*The success story below was provided by United Way of Greater Atlanta partner agency Housing Plus. “Myself and my kids are so grateful to you all. You really reached out to us when we needed it the most.” – Emergency Housing Assistance Program funding recipient Jallow Hadijjatou Like so many City of Atlanta residents, Jallow Hadijjatou lost her job at the start of pandemic. A single mother and immigrant, the stress of caring for her family without a job quickly set in. According to the US Census Bureau, there are approximately 13.6 million single parents in the U.S., raising 22.4 million children. And eighty percent of those single parents are moms like Jallow. The strain the pandemic has put on single mothers is heartbreaking. According to the University of Oregon study Home Alone: The Pandemic Is Overloading Single-parent Families, researchers note the impact of COVID-19 is more distressing for single parent families than other types of households.  While unemployed, Jallow, like most parents during the pandemic, became an at-home teacher’s assistant, helping her children navigate remote learning. When school was done for the day, she tried to keep them busy – all while dealing with the worry of affording rent and utilities. As lockdown stretched on, Jallow continued to search high and low for a job, but rent payments were a continuous struggle and were piling up. According to the Federal Reserve of Atlanta’s one-year study of the pandemic, more than 60 thousand evictions were filed. That number has now grown. After hearing about rental assistance programs, Jallow decided to shift her focus on the short term. Through the Emergency Housing Assistance Program and United Way of Greater Atlanta’s partner, Housing Plus, Jallow connected to a case manager who listened to her experiences and provided personalized care and rental assistance. Jallow and her children were able to stay in their apartment, and focus on school in a stable home environment.  United Way of Greater Atlanta and the City of Atlanta recently announced that the Emergency Housing Assistance Program re-opened October 4th to distribute an additional $12M in Department of Treasury funding received through the United States Treasury.  The current Emergency Housing Assistance Program – totaling $15.2M in federal funds – is on track to distribute the entire amount by mid-October. Since August 2020, through both the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) and the US Treasury, the Emergency Rental Assistance program has helped more than 7,800 individuals and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic stay in their homes. “According to the NY Times, about 89 percent of rental assistance funds have not been distributed nationally,” says Milton J. Little, Jr. President and CEO of United Way of Greater Atlanta. “We’re proud to say that we are on track to spend the full amount of previous  American Rescue Plan Act dollars. Now, with the additional funding, we hope to help an additional 2,000 families.”  Since August 2020, United Way of Greater Atlanta has partnered with the City of Atlanta, Curry Davis Consulting Group, and agency partners on the Emergency Housing Assistance Program. Having a roof over your head and having a stable place to call home is foundational to United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Child Well-Being mission. Families that have been evicted or face eviction deal with a number of factors including keeping children in school, maintaining stable employment and protecting their health. According to Bloomberg News, “Evictions touch households beyond just those who receive an order to vacate. People who get evicted from their homes tend to double up, moving in with friends or family, or going to shelters. These outcomes make for more crowded households, increasing the points of contact between a home and the outside world, and creating more exposure opportunity for someone who hasn’t gotten the vaccine.” That’s why United Way of Greater Atlanta joined the City of Atlanta to help get federal funding out as quickly as possible to people most in need through the Atlanta COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program. City of Atlanta residential renters who have experienced a loss of income because of COVID-19 will be able to receive assistance with the payment of their past due rent, utility and/or security deposit assistance dating back to March 13, 2020 with an average payment of $3,000 per household.  Due to new federal guidelines, mortgage assistance is not available. Individuals and families impacted and in need of support will have multiple access points to apply for assistance in both English and Spanish. To apply for assistance and view eligibility requirements and FAQs, options include: -Access the client application by visiting www.unitedwayatlanta.org or by clicking here. -Visit http://211online.unitedwayatlanta.org/  -Call 2-1-1 to speak with a live 2-1-1 Community Connection Specialist Hours are limited from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Due to high call volumes, the above listed options are preferred. For more information, visit www.unitedwayatlanta.org.   This is sponsored content.

