Over two dozen Austin Interfaith leaders descended on an Austin Independent School District board work session to call for the adoption of federal Davis-Bacon wage standards, and to explain the benefits to workers, families, the school district and the economy at large. In photo, Minerva Camarena-Skeith explain how Davis Bacon wage standards would benefit construction workers.

Activistas Presionan A Distrito Escolar de Austin para Aumentar Salarios, Telemundo Austin

Leaders celebrated word that the labor market intermediary established by The Metropolitan Organization of Houston, Capital IDEA-Houston, won a Texas Innovative Adult Career Education (ACE) grant, giving it half a million dollars to train hundreds more community college students for living wage careers in Houston. TMO, with their sister organizations in the Texas IAF, helped establish the Texas Innovative Adult Career Education (ACE) grant to support projects that prepare low-income workers to attain degrees and certificates in high demand occupations including nursing and information technology. Texas State Representative John Zerwas (R-Richmond) highly praised Capital IDEA-Houston, declaring he "could not find a better use of $500K than to invest in Capital IDEA-Houston." Texas State Representative Sylvester Turner (D-Houston) chimed in adding "we should continue to invest $5 Million in these projects." The award will support about 250 students attending Houston Community College and Lone Star College.

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The same week Project ARRIBA celebrated its 1,000th graduate, leaders received word that the labor market intermediary won a Texas Innovative Adult Career Education (ACE) grant, giving it half a million dollars to train 300 more El Paso Community College students for living wage careers. EPISO and Border Interfaith, with their sister organizations in the Texas IAF, helped establish the Texas Innovative Adult Career Education grant to support projects that prepare low-income workers to attain degrees and certificates in high demand occupations including nursing and information technology.

According to a 2010 report prepared by the Institute for Policy and Economic Development at the University of Texas at El Paso, Project ARRIBA's work provides a $26 return for every dollar invested. Graduates of the labor market intermediary "contribute half a billion dollars to the El Paso economy," ARRIBA Executive Director Roman Ortiz said.

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Regarding "Board president spares 3 schools from closure" (Page B1, March 6), the decision of the Houston Independent School Board to keep Port Houston Elementary open was critically important to the surrounding community.

The closure of the school would not only force its children to attend a far distant school, but it also would have eliminated an institution which gives vitality, stability, a sense of confidence and well-being to the community.

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Leaders of EPISO and Border Interfaith leveraged enough City Council votes to restrict how much payday lenders can make off low-income families. Lobbyists flew in from Dallas and Austin to fight this ordinance, but this did not keep the council from heeding the organized voice of families and institutions, and voting 6-1 in support. Bishop Mark Seitz of the Catholic Diocese of El Paso supported these efforts to protect families from compounding debt and excessive fees.

The new payday lending reform in El Paso allows lenders to loan no more than 20% of a borrower's gross income. Contracts must now be presented in the person's dominant language and short-term loans cannot be rolled over more than three times.

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Koreena Malone, an accounting graduate of Capital IDEA, was confronted with the threat of losing her home when a developer's plans involved razing her apartment and replacing it with a higher cost unit. In collaboration with Austin Interfaith she formed a tenant's association and negotiated a new deal on the redevelopment with Travis Heights Elementary School, the neighborhood association, her tenants' association, and the developer.

"'I strongly believe that the redevelopment of Oak Creek Village won't just lead us to a better community but a model for the city of Austin,' Malone said.

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With multi-colored packets in hand and plans for five subsequent enrollment workshops calendared, Dallas Area Interfaith leaders paused to welcome President Obama at Temple Emanu-El Wednesday evening. Obama thanked those gathered saying "there's no state that actually needs this more than Texas."

Months prior to the Presidential visit, institutional leaders of Dallas Area Interfaith raised $20,000 to produce 100,000 copies of a multi-colored, bilingual booklet designed to educate uninsured residents about how the Affordable Care Act works. Civic academies, held in church sanctuaries and school cafeterias, have so far reached 1,600 North Texas residents, sometimes as many as 200 at a time. Leaders are learning that many people require basic education about how health insurance works with questions like "what is a deductible?" commonly raised.

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The Border Organization notified the Val Verde Commissioners Court that they plan to move ahead with efforts for groundwater conservation on the border, through the creation of a groundwater district that would regulate the amount of water sold to private corporations. Recent proposals by private corporations to pipe water from the border and into San Antonio spurred leaders like Sandra Fuentes into action. They plan to work with city council members and state legislators to address the lack of oversight.

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Austin Interfaith leaders celebrated the passage of a historic living wage ordinance they had fought for over the course of five years. Institutional representatives from congregations, schools and workers associations challenged city council candidates in 2012 to craft an ordinance requiring that jobs emerging from taxpayer incentives pay at least a living wage or prevailing wage, if higher. An economic incentive team put together language, which included an exception process, that was later adopted by a Special Committee on Economic Incentives and proposed by Councilmembers Martinez, Tovo and Morrison (and enhanced by Councilmember Riley) Thursday night.

Catholic Bishop Joe Vasquez intervened reading a statement of support for the ordinance at a 6pm rally, which was later read by an Austin Interfaith leader in Council chambers. After four hours of testimony and debate, the City of Austin passed, for the first time ever, a requirement that corporations receiving taxpayer incentives be required to pay the City established living wage of $11 per hour or prevailing wages, whichever is higher.

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Sheila Anderson, a leader with Allied Communities of Tarrant (ACT) in Fort Worth, is one of more than one million in Texas living life in healthcare limbo. People like Sheila, who make too much to qualify for government assistance, but not enough to qualify for subsidies in the Marketplace (reserved for those making at least 138% of the federal poverty level) will not be helped since Texas did not expand Medicaid. That is why she, with others of ACT and Dallas Area Interfaith, rallied at the Capitol earlier this year and are fighting still for a 'Texas Solution,' and idea gaining support from local Chambers of Commerce.

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