As city leaders work to preserve Austin’s Red River Cultural District, Night Owl Therapy is stepping in to support nightlife workers affected by venue closures.
AUSTIN, Texas — Austin city officials are forming a new task force that will bring together city leaders, music advocates and community members to explore ways to preserve live music venues and strengthen the Red River Cultural District’s economy.
The initiative comes after multiple longtime music venues and businesses along Red River closed over the past year, leaving workers uncertain about their futures.
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“This is the Live Music Capital of the World, and what are we doing to preserve it?” Caitlin Cano, a former Empire Control Room and Garage employee, said.
Cano said she spent two years working at the venue before it closed.
She said the loss of businesses along Red River is creating financial and emotional challenges for employees who depend on the nightlife industry.
“The uncertainty of the district’s future is really uneasy,” Cano said.
Rising costs have contributed to several venue closures, including Valhalla and Marlow.
“A lot of the obstacles, mentally, that workers face here in Red River is gig life, unsteady jobs,” Cano said. “When venues are closing, we’re not sure where the next gig is going to come from.”
As workers navigate those challenges, Austin nonprofit Night Owl Therapy is working to make mental healthcare more accessible, in partnership with the Red River Cultural District.
“Night Owl Therapy is a nonprofit organization that provides $45 sessions with fully licensed clinicians to nightlife industry workers and artists in Texas,” founder Ana Arellano said.
She said the organization is now offering six free counseling sessions through November to workers affected by closures in the Red River Cultural District.
Arellano said losing a job can take a toll beyond financial hardship.
“Going two to three weeks without a job makes you feel like shame, humiliation, like you’ve lost your identity, even though it’s no fault of your own,” Arellano said.
She said the rising cost of mental healthcare can create another barrier for workers already struggling financially.
“Even with insurance, you’re paying a deductible you’re never going to meet,” Arellano said.
She added any Red River worker who is interested in getting started can contact her directly.
Arellano said she hopes services will provide workers with a place to turn as they navigate job losses and uncertainty surrounding the district’s future.
“We actually care. Everybody on our staff has been where you’ve been before, so we’re helping,” Arellano said. “We’re here to help you get started.”
As Austin leaders consider the future of the Red River Cultural District, Night Owl Therapy is focusing on the people who helped build its nightlife scene.
More information about scheduling a counseling session is available at Night Owl Therapy’s website.