Authority Launches Bike Donation Program, Highlights Bicycle Amenities MARTA is marking Biketober/Love to Ride month by launching a bicycle donation program, encouraging customers and employees to use bikes in tandem with public transit, and supporting a monthlong competition that challenges all metro Atlantans to experience the joy of riding a bike. MARTA is partnering with Bearings Bike Works and the Sopo Bicycle Cooperative to donate bicycles that are abandoned on MARTA property to the many communities they serve including refugees, LGBTQ+ homeless youth, and other youth development and homeless programs. Twenty-six bikes and a bike trailer were donated this week to both volunteer organizations during events at Five Points rail station and at Sopo’s shop in Reynoldstown. (photos attached) “MARTA strongly supports multimodal transportation options such as bikes and we appreciate the role they play in first- and last-mile connectivity to our bus stops and rail stations for many customers,” said MARTA General Manager and CEO Jeffrey Parker. “As a bike rider myself it’s important that MARTA have community partnerships like the ones with Bearings and Sopo, and systemwide amenities that make biking to catch a bus or train safe and easy.” “Sopo’s mission is to help make biking and bike maintenance more accessible. Donated bikes are fixed up by our volunteers and in the past given to non-profits such as Global Spokes and the Global Village Project which help support refugee families or the Gateway Center which works to connect homeless individuals with resources,” said Brent Nieman with Sopo. “We’re so grateful for MARTA’s donation of abandoned bikes to Bearings,” said Becky O’Mara, Co-Founder and Director of Development at Bearings Bike Works. “We work to give bikes a new life by inviting kids who do not have one to earn one through our skills development programs. We’re excited to keep these wheels turning by refurbishing them and getting them back out into the world with someone new! Thank you, MARTA!” Currently, MARTA is working with the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition and bicycle amenities company Dero to install new bike racks for employees and guests at its headquarters at Lindbergh Center rail station. An early advocate for bike features on public transit, the Atlanta Bicycle Coalition has recognized MARTA for its bike amenities and honored its frontline operators for providing essential transportation during the COVID-19 pandemic. MARTA currently has bicycle kiosks at 37 of its 38 rail stations (excluding Airport Station), each equipped with racks, fix-it stands and tire pumps, allowing up to 500 bikes to be parked throughout the system. MARTA buses are equipped with front-mounted bike racks and bicyclists are welcome to bring their bikes onboard trains. MARTA also partners with Atlanta’s Relay Bike Share to provide convenient, inexpensive bicycle transportation to 12 rail stations and many locations around the city. The Atlanta Bicycle Coalition is holding bike safety education classes in October, including one at West Lake rail station on the 21st. Click here for details FREE Bike Classes | Atlanta Bicycle Coalition (atlantabike.org). Participate in the Biketober challenge, a free competition designed to motivate metro Atlantans to experience the joy of riding a bike. Click here to get rolling Home : Love to Ride Atlanta. To learn more about the organizations involved in the abandoned bike program visit: Bearings Bike Works Sopo Bicycle Cooperative (sopobikes.org) For more information on MARTA’s bicycle amenities visit MARTA (itsmarta.com).   This is sponsored content.

