Menstrual Equity

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Natasha Harper-Madison
Posts: 64
Joined: Tue Jan 15, 2019 12:52 pm

Menstrual Equity

Post by Natasha Harper-Madison »

Good evening colleagues.

I want to thank those of you who are able to offer financial assistance to the menstrual equity item my staff and I are bringing forward with my Health and Human Services Committee colleagues, the Commission for Women and a myriad of other partners. I know that some of you are analyzing your available budgets, we appreciate your generous consideration and look forward to hearing from you next week.

The long-term goal is to build a system that helps reduce the interruptions that periods create for menstruating Austinites during 'normal' times. In the short term, however, we are focusing on a pilot project that will distribute information and products to high-need households during the pandemic.

Periods are the number-one cause of missed class time for middle-school girls. Right now, the pandemic has forced many of the typical distribution channels for period products (libraries, school counselors' offices, community centers) to close, limit hours of operation, or simply cease stocking period products. In addition to causing undue shame and discomfort, managing a period without appropriate products can lead to infections and other medical issues.

In partnership with the Austin Diaper Bank, People's Community Clinic, and the Boys and Girls Club, we are putting together a pilot project to supply menstrual products to as many high-need Austin families as possible. Flo Code estimates the cost of one month’s worth of menstrual products per individual to be $13. The Boys and Girls Club is distributing bags of groceries and extracurricular activities to 3,000 families per week. If we were to assume that each household had 1.25 menstruating residents, we could effectively distribute $50,000 of products per month. We continue to explore relationships with the Housing Authority of the City off Austin (HACA), Travis County Housing Authority and other organizations/initiatives that provide supplies to qualified families, both as partners for the pilot as well as a longer term more comprehensive effort. Additionally, we are exploring what opportunities for Pubic Private Partnerships facilitated through the new Economic Development Corporation may look like. There are a multitude of opportunities to provide this much needed education and support for girls and women in our communities.

Our goal for a three-month pilot is to raise $30,000 (6 months would be $60K, provide more data and more much needed products) to supply partner organizations with the highest need profiles. This will not reach all our Boys and Girls Club families, but it would be a start. If you are interested in contributing financially to the effort we’ll get you connected with the folks at the Austin Diaper Bank. Feel free to touch base with me or Lauren Hartnett in the D1 office. I hope everyone has a peaceful weekend after this very challenging week.

Kindly,
NHM
Natasha Harper-Madison
Council Member District 1
Paige Ellis
Posts: 98
Joined: Mon Jan 14, 2019 4:37 pm

Re: Menstrual Equity

Post by Paige Ellis »

CM Harper-Madison -

Thank you for bringing this important initiative forward. I would love to add a contribution and am assessing what portion of my budget I may be able to contribute.

-Paige Ellis
Paige Ellis
City Council District 8
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