area extends beyond the City of Austin to cover nine surrounding counties —which responds to concerns of some Coalition members that live outside the City. Among the services they offer are Navigators who meet with seniors on an individual appointment basis to make them aware of the array of senior services and programs that are available from all level of governments and not for profit organizations. We discussed the LGBT sensitivity training available through SAGE and Patty expressed support for making that available for the Navigators.

The door is open, folks, all we need is some volunteers who would be willing to deliver
the training and lead a discussion afterward on the issues we face as we age.

We have also added links to resources on our website. AGE of Central Texas has recently published an excellent Community Resource Guide, Caregiving in Central Texas. While addressed to senior issues in general the Guide is an up to date listing of health and social service providers. The second resource, AGLSS (Austin Gay Lesbian Senior Services—pronounced “Ageless”) is a service provided by Family Eldercare specifically targeted to LGBT issues.

Both of these resources help to address a concern that is expressed at nearly every meeting of the Coalition —“where can we turn for help?” Please take a look at both of these and remember to pass along our website address, algbtcoa.org, to any of your friends looking for assistance. If you find areas in either that need correction or where additional information is available please let us know.

Support Housing Alternative/Options: There are two current discussions that could have an impact on housing alternatives for the senior community as a whole as well as LGBTQ seniors. The first of these is the ongoing discussion on a new Land Development Code know as Code Next. In a recent presentation to the Commission on Seniors a City representative answered questions about how Code Next would benefit seniors. In response he outlined several ways in which the proposal would increase the stock of affordable housing by providing opportunities for shared housing (the number of unrelated people in a residence, sometimes referred to as the “Golden Girls option”) and increasing the opportunities for auxiliary buildings that could provide housing for senior caretakers or allow seniors a different option for separate living accommodations adjacent to friends or family.

The second discussion concerns proposals to increase City funding for senior housing rehabilitation grants and loans. The current City program makes funds available for senior to make necessary repairs to their homes and/or to retrofit their homes to make them more accessible (ramps, safety railings, etc.). The number of homes in the City in need of repair or modification increases each year as the current level of funding does not meet the demand.

Both of these specific strategies address the ability of seniors to “age in place” which we have heard support for from Coalition members.

Future Coalition Meetings

The folks attending the Spring Coalition meeting also spent some time discussing meeting format and the difficulty in attracting and maintaining a large audience. There were several ideas expressed including:

The lack of sustained attendance is reflective of a point consistently made since the first focus group meeting: Austin does not have a sense of LGBT community; there is a lack of organization, communication, etc.
We should make more use of LGBTQ friendly churches. These are organizations that attract an audience once a week for their services and have physical facilities that are largely unused most of the week. The downside of using church facilities was also discussed—the awareness that for some the location of meetings suggested that the Coalition had a specific religious connection.
Most large turnouts are primarily focused on one-shot events like protest marches, fund raisers or entertainment events.
There was also a discussion about a variation on the focus group approach— neighborhood focused meetings as a way of building community. This would involve identifying LGBTQ neighborhood groups that already exist and finding a way to create groups where there are none. This would also address the traffic disincentive for attending a function in a single location.
It was also noted that for all the difficulty in attracting attendance those who came seemed to genuinely enjoy the opportunity to have a discussion on the issues.

We would welcome your suggestions — let us know what you’d be interesting in for future meetings and where you might like to have them.

Rainbow Forum Reminder

The Coalition in combination with Austin Prime Timers sponsors a monthly discussion group on topics selected by the group. The idea of the discussion group is patterned after a similar one associated with the Ft Lauderdale LGBTQ community center there. The Austin group meets in the afternoon on the first Sunday of each month and has a volunteer moderator each month that provides material in advance on the topic chosen. For information on meeting topics and the location each month rsvp to forumaustin@gmail.com.

$$$$$

A couple of weeks ago we sent out an invitation to Coalition members to offer their suggestions on how the City of Austin might support the LGBT community in the next city budget. Here’s a sample of what we received so far:

To ensure that LGBTQ seniors have safe, affirming care, the City of Austin should provide training in LGBTQ issues to all senior/elder services, including residential centers, agencies, facilities, and programs.
The City should assist in setting up neighborhood LGBTQ community centers in each of the Council districts. One suggestion would be to use temporarily vacant commercial buildings.
The Commission should request funding to publicize the input received by the working groups on issues impacting the LGBTQ community in Austin.

If you haven’t responded yet there’s still time to add your suggestion – email to contact@algbtcoa.org

May 6, 2017 Coalition Meeting

A standing room only crowd gathered for the May 6 meeting of the LGBT Coalition on Aging. The Goals and Objectives that had been developed by the Steering Committee since our last meeting were presented for discussion and approval.