By: Jeff Hilimire, CEO, Dragon Army, Author, The Turnaround Leadership Series, Co-founder, 48in48 + Ripples of Hope + The A Pledge We know that if children in a community are thriving, the family will thrive, and then ultimately the community can thrive. But this concept can also work in the opposite direction. If a community is stronger and more resilient, it gives the family a better chance of thriving, which gives our children a chance to succeed. Atlanta’s culture of innovation and corporate philanthropy is well renowned, but it’s the community of our city that has shown they can come together for the common good, time and again. It is through this vision of bringing the community together that I started 48in48 in 2015. Atlanta has a vibrant marketing and advertising industry, full of great brands like Coca-Cola and Delta Air Lines, and world-class marketing agencies. What I saw was an opportunity to bring together that community of creatives, engineers, and storytellers, to do as much good as possible in a 48-hour period.  The idea: bring together hundreds of people to build 48 websites (for free) for Atlanta’s nonprofits. If there was ever a place to pull off such a miracle of giving, it was Atlanta. That first event, held in October of 2015 at Ponce City Market, was a raving success. What struck me the most was the number of volunteers – exhausted from having worked almost 48 hours straight – that wanted to put their name on the list for next year’s event. An event that I hadn’t even considered creating! It was that spirit of giving back to their community that led our team at 48in48 to dream bigger than we ever thought possible. Fast-forward to today, and we’ve had over 20 events around the globe, and built over 1,000 nonprofit websites with over 10,000 volunteers (equaling over $25,000,000 in donated services to the world’s nonprofits). I believe Atlanta is the only place where an idea like this could have been conceived and executed upon. Our unique blend of a true giving spirit, entrepreneurial grit, technological innovation, and marketing prowess allowed for a dream like 48in48 to become a reality. Our community came together and in the process was strengthened in ways none of could have imagined. Volunteers were inspired to do more good with the resources and skills they have (and many continue helping their nonprofits well after the event); nonprofits can now do more good to help our community; and families are strengthened due to the help they receive from local, revitalized charities as well as a newly inspired group of citizens. Only in Atlanta. ___________________________________________________________________________ Jeff Hilimire is the best-selling author of the Turnaround Leadership Series and an accomplished entrepreneur who has launched multiple organizations and successfully sold two companies. His current business, Dragon Army, is one of the fastest-growing digital experience agencies in the nation. Over the course of 20 years, Jeff has helped guide leaders from some of the most well-known global brands to mobilize growth using a startup mentality. He is the co-founder and active leader of three nonprofit organizations. 48in48 is a global nonprofit that produces hackathon events, building 48 nonprofit websites in 48 hours. Ripples of Hope advances the growth of organizations focused on business as a force for good in the world. And The A Pledge creates a path for systemic opportunity in Atlanta by inspiring marketing and advertising agencies to commit to matching the diversity of their team to that of our city by 2030. Jeff lives in Atlanta with his lovely wife, Emily, and their five children. You can follow Jeff’s adventures on his personal blog, jeffhilimire.com.   Featured image: Carole Williams (L), former Executive Director, and Sima Parekh (R), current Executive Director. This is sponsored content.

Last week, the Metro Atlanta Chamber (MAC) announced ATL Action for Racial Equity, a multi-year, multi-step action plan designed to help address the ongoing effects of systemic racism impacting the Black community. In just a few days since launch, 30 additional metro Atlanta-based companies ranging in size and industry joined the initiative – to-date totaling more than 180 participating organizations. These companies and leaders will leverage the size, scale and expertise of the region’s business community to advance racial equity. Invitations to the initiative remain open, and MAC is inviting all businesses across metro Atlanta to sign on.  ATL Action for Racial Equity focuses on measurable actions across corporate policies, inclusive economic development, education and workforce development – critical areas in addressing the region’s immobility and inequity challenges. See quotes below from the region’s business leaders on why they chose to participate and why this initiative is important, now more than ever. Reach out to [email protected] to learn more. Ed Bastian, CEO Delta Air Lines and 2021 Board Chair, Metro Atlanta Chamber: “In metro Atlanta, our differences are our strength. We work together to make our community and the world better. We are not perfect, but we are committed to preserving and holding up this region’s legacy, especially now. As we tackle economic recovery, public health and the disproportionate impacts on our Black community, our business community must do its part. This is a moral and economic imperative as we work to grow our region’s competitiveness today and into the future.”   Jimmy Etheredge, CEO North America, Accenture: “Accenture is proud to collaborate with the Metro Atlanta Chamber and business leaders across Atlanta to take action on building a more equitable future for our community. Together, we are acting, we are leading, and we are driving change.”  