Austin City Council

Austin City Council approves plan to give $1,000 per month to families in need

In the pilot plan, a total of up to $1,180,000 will be distributed to families in need.

Photo courtesy of KVUE

KVUE — On Thursday, May 5, the Austin City Council approved on consent a program that would identify dozens of families in the city and give them $1,000 per month, no strings attached.

Council members discussed the pilot program on Thursday, April 21. According to the item on their posted meeting agenda, the vote would authorize the negotiation and execution of a contract with UpTogether, a nonprofit out of California.

According to a report from the Austin American-Statesman, the council declined to authorize the plan in April and instead elected to accept a two-week delay to again consider it on May 5.

The plan directs UpTogether to distribute no more than a total of $1,180,000 to needy families for one year as part of the pilot program. The nonprofit helps connect underprivileged communities with the resources they need to thrive economically and socially.

According to the memo sent by the City of Austin's chief equity officer on May 2, the potential selection process for eligible families was outlined. The office may use the following criteria to determine which families to choose:

Households with an eviction filing against them.
Households with a pattern of missed utility bill payments.
People experiencing homelessness who have been identified for supportive housing.

The equity officer said they have identified the Urban Institute to evaluate the success of the pilot. The Urban Institute will measure the pilot based on the following criteria:

Financial stability: The ability of a household to cover a $400 emergency bill and the ability to pay bills on time.
Health and wellness: Improvement in stress levels and the ability to receive preventative care, as well as food security.
Increase in work shifts, participation in workforce or education programs, or other income changes.
Whether funds are used for things like food, transportation, and housing.
The ability to pay bills without having to borrow from friends or relatives.
"Ability to live fully," measured by things like being able to cook more meals or pursuing hobbies and interests.

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Read the full story and watch the video on KVUE.com.

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Meteor News

How to see the Draconid meteor shower in Austin this week

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Meteor shower

A meteor shower will be visible from most of North America, including Austin, during the week of October 6-10.

The Draconid meteor shower – also called the Giacobinids – was predicted to produce the most meteor activity on the night of October 7 and through the early hours of October 8, but there is still time to catch the tail end.

There will still be sightings on subsequent nights, stargazing experts say.

According to EarthSky, a cool website devoted to all things starry, the Draconids will be visible right after it gets dark, rather than the more common early morning hours most meteor showers are visible.

The best time will be just after sunset, until around midnight. Viewers won't have to stay up until the crack of dawn.

Helping to make the meteor even more visible is a waxing moon, barely a crack, which will cast less light and keep the sky darker overall.

EarthSky says that the meteors are radiating from two stars known as the Dragon’s Eyes, called Eltanin and Rastaban, found in the constellation Draco. Which is located in between the Big Dipper and the Little Dipper.

However, the meteor shower will be visible across the sky.

The shower is dubbed a "sleeper" in that it produces only a handful of meteors — 10 per hour. But they move slower, so the duration of each streak of light sometimes lasts longer — one to two seconds, rather than a rapid flash.

Meteor showers consist of debris left behind by comets and asteroids, which throw off bits of rock and ice as they orbit the sun. The Draconids are the result of Earth passing through this trail from the comet 21P/Giacobini-Zinner. The comet completes an orbit of the sun about every seven years, and according to CNN, the last time it got this close to Earth was in September, 2018.

The best way to see it is to find a place that's far from artificial light, then lie on your back and look up at the sky with a wide view. No special equipment is needed.

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