Travis County Commissioners Court
June 24, 2008
Citizens Communication
Citizens communication is next. This item gives residents an opportunity to address the Commissioners court on any matter not on the agenda for up to three minutes. Richard halpin is first, followed by antione reyes.
>> antwan reyes. Noah mata together.
>> judge, Commissioners, my name is richard halpin with american youth works. I'm here today to talk to you about the product that you have invested in. At american youth works. These gentlemen are the results of your investment and I would like for them to quickly hit you -- catch you up on what they have done. Then I have a simple presentation, judge.
>> good morning. My name is antwan reyes, american youth works with casa verde and before I came into this program, I was messing up, getting arrested, going to jail. Then there was one time where they were going to give me 40 years and I was in jail for about a month and then I find out that my girlfriend was having my baby. So I really wanted to get out and change my life. So I went back to the judge and I explained to him that I really wanted to change. So he said that he will give me a chance. When he gave me that chance, when I got out, I had figured that I needed to go back to school and find a job. So I signed applications every else, they didn't call me anywhere else. One day signed an application with american youth works, in two weeks they called me. I went in for an interview, I showed them that I wanted to work. I have been working with them. I learned how to build a house. We built a house already. Going to be a five star house. Also want to be an electrician. They are helping me out with an internship.
>> thank you, mr. Reyes, congratulations to you.
>> congratulations. Very good.
>> my name is noah mata, I'm with american youth works, casa verde. A little bit before that I had started working with the casa verde builders in January is when I started, I was in -- I was in a car wreck so I was recovering and I was trying to -- like put applications in different places but I wasn't getting hired because so long it has been. But when casa builders accepted me at the interview, giving me a chance to come back to try to work, so since then I mean I've been -- having good things happen to me. They've helped me out so much. And helping me trying to further my education and work. I have three different kids. Or I have three kids altogether. But that I have to take care of. So this program has really helped me out.
>> judge? Judge, Commissioners, these young men are young men whose lives could have been very different. We could have seen their lives become unproductive. We could have paid for them for the their lives, they are getting skills to become productive tax-paying citizens. They are an example, I think, to all of those who want to turn their lives around and use american youth works and the investment that you have made in american youth works to transform their lives and become productive citizens. As you may know, I have recently received the -- the social entrepreneur of the year award this month.
>> congratulations.
>> thank you, sir.
>> thank you, gentlemen.
>> but, you know, what? I know that's -- that's really not the whole truth. The whole truth is when you take the m in me, you turn it upside-down, you get the w in we. We do this. You as elected officials have made a social investment in these young people. And you've done it consistently. You have been part of the founding investors. The entrepreneurial civic investors in these people's lives and the chances that we make together. So I've got a little acknowledgment and appreciation to you today and to mr. Guzman a part of this, one of the leaders of your team and ms. Flemming. I would like to read this to you all if I may, judge.
>> sure.
>> to each one of you, mr. Gieselman, ms. Flemming. Travis County judge Sam Biscoe, judge Biscoe, Commissioner Daugherty, mr. Gieselman, ms. Flemming, having invested the taxpayers' funds in a positive, innovative and lawful manner that has produced a return on investment of extraordinary proportions, be it known to all that you are awarded this acknowledgment of taxpayer investment of excellence through social entrepreneurasm. Thousands of Travis County young adults have had a chance to earn a pathway out of poverty and a vicious generational criminal sick cycl, let all taxpayers know that you have reduced the cost of dropouts from $420,000 each to 5% of that. Or $21,000 each. That has become your investment. In these young people. The criminal justice dropouts from about 2 million-dollar their lives would cost us, the taxpayers, to $26,000 each. A fraction of that money. This investment transforms young people into taxpayers instead of tax spenders. Congratulations to you for being a champion and successful steward of the taxpayers funds. A builder of our community's wealth and safety and a saviour of our young people's lives. I'm going to ask them to give you these awards.
>> really the applause really go to you and -- and the person that works with you and witnessing the -- the actual skills that have been acquired by these young men and going to the site and looking at how they actually do that work and you came those folks and mold them into something other than what they were doing before is quite a sight to see. Anyone that haven't had a chance to look at these young persons acquiring those kind of skills to make themselves productive and in doing things in the right manner, I think that the thanks go to youth works and really I mean we just are here as instruments to help fund and provide that, but really hard work really goes to you and y'all deserve a pat on the back. I'm going to give you a round of applause because I just think that it's great.
>> [ applause ]
>> couldn't do it without the investors, you are the investors.
>> just saying, still you lay the money on the table, it will lay there if you don't spend it. That's what you have done. Y'all have actually taken it, doing something with it. That means a lot.
>> I would like to add my support, also. Really to the benefit of the county. Wonderful partnership with american youth works. T.n.r. Have benefited with the projects that they have done in our parks system. You have another item today agenda item 15, where a group of youth for the summer, only available during the summer, are going to rehabilitate one of the homes in our parks. Wonderful concept, vertical integration where american youth work trains the workforce, we put them to work and be able to use our resources to provide them projects. Quite frankly I want the talent that comes outs of that. I'm willing to hire these men and women who get trained by american youth works and put them to work permanently in the parks and the road system. I think that it's a great way to see a non-profit working on behalf of the taxpayers and ultimately we are the long-term beneficiary of it.