Steve Koonin, CEO, Atlanta Hawks and State Farm Arena: “We proudly support ATL Action for Racial Equity and promise that our franchise will continue taking the steps and supporting the causes that lead to equity for all in our city.”  Rohit Malhotra, Founder and Executive Director, Center for Civic Innovation: “The Center for Civic Innovation mission and day to day operations are designed to fight for an equity-centered Atlanta. The business community in Atlanta has a long and complicated history with equity in our city— we’re glad to see the Metro Atlanta Chamber call on companies and institutions to take measurable actions that align with their publicly stated values and sentiments. It is in this city’s best interest for this effort to succeed.”  Jenna Kelly, President, Truist Northern Georgia Region, Truist Bank: “At Truist, we firmly believe in building more just, inclusive, and equitable communities by standing for social justice, denouncing racism in all forms, and partnering with people and organizations who are as committed to equity we are. As we continue to have intentional dialogue around the role we can play in advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion, we’re excited to join the ATL Action for Racial Equity to do our part in making a positive difference throughout Atlanta.”  Mary Schmidt Campbell, President, Spelman College: “If metro Atlanta is to close the region’s stark wealth gap, we all have to commit to bold innovative solutions. Spelman College, committed to the educational excellence of the 2000 Black women who attend the College, is also committed to the educational excellence of students in our neighborhood schools. For the past three years, our students have enjoyed major success in improving the reading scores of students in our neighborhood Washington Cluster Schools. We intend to launch a program that will accomplish improvements in math proficiency. This commitment to the improvement of K-12 education is aligned with the Metro Atlanta Chamber of Commerce’s business and community imperative to advance racial inclusion. We are proud to partner with MAC in their strategic approach to advocating for equity.”  Kyle Porter, CEO, SalesLoft: “The social justice and equity issues facing our companies, city, and nation are complex and intense. At SalesLoft we are committed to the necessary introspection, self-reflection, and action to be a more inclusive company because we believe it’s the right thing to do for our team, customers, and marketplace. SalesLoft is joining the ATL Action for Racial Equity because our internal efforts will be magnified and our progress accelerated through collaborative community work. Our community will become our ally and accountability partner providing the space to heed best practices, share wisdom, and generate ideas that will positively impact us all.    Russ Torres, President, Kimberly-Clark Professional: “At Kimberly-Clark, we believe racial equity and justice are moral issues that must be addressed through comprehensive actions to enact meaningful and sustainable change. We are moving with urgency. Therefore, we are proud to partner with ATL Action for Racial Equity in this mission. Their disciplined, multi-year plan leverages the collective strength of metro Atlanta employers to support focused corporate policies that foster inclusive workforce and community development. With more than 1,500 Kimberly-Clark employees in the metro Atlanta area, this initiative is uniquely personal to us. We believe the success of our company depends on creating workplaces, communities, and experiences where inclusion and diversity are evident and thriving. Together with ATL Action for Racial Equity, we look forward to creating a vibrant and more inclusive region that offers opportunity, growth, and long-term value for all.”  Elie Maalouf, CEO, Americas, InterContinental Hotel Group: “We applaud the Metro Atlanta Chamber on this initiative and stand with our peers in the Atlanta business community to advance diversity and inclusion. This commitment and collaboration reflect IHG’s values and inclusive culture, and builds on our own efforts to bring lasting, sustainable progress for the region and our colleagues.”  Paul Bowers (Chairman and CEO) and Chris Womack (President), Georgia Power: “At Georgia Power, we deeply value the diversity of our team and the communities we serve. That’s why we are committed to creating an environment where employees and customers feel a sense of belonging and can be their true authentic selves.  We’re proud to be a part of the Metro Atlanta Chamber’s ATL Action for Racial Equity efforts to do the same here in Atlanta. We believe businesses working together to ensure equality is how we can make a collective impact, and we’re …

