The Mental Health Task Force (MHTF) was created by Austin Mayor Will Wynn in August of 2004. Creation of this Task Force was the culmination of several years of community concern over the challenges facing Austin and Travis County residents with severe mental illnesses. More than eighty individuals representing over forty organizations worked together for months to develop a report that documented strengths and gaps in mental health services in the community and made recommendations for future action.

Thirty-nine criteria for a mentally healthy community were identified in that report, covering such areas as infrastructure, marketing, policies and plans, programs, training and education. The final report was published in January 2005, and it recommended the formation of a Monitoring Committee to "take a lead role in monitoring and facilitating the implementation of Task Force recommendations and coordinating the assistance of existing groups and organizations in that effort."

MHTF is a broad based collaborative that has been designated as a Board of Trustee subcommittee of Austin Travis County Integral Care. The Monitoring Committee was charged with serving a five-year term and reporting to the Mayor annually. We believe that the efforts of the MHTF, and the community at large, will advance the goal of becoming a nationally recognized "mentally healthy community." The Committee has a diverse membership with a wide variety of expertise across our designated focus areas:

• Schools and Youth
• Criminal Justice
• Housing/Access
• Community Awareness and Faith Based Activities.

For a list of Committee members, click here. In addition to these impressive members, a wide array of community members attend our meetings, providing presentations and updates about community events.

For additional resources, click here. Or, for contact information, click here. The MHTF meets the last Friday of every three months. For a meetings calendar, go to meetings.