Other Initiatives

2025 CAN Data and Research Roundup

The inaugural Data and Research Roundup happened on October 8, 2025 on Zoom. The Data and Research Roundup is an event where CAN and our data and research partners share the results of their work on a wide range of issues relating to community well-being. 

Morning Session

The morning session featured an overview of the “Basic Needs” and “Safety, Justice & Engagement” sections of the CAN Dashboard as well as presentations relating to food access, housing affordability. The morning session closed with a presentation by the City of Austin on a new data tool that they have developed called the Community Profile Builder.

  1. CAN Dashboard “Safety, Justice & Engagement” & “Basic Needs” Presented by Raul Alvarez, CAN Executive Director and Carlos Soto, CAN Research, Planning, & Evaluation Coordinator
  • Recording Timestamp: 0:00-26:51
  1. Food Insecurity and Food System Insights Presented by Mia Burger, Central Texas Food Bank Research Manager and Laura Gougeon, Central Texas Food Bank Director of Research
  • Recording Timestamp: 28:26-1:05:30
  1. Leveraging Research to Address Housing Affordability in Austin and Central Texas Presented by Awais Azhar, Housing Works Executive Director
  • Recording Timestamp: 1:06:45-1:29:20
  1. Community Profile Builder Presented by Lila Valencia, City of Austin Demographer
  • Recording Timestamp: 1:31:32-1:58:19

Afternoon Session

The afternoon session featured an overview of the “Health” and “Achieving Our Full Potential” section of the CAN Dashboard as well as an overview of community needs based on an analysis of calls to 2-1-1. Additional presentations during the afternoon session related to early education and community health improvement.

  1. CAN Dashboard “Health” & “Economic/Educational Opportunity” Presented by Raul Alvarez, CAN Executive Director and Carlos Soto, CAN Research, Planning, & Evaluation Coordinator
  • Recording Timestamp: 0:00-32:53
  1. Overview of 2-1-1 Data and Dashboard Presented by Dan Brown, United Way for Greater Austin Data and Evaluation Manager
  • Recording Timestamp: 34:06-1:00:28
  1. Early Childhood Data Hub Presented by Alison Bentley, United Way for Greater Austin Vice President of Data and Evaluation
  • Recording Timestamp: 1:01:46-1:20:06
  1. Community Health Improvement Plan Presented by Shirley Aldana, City of Austin Business Process Specialist
  • Recording Timestamp: 1:28:36-1:56:20

2025 CAN 30th Anniversary Profiles of Collaboration: The History of CAN

In this inaugural episode of CAN’s Profiles of Collaboration, Raul Alvarez, the current Executive Director of the Community Advancement Network (CAN) who started in the position in 2015, interviews his predecessors Fred Butler, CAN ED pre-1995 to 2006, and Vanessa Sarria, CAN ED 2006 to 2015, to discuss: how and why CAN was created; CAN’s mission and purpose; and how each ED approached the work of CAN. With CAN celebrating 30 years of promoting and supporting collaboration in 2025, the three Executive Directors compare their experiences in the position as well as the skillset and mindset that allowed each of them to focus attention and facilitate creative problem solving on critical community challenges through effective engagement and collaboration.

2021 Pandemic Equity Committee: Project Status Report

To view the 2021 Pandemic Equity Committee Project Status Report, Click Here.

2014 CAN Retreat

 

CAN 2013 Policy Forum

 

CAN 2012 Policy Palooza

 

CAN 2011 Retreat