Our Purpose:

Improving the condition of the LGBT aging community through advocacy, education and programs/services

Richard Bondi presented our first goal:

GOAL # 1: Strengthen Our Community

Create a coordinated LGBT community addressing aging issues that provides opportunities to congregate, exercise political power and create a geographic center

Objectives:

Coalition reflects the diversity of the community
Provide representation on City Boards, Commissions and Committees
Assist in development of community center

Strategies

Recruit female and minority seniors
Secure positions on relevant boards and commissions – a seat at the table
Work with Pride Foundation on community center and provide senior programming ideas
Organize periodic Coalition social gatherings to demonstrate the feasibility and the need for senior programming in a future community center and to help build support for the community center

The Coalition approved the goal and added the following Objective:

Increase recognition of the Coalition and its purpose

And proposed additional strategies:

Organize a PRIDE event/presence for older participants to increase visibility and establish a more involved role for seniors in the LGBT community
Create identification for the Coalition for participation in the June Equality March and in PRIDE events
Conduct intergenerational events

Toby Johnson presented out goal for achieving LGBT friendly services:

GOAL #2: LGBT Sensitive Services

Agencies providing aging services that are sensitive to the LGBT concerns in outreach and service delivery

Objectives:

Identify the unique aging needs/concerns of LGBT people
Identify gaps in existing services and what should be done to fill them
Survey Austin assisted living/nursing facilities on their LGBT awareness/sensitivity

Strategies

Develop and deliver a survey of providers starting with living facilities
Explore options for providing LGBT sensitivity training
Address identified lack of support group for HIV+ people over 50

The Coalition approved the goals and objectives and suggested additional strategies:

Gain buy-in from the State Health Department executive committee prior to doing the survey
Reach out to home health providers in addition to surveying living facilities
Include policies (eg. inclusive language, outreach) when doing the survey
Identify champions with agencies providing services
Utilize the one hour SAGE training as a lead-in to providing training
Contact the LGBT groups with the City/County Health and Human Services Department for assistance, information on past efforts
Provide speakers for provider groups

Kathy Bentz presented the recommendation from the Steering Committee on the addition of a third goal on Housing Alternatives. The Coalition approved forming a committee to develop recommendation on this goal along with specific objectives and suggested strategies.

Finally, Fred Lugo presented a recommendation from the Steering Committee that the Coalition should develop an organization framework to include by laws, a definition of the functions of the Coalition and the Steering Committee, and basic processes such as how we receive and spend funds. The Coalition also approved forming a committee to develop recommendations on organization.

At the conclusion of the May 6 meeting there was a short survey. The members present overwhelming supported quarterly meetings of the Coalition as opposed to twice a year; twenty-one of those present indicated that they would likely attend social events sponsored by the Coalition and twenty indicated that they would likely participate in senior living facilities tours set up by the Coalition to increase awareness of the LGBT senior community.

Volunteer Opportunities

The following committees were organized at the May 6 Coalition meeting. If you are interested in getting involved, contact the chairs listed:

Community: Richard Bondi at rbondi@earthlink.net

Services: Toby Johnson at tobyjohnso@aol.com

Organization: Fred Lugo at fredlugo1@gmail.com

LGBT Aging Coalition meeting

September 10, 2016

Report from the Organization Subgroup

Proposed mission for the coalition:

Improve the condition of the LGBT aging community through advocacy, education and programs/services.

Proposed structure: Coalition

Project Identification

Process:

Confirm/amend list of issues
Prioritize to identify which issues the coalition wants to address first
Identify potential project(s) for the coalition to implement that addresses priority issue(s)

Issues:

appropriate housing in a supportive setting for people with financial security
appropriate housing in a supportive setting for people with fewer resources, particularly with Austin’s rising property values and cost of living
the perception by many that assisted living facilities are not accepting of an openly out lifestyle
agencies providing aging services may not be sensitive to LGBT concerns in their outreach and service delivery
the increased likelihood that LGBT elders will be isolated with the resulting negative impacts
no organized LGBT community – no opportunity to congregate, no communication channels no political power no geographic center
previous experience with medical professionals, particularly with the AIDS crisis, has resulted for some in a lack of trust, fear of disclosure and other barriers to getting medical care

Criteria to consider when prioritizing issues:

Degree of impact

Difficulty

Measurability

Research-based

Level of need

Level of gap to meet need

Existing resources available

Sequence

Visibility of project

Credibility potential of project

Multi-voting prioritization results:

Housing w/ means 3

Housing w/ limited means 12

Assisted living not accepting 18

Agencies’ outreach and programs 58*

Isolation/inclusion 11

No centralized community 96*

Barriers to accessing medical care 2

* Selected as first issues for coalition to address

Decisions:

Executive Committee formed

Gary, Barry, Richard, Charles (secretary), Lynne (co-chair), Robert (co-chair), Fred, Toby

EC will meet to scope a project(s) that addresses priority Issues and propose to full group at a subsequent meeting.
All coalition members will attempt to recruit others to participate with the goal of increasing the diversity of the coalition

Potential tasks to be included in the project plan:

Publicize the existence and mission of the coalition
Identify a single person to speak for the coalition
Identify a chairperson or chairpersons
Have a coalition member serve on the Austin Up board
Present to the City Commission on Seniors
Host or table at an event
Develop a structure for internal communications
Reach out to younger LGBT community
Seek input from community and coalition members