Who needs Basic Needs services in the Austin/ Travis County area?
• Travis County Department of Human Services estimates that there are up to 200,000 working poor in Travis County (defined as living at or below 200% of the federal poverty income guideline, or $36,200/year for a family of four). • Another indicator of the magnitude of the “working poor” in Travis County is the number of students who are considered economically disadvantaged. Students are considered economically disadvantaged when they qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. In the seven school districts serving Travis County exclusively, 42.2% of all students qualified during the 2000-01 School Year. Del Valle (63.9%), Manor (57.5%), and Austin (48%) exceeded the county-wide rate. In these seven districts, 48% of elementary school students qualified for free or reduced price lunches. • According to Census Bureau estimates released in 1999, 12.9% of the Travis County population lived at or below the poverty level in 1995. Based on 2000 Census Data, more than 105,000 people in Travis C
