The city’s Parks and Recreation Board reviewed progress in the ongoing effort to convert the Nash Hernandez building in East Austin into an intergenerational resource and activity center.
At the board’s April 24 meeting, members of the Intergenerational Resource and Activity Center Advisory Group and facilitator Jacqueline Angel, a professor at the University of Texas LBJ School of Public Affairs, updated board members on the implementation of the project. City Council approved the renovation in December.
“We’re all aware that the city of Austin is rapidly changing and it is no longer, or becoming increasingly, no longer sort of young and hip, but it’s becoming very old and needing a great deal of services, particularly for low-income seniors and children in low-income, working families,” Angel said.
The group envisions the site as a community hub that can serve as an asset to all of Austin, but with a specific emphasis on the 78702 ZIP code, which has a disproportionate share of senior residents living below the poverty level.
The community hub would feature service providers, including adult day care, the intergenerational center, a child care center, service coordination, behavioral health and supportive care by CommUnityCare.
Angel said that not only will the arrangement provide cognitive benefits for seniors and social engagement for children, but it will also improve the economic well-being of caregivers, who are often faced with taking care of both seniors and children.
“This will be a great way in which they’ll be able to get the support that they need; their caregiver respite,” Angel said.
Angel showed board members conceptual designs for the space that include an indoor garden, community space, a welcome center and therapy rooms, as well as children’s and older adults’ play and outdoor areas.
“This is of particular interest to us because we have experience in our schools, through a program with Health and Human Services, where foster grandparents are able to enter and be in our classrooms and serve with us to create a really wonderful, welcoming environment with children,” said Cynthia McCollum of Open Door Preschool, which is a potential program partner.
McCollum said that past experience with intergenerational experiences showed the school how enriching these programs can be for the entire Austin community. That’s why they were receptive to the idea of a partnership with the city on this project.
“We feel that it is an incredible way to serve, really expand, the part of the community that we serve and use the resources and the experiences that we’ve had with young children to actually benefit a much wider slice of our community than we have in the past,” McCollum said.
Angel told commissioners that the working group is still actively seeking public engagement, in particular in the Holly neighborhood. “We are very committed to working with Justin Schneider with PARD on maximizing our community outreach to make sure that this implementation is going to fit just right.”
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City of Austin Parks and Recreation Department: The city department responsible for the city's park system, rec centers, and associated infrastructure.
Parks and Recreation Board: The city’s Parks and Recreation Board members deal with the acquisition, development, improvement, and maintenance of Austin’s parks and playgrounds.
