Neighborhood Collaborative¹
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Georgia State University established The Neighborhood Collaborative (NC) August 1, 1999 to assist in implementing the GSU commitment to working in partnership with the community to improve the lives of Atlanta residents. Its goals are: 1) to build community capacity, 2) to focus additional research, teaching and service on community capacity building and improved social policy and programs, and 3) to improve access to human services for families and children, especially in low-income neighborhoods. The NC began when GSU transferred The Atlanta Project (TAP) into the university family as a means of enhancing research, teaching, and service through more effective partnerships with its urban environment and neighborhoods. Former president Jimmy Carter established [TAP] in 1992 as part of The Carter Center where it operated until 1999 at which time it was transferred to GSU. TAP was the first step in the development of this university-wide unit. Douglas Greenwell is the Director of the Neighborhood Collaborative and The Atlanta Project.

During the 2002 year, the Neighborhood Collaborative has been successful in engaging the university and community in partnerships, especially those relating to the senior population. In addition students have been recruited and employed as GRA, Learn and Serve, Work Study and student assistants.

Projects

Senior Corps Programs. Sponsored by the Corporation for National Service. In January 2002, The Neighborhood Collaborative was requested to become interim sponsor for three grants from the Corporation for National Service to administer three senior corps programs: Foster Grandparents, Senior Companions, and Retired Senior Volunteer Program. The Senior Corps programs recruit, place, and train volunteers ages 55 years and older in volunteer positions within the community. In July 2002, the NC successfully competed to become permanent sponsor and was awarded the same three grants for three years.

Foster Grandparent Program. The Foster Grandparent Program, funded through the Corporation for National Service, is a senior initiative through which people 60 years of age and older provide a service to children with exceptional or special needs. By providing assistance in schools, hospitals, detention centers and day care centers, Foster Grandparents often provide services that limited staff can not. The volunteers who meet income guidelines receive a stipend ($2.65 per hour) for the work completed. One hundred and seventeen Foster Grandparent volunteers serve two hundred and sixteen children and families. These volunteers are placed at 13 different stations within Fulton and DeKalb counties. The annual grant is $473,135.

Senior Companion Program. The Senior Companion Program, funded through the Corporation for National Service, is a senior initiative through which people 60 years and older provide assistance and friendship to elderly individuals who are homebound and, generally, living alone. Senior Companions provide the services that frail elderly persons need to live independently. The volunteers who meet income guidelines receive a stipend ($2.65 per hour) for the work completed. In 2002, TAP recruited, placed, and trained 8 new Senior Companion volunteers. The annual grant is $201,439.

Retired Senior Volunteer Program. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program, funded through the Corporation for National Service, invites adults, age 55 and older, to use their experience and skills to assist communities in need. RSVP volunteers serve in various capacities such as mentoring, companionship, administrative, Meals on Wheels, advocacy, tour guides, neighborhood watch, etc. Twenty-five of the volunteers are involved directly with child literacy with a total of 75 children being served. Volunteer expenses can be reimbursed. A total of 56 new volunteers were recruited and placed during the 2002 year for a grand total of 784 volunteers. The annual grant is $167,286.

Senior Corps Matching Funds. Each of the three senior volunteer programs requires matching funds. The agencies that have volunteers provide both cash and in-kind resources to support the program finding. Local county governments also provide grants to support the programs. The United Way of Metropolitan Atlanta and other charitable organizations provide additional dollars. These sources generate approximately $290,000 annually.

Family Friends Program. The goal of the Family Friends Program, funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging, is to match senior volunteers with families who have children with special needs, including disabilities and chronic illnesses. Volunteers help the child as well as the entire family find solutions to the many problems they face. The annual grant is $74,600 plus additional funds of approximately $25,000.

City of Atlanta Weed and Seed Program. TAP was commissioned to provide an evaluation of the Weed and Seed Program implementation. The project goal is to maintain and strengthen the combined efforts of law enforcement, residents and community agencies to weed out drug abuse and establish drug prevention strategies. TAP is the external evaluator to measure the results of the Weed and Seed goals and objectives.

Atlanta Community Access Coalition. The Atlanta Project facilitated the development of a coalition of community health providers and linked them with a social service network for the purpose of increasing access to health care for the uninsured and underinsured. The coalition includes Grady Hospital, Fulton Department of Health and Wellness, West End Medical Center, Southside Medical Center, Oakhurst Medical Center, St. Joseph Mercy Medical Center, Morehouse School of Medicine, Emory School of Public Health, The Atlanta Project and the Pathways Network. TAP currently contracts for the Evaluation and the Geographical Information System in support of the coalition. The Evaluation was subcontracted to the Health Policy Center in the Robinson School of Business at GSU. The total contract was $120,000.

