This is a list of local, state, and national resources related to the communities and issues I serve. These resources could supplement our work together, or meet other needs. I will also include resources that can offer financial assistance.
These are organizations I have vetted to the best of my knowledge. If you know of any harm caused by these organizations, please contact me. You can also contact me to add additional resources. Some resources may be excluded from this list if they are known to have caused harm to the community.
Austin, Texas Resources
COVID-19
- Travis County COVID-19 information
- City of Austin COVID-19 information
- Austin Health Force – schedule a COVID test or vaccination
- Additional COVID-19 Resources via the City of Austin
- COVID-19 Community Resources via the Austin Justice Coalition
Healthcare / Mental Health
- Affordable Mental Health Resources in Austin, TX (FREE to $100) via Just Mind
- Mental Health Crisis Services in Texas via TX HHSC
- ATX Mental Health Fund is a mutual aid fund for mental healthcare
- Pro-Bono Counseling via YMCA of Austin
- Project Access Austin is a coordinated system of volunteer physician and hospital care, diagnostic services, and medication assistance to bridge the gap between Medicaid and private insurance
- Medical Access Program (MAP) provides health care coverage for low-income Travis County residents who are not eligible for Medicaid/Medicare and do not have private insurance
Community Support
- Austin Emergency Resources lists food pantries, housing, tenants rights, and mutual aid organizations throughout Texas
- Comprehensive List of Community Resources (including not only healthcare, but child care, financial, housing, legal, transportation, etc.) via Austin Community College
- Central Texas Resource List (including healthcare, mental health, housing, legal, etc.) via NAMI
- Austin Justice Coalition offers resources, education, and events to support individuals systematically impacted by gentrification, segregation, over policing, a lack of educational and employment opportunities, and other institutional forms of racism in Austin.
- Austin Mutual Aid is a grassroots organization whose mission is to empower and sustain vibrant, joyful, resilient communities by prioritizing the power of long-term, two-way relationships of exchange via the principles of solidarity, mutual aid, and autonomous direct action.
- Austin Tenant’s Council ensures housing stability by rectifying Fair Housing Act violations and empowering tenants to exercise their rights through mediation, advocacy, and education.
- ATX Free Fridge Project has a list of community fridges available throughout Austin
- The Community Leaders of Color Mental Health Fund is an ongoing resource for Black, Indigenous and non-white leaders of color pursuing racial justice in creative, community, business and work settings. Through this program, you can apply for up to five pro-bono therapy sessions.
- Foundation Communities offers support around affordable housing, education, and financial stability (including tax preparation).
- SAFE Alliance is a merger of Austin Children’s Shelter and SafePlace, serving the survivors of child abuse, sexual assault and exploitation, and domestic violence.
Arts and Culture
- ALLGO celebrates and nurtures vibrant queer people of color communities in Texas and beyond through cultural arts, wellness, and social justice programming.
- Art Spark Texas creates an arts-inspired, inclusive community of individuals with diverse abilities by addressing accessibility barriers related to arts and culture events.
- Austin Creative Reuse fosters conservation and reuse through creativity, education, and community building. They collect, distribute, and sell reusable materials, as well as offering events, activities, and classes to build awareness around conscious consumption, sustainability, and art.
- ATX Theatre offers a FREE membership with alerts to upcoming performances. There are also a variety of task forces to join, and the ability to search for auditions, job listings, etc.
- BookWoman local independent feminist bookstore. Hosts community events. All employees are still wearing masks (as of June 2023).
- Frida Friday ATX is a monthly intentionally intersectional BIPOC, Queer, Latinx, and local creatives centered mercado y más. Supporting and amplifying local creatives, offering entrepreneurial education programs, and creating truly diverse cultural spaces in Tejaslandia!
- Interfaces curates arts programs (educational and performance-based) that feature marginalized people, exploring the intersections of art, community-building, space-making, and social justice.
LGBTQIA+
- Austin Queer/Trans Housing offers support for queer and trans members of the Austin community to find affordable housing solutions.
- Black Trans Leadership of Austin is a grassroots organization uplifting its community and helping them to thrive.
- Chronically Queer – Austin is focused around LGBTQIA+ identity and disability, making space for people to speak their truth and find others who share the same experience. Peer support groups and socials are available, as well as a Facebook group and Discord server.
- Embrace Austin is a coalition of LGBTQIA2+ individuals, organizations, and businesses in Austin, who aim to build bridges between queer people and queer initiatives, boost Austin’s queer economy, and set a new standard for cultural competency in LGBTQIA2+ Austin.
- OutYouth Queer and Trans Community Closet can offer Grocery Gift Cards, Cap Metro Bus Passes, Groceries, Hygiene Items, Art and Activity kits, and other select items. OutYouth also offers programming for LGBTQIA+ youth and adults.
- Queer Exchange: Austin is the Queer “Craigslist” of Austin TX.