>> judge?
>> judge, we have those permanent jobs on record, too, joe
>> [laughter]
>> I have actually hired american youth work people and they are working very well.
>> judge?
>> noah and antwan you hear?
>> you all heard that.
>> would it be appropriate if I could just ask mr. Richards his telephone number because there may be someone out there right now watching this and wanting to -- wanting to turn their life around so --
>> yes, sir.
>> [multiple voices]
>> congratulations to you.
>> thank you.
>> keep up the good work. We are really proud of y'all, okay. Keep it up.
>> richard, what's your telephone number.
>> 236-6100, american youth works here in Austin. Anybody dropped out of school, or willing to turn their lives around, start with us getting an education, job training the whole nine yards at 236-6100.
>> thank you all for making a difference.
>> good work.
>> judge, judge, let me say something. I know this is citizens communication, but I think that this is real important. Richard congratulations on the program that you continue to 2008, antone and noah, let me say that I'm very proud of what you guys have done in getting your lives straight. But let me ask you to do one thing that is very, very important in this community. You all can be examples. I need for you all to reach out to your friends and to people that you know are headed in the wrong direction. Because let me tell you the problem that we have: we can't fund everything that richard really needs for us to fund. It is an expensive program, it's not as expensive as taking you on if you are incarcerated your whole life, there's no question about that. But you all, the two of y'all, y'all really have the ability to reach out and touch somebody to say no, no, no, don't do that. You can get your life straight. If they want to apply to american youth works, great. What I really need for them to do is to change their lives themselves because for everybody that doesn't have to come into the program, we can fund somebody that we know is going to get upside-down. So you too really can be great stewards in this community. If you will do that, it will be worth something beyond what you all could imagine. So I applaud you for doing the things that you guys have done because you have gotten to the table and changed your lives. I really appreciate that. Do that for me. If you can go out and touch five people, each of you touch five people, that's five people that aren't going to get into a situation where it is going to demand that we spend a lot of money. Thank you very much.
>> thank you,.
>> thank you all.
>> we have one more sherri flemming, judge that we would like to give out to her.
>> do Commissioners eckhardt and Gomez get one or do I have to share mine with them?
>> [laughter]
>> thanks for your service.
>> gus pena is next.
>> judge, Commissioners, gus pena, people applying for a m.a.p. Card now have to wait until September. If you apply for a m.a.p. Card in June, you have to wait for September to be seen, an assignment not acceptable. I'm asking the court, I asked the city council, mayor, city manager to try actually to advocate for the people to try to streamline the process so that they can get their m.a.p. Card immediately. Once incident at occurred at brackenridge, when I was at brackenridge hospital, a gentleman could not get his m.a.p. Cards. He had to go to the emergency room, it is more expensive for that route, you do get training and treatment the emergency room attendance or the doctors released him had a temperature still have some infection that is not created appropriately, so I directed him to seton, ceo to seton, that issue thank god was corrected. Emergency rooms will be inundated by individuals that cannot have or not receive their m.a.p. Card. This he is not good puts a burden on Travis County, the city of Austin the hospital district care, hospital care district rather. Job cuts under the reorganization plan. This is good. Looks good in the paper. Guess what? We have people out in the streets not applying for jobs, given up already. One position 50 to 100 applicants, you know, that is not good for the economy, not good for the people because people are -- just giving up on trying to obtain employment. One good news that come out in the television and print, electronic media was that the Travis County united way is going to reassess the way they fund the social service agencies that are key and critical to the needy, poor, havenots, that's good because a lot of the agencies were left out of the funding, thank god Travis County and city were there to help implement or compliment and restore some of the funding. An mendoza comedian flip wilson once said, the cost of living is going up, living is going down. The catastrophic cuts by the united way, the loss of jobs, et cetera, support our veterans to ensure that veterans get health care jobs with affordable housing, below $100,000 for affordable housing unit. Let's redefine the term affordable housing. Job reentry counseling, mental health treatment. A lot of servicemen, not being treated, very critical. One individual was treated at brackenridge hospital, this individual didn't have health insurance, was denied services at the v.a. Medical clinic, outpatient clinic and their m.a.p. Card, if it wasn't -- I'm not going to mention his name, but if it wasn't for a city rather a county employee, a top manager employee, executive manager, then that individual would not be able to get his medication
>> [beeping]
>> anyway, a vietnam friend of mine, we met in washington, front runner for the vice presidential position with barack obama's campaign. If we get him in there enhelp out the veterans, he know the deficiencies. Keep on helping the poor, need do, havenots.
>> thank you, gus.
>> anybody else for citizens communication whether you signed in or not? Then let's go to the consent items.
The Closed Caption log for this Commissioners Court agenda item is provided by Travis County Internet Services. Since this file is derived from the Closed Captions created during live cablecasts, there are occasional spelling and grammatical errors. This Closed Caption log is not an official record the Commissioners Court Meeting and cannot be relied on for official purposes. For official records please contact the County Clerk at (512) 854-4722.
Last Modified:
Tuesday, June 24, 2008 1:51 PM