Community Outreach and Partnership Center. Funded through The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, the Community Outreach and Partnership Center is a partnership comprised of the Georgia Institute of Technology, GSU, Community Design Center of Atlanta, Inc., SUMMECH, Inc., Mechanicsville Civic Association and the resident association of McDaniel Glenn. There are multiple projects to assist in community development, including architectural design, human services and economic development. We placed two undergraduate student interns at SUMMECH and Mechanicsville Civic Association to expand staff capacities as well as provide a meaningful learning experience for the Georgia State University students. The grant provides $150,000 over two years.

Americorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). The Neighborhood Collaborative in partnership with the Office of Community Outreach and Partnership continues to sponsor VISTA volunteers in their yearlong service requirement. Three new VISTA volunteers were placed at the Neighborhood Collaborative. The VISTAs are involved with the community capacity building efforts of the Neighborhood Collaborative, developing public relations, and expanding existing projects such as Family Friends and Senior Corps. Two VISTA volunteers successfully completed their yearlong service experience in August.

Fatherhood Service Center. The Fatherhood Service Center was funded through a contract with the Georgia Department of Human Resources, Office of Child Support Enforcement. This program provides non-custodial parents with legal information and access to non-punitive, constructive avenues for skills training, assisted job search, and employment in order to meet their financial responsibilities and establish nurturing relationships with their children. This program assisted 513 individuals, which exceed our goal by 313 individuals. The state funding was completed, but our efforts within the fatherhood community continue. The contract was for $150,000 for one year.

Community Empowerment Advisory Board. TAP completed its agreement to provide management and program support to the board of community elected representatives of the Atlanta Empowerment Zone neighborhoods. The group is incorporated as a not-for-profit and has the responsibility to provide advice and direction as well as to recommend approval of proposals for the Atlanta Empowerment Zone.

The Atlanta Project continues to focus on building capacity in the urban neighborhoods and works to facilitate partnerships between the residents and the resources they need to carry out their plans for their neighborhoods and their families. Two of the primary tools for this work are:

• Data and Policy Analysis. The Atlanta Project established this unit in 1993 through a contract with a professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. Staff and students are hired to produce vital geographic and statistical data that can be extracted by address throughout the urban geographic area. TAP has developed a philosophy and practice of assisting community groups in understanding both the value and the ways in which data supports planning and implementation of change. The concept of Democratization of Data is the goal of this activity.
• Carter Collaboration Center. This computer lab has 30 workstations, software for training, access to the Internet and the Group System V software to assist group planning and decision-making. Groups from the neighborhoods, local non-profits, the United Way, GSU and other students, Atlanta City and the Federal governments have utilized this resource during 2002.

Community Capacity Building

The Neighborhood Collaborative Community Capacity Building activities are headquartered at City Hall East. Our offices around the metro Atlanta area include: Atlanta/Fulton Neighborhood Office (Dunbar Neighborhood Center), Gwinnett County, Cobb County, and Clayton County. These offices enhance our Community Capacity Building, with activities such as the following:

• Recruited, trained, and placed 70 senior volunteers into Senior Corps Programs to volunteer in the community.
• Senior Corps volunteers participated in Mayor’s Walk and the Mayor’s Ball in Summer 2002.
• Hosted 5 Senior Corps recognitions and 4 special events for senior volunteers. An average of 75-100 people attended each event. The events support the community relationship between the volunteers as well as recognizing the outstanding work that was accomplished.
• Organized donation of old cell phones to Riverdale Police Force. The cell phones were converted to emergency phones for seniors.
• RSVP volunteers in DeKalb and Cobb counties quilted baby blankets, sweaters, and booties. The gifts were sent to an AIDS/HIV orphanage in Swaziland.
• Created a Georgia State University Hands on Atlanta team, which included four staff members from the Neighborhood Collaborative and five GSU students. Volunteers participated in Hands on Atlanta Day events at the Salvation Army.
• Sponsored five GSU service-learning students from the Office of Community Outreach and Partnership. The students are involved in recruiting volunteers, creating the Neighborhood Collaborative Web site, and evaluating community programs.