In District 8, Barbara, 79, lives alone. When her air conditioner failed in the last heat wave, a nonprofit delivered a fan, preventing a medical emergency.<\/p>\n
In District 10, a senior with limited mobility sat waiting, too lightheaded to stand, until a volunteer arrived with a meal.<\/p>\n
In District 1, an unhoused mother diluted her infant\u2019s formula to stretch it, leading to an ER visit. A nonprofit intervened with diapers, formula, and benefits information.<\/p>\n
In District 4, a young man aging out of foster care faced his birthday as a cliff, not a celebration \u2013 until a nonprofit secured housing.<\/p>\n
Elsewhere, the stories are just as urgent. In District 6, a couple with chronic illness worried a missed home visit could mean missed medication refills. In District 5, a domestic violence victim crouched on the floor of her daughter\u2019s closet, on hold with a crisis hotline. In District 2, a 19\u2011year\u2011old with a new restaurant job posted online for closed\u2011toe shoes and a safe place to sleep until her first paycheck. Strangers offered prayers and nonprofit links \u2013 some already defunct.<\/p>\n
In each of these cases, Austin\u2019s community nonprofits are not expendable. They keep our most vulnerable neighbors alive, housed, fed, healthy, and safe across our city. One Voice Central Texas (OVCT) proudly represents more than 80 area nonprofits that form Austin\u2019s safety net: providing rental assistance that keeps people housed, behavioral health interventions that avert crises, legal aid that prevents wrongful displacement, youth programs that keep kids safe, food access to prevent hunger, and eldercare that preserves dignity.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
But these lifelines are now at risk.<\/p>\n
Balancing the city budget on the backs of the most vulnerable is not the Austin way.<\/p>\n
The city manager\u2019s proposed budget includes $5.1 million in cuts to social service contracts this year and promises another $8.8 million in cuts next year. Basic needs and legal services could face cuts up to 35%; family services up to 34%; workforce development and HIV services up to 32%. Transportation services face reductions of up to 38%, and community planning is slated for elimination altogether. Yet the specific cuts to social service contracts remain undisclosed, leaving the public, and community nonprofits, in the dark.<\/p>\n
The city faces undeniably difficult budget choices. But balancing the city budget on the backs of the most vulnerable is not the Austin way. At the federal level, we have watched public health and nonprofit funding decimated, while military spending soars to nearly a trillion dollars. Here at home, the Austin Police Department\u2019s budget has climbed to nearly $550 million \u2013 more than seven times larger than the entire social services portfolio. Meanwhile, the city manager\u2019s proposed FY\u202f2026-27 budget eliminates $5.1 million in social service contracts \u2013 eviction defense, food access, mobility for seniors, family stability programs \u2013 while leaving untouched inefficiencies inside a $6.6 billion budget.<\/p>\n
Community-facing social service cuts should be a last resort \u2013 only after certifying that all other efficiencies have been exhausted. And where cuts are unavoidable, they must be transparent and targeted to preserve the programs that work. These are not radical requests; they are the basic work of responsible governance.<\/p>\n
The city manager has proposed a budget that threatens Austin\u2019s safety net. The mayor and City Council should now ask the hard questions, hold the line, and get it right.<\/p>\n
Dr. Rosamaria Murillo is CEO of El Buen Samaritano and chair of One Voice Central Texas. She is a former assistant director of Austin-Travis County Health and Human Services and has dedicated her career to strengthening community health and social service systems. Dr. Aaron Alarc\u00f3n is CEO of Family Eldercare and vice chair of One Voice Central Texas, with over two decades of experience in health and human services.<\/p>\n
Got something to say? The Chronicle welcomes opinion pieces on any topic from the community. Submit yours now at austinchronicle.com\/opinion<\/a>.<\/p>\n