Atlanta Civic Site
Workforce Cross-Site Meeting: November 10, 2004
Objectives of Presentation
• Overview of AECF Effort in Atlanta
• Closing the Gap Approach
• Center for Working Families Strategy
State Capitol
Downtown
Downtown
NPU-V
Adair Park
Mechanicsville
Peoplestown
Pittsburgh
Summerhill/ Capitol
Homes
Turner Field
Atlanta Civic Site Aspirations
1. Close the gap in income, employment, and assets for families
living in NPU-V by 2010.
2. Close the gap in school readiness for children living in the
Pittsburgh neighborhood by 2010.
3. Build the capacity of resident leaders and community based
organizations for significant roles in revitalizing their own
neighborhoods.
4. Provide the city and the region with thought, practice, and
policy leadership in four key areas: family economic success,
school readiness, community capacity building, and placed-
based philanthropy.
Atlanta Civic Site Results
• NPU-V Residents Have
Good Paying Jobs with
Benefits.
• NPU-V Residents Are Able
to Get Ahead Financially.
• Children in the Pittsburgh
Neighborhood Are Ready
For School. The six outcomes defined for
the Atlanta effort focuses on
• NPU-V Residents Solve Family Economic Success,
Their Own Problems.
school readiness, community
• NPU-V Neighborhoods Are
building, and public policy.
Neighborhoods of Choice.
• Government Makes
Decisions that are Good for
Children and Families.
Closing the Gap
The Civic Site Team is seeking to close the gap between
NPU-V and the City of Atlanta in the areas of employment,
income, and assets.
Employment, Poverty and Home Ownership in NPU-V and Atlanta
80
75
70
65 Target: 1,029
60 More
55 Homeowners
50
Target: 306
45 More NPU-V
40 Residents Atlanta
35 Employed
30
25
20
15
10
5
0
Unemployment Rate Living Above Poverty Home Ownership
NPU-V Families Below 150% of Federal Poverty
Level (1999)
Atlanta 26,179 families 31.6%
Adair Park 180 families 40.3%
Peoplestown 321 families 53.4%
Pittsburgh 378 families 55.6%
NPU-V 2,037 families 60.2%
Summerhill-Capitol Homes 602 families 62.7%
Mechanicsville 556 families 79.8%
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
% of families below 150% of poverty level
Closing the Gap in NPU-V
Families Below 150% of Federal Poverty Level
31.6% 8.7%
Adair Park
141 families 39 families
31.6% 21.7%
A T L A N T A R A T E --- 3 1 . 6 %
Peoplestown
190 families 131 families
31.6% 24.0%
Pittsburgh 215 families 163 families
31.6% 28.6%
NPU-V
1,070 families 967 families
31.6% 31.0%
Summerhill-Capitol Homes 304 families 298 families
31.6% 48.2%
Mechanicsville 220 families 336 families
0% 10% 20% 30% 40% 50% 60% 70% 80% 90%
Target: Increase At city rate Gap to close
income of 967
families to 150%
of FPL
Closing the Gap Strategy:
Atlanta Center for Working Families
• Help 300 families in 2005 get ahead financially through work,
savings, investing, and effectively managing their money.
• Work with partners and co-investors to help build the affordable
housing, business development, job creation, and homeownership
needed for families and community to achieve economic success
• Apply responsible relocation principles and practices to Hope VI
efforts in NPU-V.
• Build the tools for transferring the CWF innovations to other
neighborhoods.
• Create an organizational model that serves as a convener and
advocate and facilitates and legitimizes a higher investment in the
neighborhood because of Casey’s long term commitment
Atlanta Center for Working Families
Workforce Development
• Partners:
– Atlanta Technical College
• Hard skills development
– Ropheka Rock of the World
• Soft skills – pre-employment
– Goodwill
• Job coaching and placement
• Results of CWF Prototype 2
(July – November 2004):
– Trained 34 residents in construction and
warehouse distribution (hard skills)
– Coached 8 residents to increase their
employability (soft skills)
– Placed 18 residents in jobs
CWF Customer
“I want a job that will keep
me financially stable, give
me benefits that I need to
raise my son, and that I
can advance in. That's
the job I want.”