Robin & Bud Shivers HAAM HQ Ribbon Cutting & Grand Opening
On Thursday, March 2, HAAM hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony celebrating the opening of its newly renovated, permanent home in Austin. Last year, HAAM announced the purchase of a 7,134 square foot office building in Central Austin – 3036 South 1st Street. This purchase was put into motion following a generous legacy gift from Robin and Bud Shivers. Robin Shivers founded HAAM in 2005 to address the healthcare needs of low-income working Austin musicians.
HAAM provides a lifeline to Austin musicians, helping more than 6,000 members access more than $123 million in healthcare services since 2005, ranging from primary and specialty care, dental, vision, hearing, mental health, navigation and other services.
“We are so excited about the completion of HAAM’s new building, which could not have been possible without the generosity and support of our wonderful community,” said HAAM’s CEO, Paul Scott. “Our new home is a welcoming and collaborative space for musicians to receive HAAM’s care and services. We look forward to welcoming the community, especially our musicians, into the building!”
Austin’s economic success is directly correlated to the music community and the culture it provides Central Austin. In a city that is increasingly expensive to live in, HAAM continues to provide a necessary lifeline to Austin’s musicians. By providing access to critical healthcare services, HAAM has made it possible for musicians to stay in Austin, creating the art they are so passionate about, and we all enjoy.
“HAAM plays a vital role in the lives of the musicians that makes Austin “The Live Music Capital of the World”, says Mayork Kirk Waton. “Music—in all its diverse forms—is truly the soul of our city and I’m grateful as both a private citizen and elected leader that we have a nonprofit like HAAM in our community to protect this precious resource. Austin would not be Austin without live music and I am grateful for HAAM to have a permanent home here in Austin.”
HAAM’s unique service delivery model provides access to healthcare, navigation, comprehensive coverage, and much more for more than 3,100 of Austin’s working musicians.
Every day, more and more musicians come to us with new needs—and HAAM provides healthcare and a supporting hand to as many as we possibly can. Since 2015, HAAM membership has increased by 61%, and we are working hard to find sustained community investment to keep our funding in line with that growth.
“To continue our growth and meet the rising need, we need efficient infrastructure to support all 8,000+ Austin musicians and new HAAM members,” said Scott. “Providing support and care for our musicians requires adding additional staff while maximizing the efficiency of our current staff. Our former infrastructure and physical space limited our ability to grow in either capacity.”
HAAM’s new building will enhance current HAAM members’ lives by providing access to medical care in a community hub. The expanded physical footprint of HAAM’s new space will also allow the organization to add additional program staff allowing us to enroll new clients while ensuring that we can provide compassionate and focused care.
HAAM will be able to provide additional services such as a musicians resource hub to address food insecurities, a hearing screening room, access to computers and wifi, as well as space for musician education and wellness training.
The location was selected and purchased for both location and conditions of the current building. Located in close proximity to key entertainment districts (1 mile from South Congress and South Lamar, 2.3 miles to downtown Austin, 4.9 miles to Red River District) the location will offer musicians a convenient hub for services, with ample access to parking and mass transit.
Agenerous legacy gift of nearly $1.7 million was given by the Shiver’s family in 2019 to be used toward the purchase of a permanent home for the organization. The St. David’s Foundation also approved funding $1.25 million as a capital gift as well as a challenge grant.
In response to the generosity of the community, Lynne Dobson and Greg Wooldridge, through their Tejemos Foundation, closed phase one of the campaign with a grant of $1 million, the largest individual gift in the organization’s history. They are longtime supporters of Austin’s music community. Key gifts from C3 Presents , Patrick and Judy Cantilo, Cayetano Development, FVF Law and the Topfer Family Foundation ensure that HAAM opened the doors to its new home with phase one of the capital campaign fully funded and ready to serve Central Texas musicians.
With $5 million secured to date, HAAM enters phase 2 of the campaign seeking to raise an additional $1 million dollars to establish a building contingency fund and finish out key performance spaces for local musicians.
The ribbon cutting marks the office being fully operational. The establishment of a permanent, long-term home for HAAM secures a key pillar in the health and culture of Austin.