Neighborhood Collaborative - The Atlanta Project (TAP)¹
at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies

Georgia State University 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 August 1, 1999, at which time it was transferred to GSU. TAP was the first step in the development of a university-wide unit called The Neighborhood Collaborative. The collaborative assists 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. Douglas Greenwell is the Director of the Neighborhood Collaborative and The Atlanta Project.

During 2003, 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. Corporation for National Service. Since January 2002, The Neighborhood Collaborative has operated 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. The programs operate in Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett counties. Ten employees are joined by one student employee and one Graduate Research Assistant to carry out this exciting program with more than 1470 senior volunteers. Twenty-five of these Senior Volunteers have answered President Bush’s call to service by providing over 4,000 hours of service to their community and will be receiving The President’s Volunteer Service Award in May 2004.

Foster Grandparent Program is funded through the Corporation for National Service as a senior initiative through which people 60 years of age and older provide a service to young 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. Foster Grandparent volunteers serve 290 children and their families. In 2003, 123 Foster Grandparents provided service at 14 different educational settings within Fulton and DeKalb counties. Of these 123 volunteers, 21 seniors have been volunteering for 5 years, seven seniors have been volunteering for 10 years, two seniors have been volunteering for 15 years, two seniors have been volunteering for 18 years, and one senior Foster Grandparent has been volunteering in this program for 19 years. The annual federal grant is $629,759.

Senior Companion Program is funded through the Corporation for National Service. The Senior Companion Program 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. Senior Companions volunteers served 149 fragile seniors and their families. In 2003, 42 Senior Companions provided service at six different service agencies within Fulton and DeKalb counties. Of these 42 volunteers, 12 seniors have been volunteering for 5 years. The annual federal grant is $300,942.

Retired Senior Volunteer Program is funded through the Corporation for National Service. The Retired Senior Volunteer Program 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, and more. The RSVP program serves five Metro Atlanta counties: Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Fulton and Gwinnett. The RSVP program in DeKalb County serves as the official source for senior volunteers in the county. A total of 516 new volunteers were recruited and placed during 2003 for a grand total of 1300 volunteers. The annual grant is $288,641.

Senior Corps Matching Funds. Each of the three senior volunteer programs requires matching funds. The agencies in which volunteers are working 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 $275,000 annually.

Family Friends Program is funded through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging. The goal of the program 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. This program was closed in November 2003. One of the agencies that was a partner and member of the Advisory Board agreed to take the lead in continuing to work with the several partner agencies and seek funding to keep the program operational. Many of the services will be continued for the children and their families while the program is being revised under new leadership. The annual federal 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 Weed and Seed Steering Committee is co-chaired by the Mayor of Atlanta and United States Attorney William Duffey. 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. For more than three years, TAP has been the external evaluator to measure the results of the Weed and Seed goals and objectives. Partners in the program include the Federal Drug Enforcement agencies, the City Law Enforcement agencies, Atlanta Public Schools, Atlanta Housing Authority, MARTA and a host of community service providers. Residents from Mechanicsville, Pittsburgh and Vine City neighborhoods provide direction as to priorities and participation from these three neighborhoods that are the program's target communities.

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. This coalition successfully competed for Federal funding assistance to implement the revised system for cooperation in bringing health care to a population with little or no access to care. The coalition includes Grady Hospital, Fulton Department of Health and Wellness, Westend 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 has contracted for Geographical Information Services and Evaluation for the past three years.

Community Outreach and Partnership Center is funded through the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. This 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 GSU undergraduate student interns at SUMMECH (1) and Mechanicsville Civic Association (1) 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 and was completed in October 2003.

Volunteer Income Tax Assistance and Earned Income Tax Credit project was implemented by the Atlanta Fulton Family Connection coalition of which the Neighborhood Collaborative is a member. The project provided free income tax preparation to families with limited income. In addition, the project promoted the Earned Income Tax Credit available to working families with children and low income. The NC took this project to the Atlanta Outreach Consortium (Clark-Atlanta U, Emory U, Georgia Tech and GSU) for sponsorship in recruiting volunteer faculty and students to support the VITA tax preparation. The AOC adopted the project and the NC managed the recruiting and training of approximately 40 volunteers.

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. One VISTA volunteer successfully completed her yearlong service experience in June and two more completed their service in November.

Fatherhood Service Center did not have specific funding during 2003, but information and referral services were provided to non-custodial parents who came to seek assistance. The Dunbar Neighborhood Office manager and a student from the GSU College of Law fielded telephone inquiries and met with walk-in clients to assist 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.

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:

1. Data and Policy Analysis. The Atlanta Project established this unit in 1993 through a contract with a Georgia Institute of Technology professor. 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.
2. 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 various neighborhoods, local non-profits, the United Way, GSU, as well as the Atlanta City and the Federal governments have utilized this resource during 2003. Specialized training for volunteers to staff the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance program was conducted in the lab.

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 100 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 2003.
• Hosted five Senior Corps recognitions and four special events for senior volunteers. An average of 100 people attended each event. The events supported the collegial relationship between the volunteers as well as recognized the outstanding work they 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 four GSU service-learning students from the Office of Community Outreach and Partnership. The students are involved in recruiting volunteers, creating our Web site, and evaluating community programs.
• Gwinnett County RSVP participated in the Holiday Helper Program sponsored by GUIDE. The volunteers gathered items to fill over 246 bags to be distributed to children in need throughout the county. The bags contained not only toys but also essential items like clothing and hygiene products. GUIDE distributed over 3,000 bags this year to seniors, adults and children.
• Gwinnett County has been involved in Senior Day Out and the Senior Health Fair. Several displays are located in senior centers, residential facilities and a grocery stores throughout the county.
• Gwinnett County placed volunteers in the Georgia Cares program, a horse farm that provides therapy for autistic children and a work center for the mentally disabled.
• Fulton County has volunteers involved in two literacy programs at Antoine Grove High Rise and Wheat Street Towers.
• Fulton County Martel Housing Tenants Association is involved in Community Development.

1. For a complete listing of AYSPS Active Research Sponsored Grants from CY2003, see the Appendix: Report on External Funding.