Now that CEACO’s administrative woes have been resolved, CEACO is redoubling its community outreach efforts and recently formed a partnership with the Austin Housing Authority. The housing group is offering its old offices on East Third to CEACO in exchange for the nonprofit group providing youth programs at various area housing developments. CEACO has also hired two social workers to beef up its counseling services, and is sharing some of its office space with local artist/historian Minnie Miles in exchange for her input in youth art and folklore programs.
Additionally, AIDS Services of Austin has donated three refrigerators to CEACO, enabling the agency to expand its food pantry to include perishable items. These are the sorts of alliances that CEACO intends to continue to form, Eways says. And, as more nonprofit organizations continue to compete for the same grant monies, she adds, these relationships become even more important. “We are very interested in working with other groups in the community, so we can all maximize our resources,” says Eways. “… it’s a relatively new thing, these collaborations.”*
THE CENTRAL EAST AUSTIN COMMUNITY ORGANIZATION
CEACO is a nonprofit organization founded in 1975 to provide human services to the Austin and Travis County area. Its programs and services include emergency rental and gas utility assistance, youth programs, a food pantry, HIV/AIDS youth health education, and referrals to other Austin and Travis County programs. For more info, call 472-1454.
This article appears in August 13 • 1999 and August 13 • 1999 (Cover).