National (U.S.) Resources
COVID-19
- Still COVID-ing Resource LinkTree
- People’s CDC
- World Health Organization COVID-19 Dashboard
- Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center
- Medriva COVID-19 United States Monitor
- Your Local Epidemiologist
- CDC COVID-19 Guidelines
- National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Certified Equipment List
- CDC Find Free Masks (N95) Locator Tool
- FREE at-home COVID tests via U.S. government
- Stauffer Glove & Safety Disposable Respirators (N95)
- Scientists, journalists and organizations with SARS-CoV-2 pandemic expertise on Twitter
- The Most Essential People to Follow on Twitter during the COVID-19 Outbreak
Disability and Neurodivergence
- AANE – Asperger/Autism Network
- ADAPT is a national grass-roots community that organizes disability rights activists to engage in nonviolent direct action, including civil disobedience, to assure the civil and human rights of people with disabilities to live in freedom.
- Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) Information Line can offer support helping someone understand how the ADA might apply in their situation.
- ASAN – Autistic Self-Advocacy Network
- Autistic Women & Non-binary Network provides community, support and resources for Autistic women, girls, transfeminine and transmasculine nonbinary and genderqueer people, trans people of all genders, Two Spirit people, and all others of marginalized genders.
- The Daniel Braun Memorrial Camp and Recreation Activities Scholarship Fund assists autistic adults who wish to participate in enriching and fulfilling recreational activities.
- Fireweed Collective offers mental health education and mutual aid through a Healing Justice and Disability Justice lens.
- Health Justice Commons works at the intersections of racial, economic, gender, disability, and climate justice to support marginalized communities to re-imagine and re-design healthcare and healing for our times.
- Job Accommodation Network offers resources for those seeking ADA workplace accommodations in the U.S.
- Sins Invalid is a disability justice based performance project that incubates and celebrates artists with disabilities, centralizing artists of color and LGBTQ / gender-variant artists as communities who have been historically marginalized.
LGBTQIA+
- Elevated Access works with direct service organizations to provide free airplane transportation to those needing to travel to access healthcare (including gender-affirming healthcare)
- GALAP – Gender-Affirming Letter Access Project supports trans individuals in getting free letters for gender-affirming medical procedures.
- Sylvia Rivera Law Project is a collective organization which seeks to increase the political voice and visibility of low-income people and people of color who are transgender, intersex, or gender non-conforming and improve access to respectful and affirming social, health, and legal services.
- Trans Job Connect U.S. is a program designed to connect transgender people with affirming employers with currently available job openings.
- Trans Lifeline is run by and for trans people, and provides peer support for the community.
- Transgender Law Center is the largest national trans-led organization advocating self-determination for all people.
- Trevor Project is the world’s largest suicide prevention and crisis intervention organization for LGBTQ (lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, and questioning) young people.
Mental Health
- Crisis Text Line is for any crisis. A live, trained Crisis Counselor receives the text and responds, 24/7.
- Healthy Gamer creates accessible, inclusive and affordable mental health resources that empower the internet generation to find peace and purpose through content, community and coaching.
- Inclusive Therapists is a therapist database with a focus on culturally-responsive care based around marginalized identity (BIPOC, LGBTQIA+, etc.)
- Love is Respect offers confidential 24/7 support for teens, young adults, and their loved ones seeking help, resources, or information related to healthy relationships and dating abuse in the US. Available via phone, text, and web chat.
- Open Path Collective helps connect individuals who need low-cost mental health services ($40-70 per session) with providers committed to making their services accessible regardless of income
Social Justice and Community Organizing
- Black Lives Matter Global Network Foundation, Inc. is a global organization in the US, UK, and Canada, whose mission is to eradicate white supremacy and build local power to combat and counter acts of violence, create space for Black imagination and innovation, and center Black joy.
- Buy Nothing Project supports local groups to form gift economies that help people reinvest and support their local community outside of traditional cash economies. You can give and receive items for free, and members are encouraged to share from their own abundance.
- Showing Up for Racial Justice is a national network of groups and individuals organizing white people for racial and economic justice
Educational Resources
Disability and Neurodivergence
- 10 Principles of Disability Justice by Sins Invalid
- Intro to Spoon Theory by Christine Miserandino
- Fork Theory by Jen Rose
- Knife Hypothesis by Terry Masson
- Monotropism Theory of Autism
- NeuroClastic – articles about autism by autistic people
- Energy Accounting
- Double Empathy Problem by Damian Milton
- Access Intimacy by Mia Mingus
- Ableism and Language Guide by Autistic Hoya
- Critical Disability Studies Terminology
- Interest, Challenge, Novelty, Urgency Framework for Executive Dysfunction
- Proprioception, Interoception, and the Vestibular system
Gender and Sexuality
- Erin in the Morning – updates on anti-trans legislation in US
- Complete List of Tumblr Genders (So Far)
- Trans Student Educational Resources
- LGBTQIA+ Wiki
- Holistic Trans Body Poster
- Gender Galaxy
- The Phalloclitoris
- Trans Language Primer
- History of Singular They
Mental Health
- Routes of Safety (Alternative to 5 Love Languages)
- Fighting Burnout – Work as a False Path to Self-Worth by Rest is Resistance
- Create a Sensory Self-Soothing Kit
- The Anti-Planner by Dani Donovan
- Fidget Toys via Black Girl, Lost Keys
- F*ck That, a Guided Meditation
- Everything is Awful and I’m Not Okay: Questions to Ask Before Giving Up
- Our Lazy Creativity
Miscellaneous
- Fat Hygiene tips by Comfy Fat
- White Nonsense Roundup
- White Supremacy Culture Characteristics