By Angie Clawson, Director of Communications, Center for the Visually Impaired For nearly 60 years, the Center for the Visually Impaired (CVI) has been providing rehabilitation services for people who are blind and visually impaired in metro Atlanta and Georgia. It’s no coincidence that our Atlanta-based nonprofit is headquartered in Midtown. With its street grid layout, convenient access to public transportation, and audible pedestrian crosswalks, Midtown provides an ideal training landscape to help those with visual impairment learn to safely navigate city streets. Each year, more than 1,000 people of all ages from Atlanta and throughout the state turn to CVI to help them adjust to – or improve – a life with limited or no sight. Our comprehensive services include orientation and mobility training, low vision evaluation to help clients make the best use of the vision they have, training to help clients with various activities of daily living such as cooking and medication management, technology training in using adaptive software and devices, support groups for clients to connect and share coping strategies, programs designed specifically for youth, and much more.  We empower our clients to live independently, including navigating their environment safely and with confidence. On any given day, you may find one of our instructors providing one-on-one orientation and mobility training to help clients move comfortably around the city. Training includes helping people access MARTA and to use features that are specifically designed for people who are visually impaired such as detectable warning surface tiles that provide physical navigation cues and raised text and Braille on signage. An important part of the training also includes teaching cane techniques to detect curbs, uneven surfaces, sidewalks and more.  For someone living with a visual impairment, learning to use a cane effectively and comfortably is a key step toward greater independence. This is so significant that in 1964, President Lyndon B. Johnson proclaimed October 15 as White Cane Safety Day, which emphasized the importance of the use of the white cane as both a tool and as a visible symbol by those who are blind and visually impaired. Over the years, White Cane Day has become a meaningful way to promote awareness and recognize all that can be accomplished by people who are blind or visually impaired when the appropriate resources and opportunities are available to them. Check out this video CVI filmed with Midtown Alliance for White Cane Awareness Day in 2019 here. We also advocate for more accessible communities that include ADA compliant infrastructure and design elements that enable those with visual impairments to travel safely throughout their communities. For example, uneven sidewalks or construction that blocks or reroutes walking paths to ones that aren’t ADA compliant can pose significant challenges to someone living with a visual impairment. We encourage communities to identify opportunities for improved accessibility before development and construction begin. Every person with vision loss deserves to live with independence and dignity, and CVI is committed to providing the support and resources that help individuals achieve this. For more information about our services, or how you can help support those who are visually impaired, visit www.cviga.org.     This is sponsored content.

By now we know that historic (and nearly always intentional) disinvestment and extraction in communities of color has driven a dramatic gap in wealth and ownership by race. This disparity means people of color face steep and complex barriers to owning and controlling their homes and businesses. As the federal government debates upwards of $3.5 trillion in potential investments that could shape the future of our communities for a generation, we need to ask: how do we invest differently in our communities to change the systems that create and perpetuate these inequities? One answer: community ownership. The idea of community ownership is a straightforward concept: a community owns the “thing” (usually property) under consideration. The people of the community then must determine which of the many forms of community ownership fits its needs. This can include collective ownership of land and buildings through land trusts and co-operatives; it can also include entrepreneurial and cooperative ownership of the businesses that might occupy them. Community ownership envisions opening the ownership of homes, commercial property, and backyard cottages to the people who have built and who maintain the culture of the community. It also opens a pathway for low-income and people of color to assume local control of community assets. It contemplates the way that people build resilient networks, expand political power, protect and elevate shared culture, and seed personal wealth. In the last five years, the Strong, Prosperous, and Resilient Communities Challenge (SPARCC) has partnered with local collaboratives, supported by 300+ organizations, funders, thought partners and resident experts in six different cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, Memphis, and the San Francisco Bay Area. It is no coincidence that community ownership has risen in prominence in these six major US cities. Community ownership models vary greatly in each city and are often responses to the unique histories of each place, including their experience with segregation, redlining, disinvestment, and gentrification.  In Atlanta, we have partnered with Transformation Alliance (TFA) as our local collaborative partners to drive our community ownership work. Through TFA, SPARCC is working closely with The Guild—a place-based community wealth building organization focused on closing the racial wealth gap through real estate, entrepreneurship programs, and access to capital. The Guild’s latest initiative, Groundcover, aims to seed, develop, and scale cooperative real estate models. The pilot involves rehabilitating a long-vacant property and adding a much needed grocery, three commercial kitchens for emerging food entrepreneurs, community gathering and co-working spaces, and 18 permanently affordable apartments. The project would be owned by a Community Stewardship Trust (CST) composed of neighborhood residents, giving those previously locked out of wealth-building opportunities the chance to collectively own and steward the assets in their neighborhood. The Guild’s work in Atlanta exemplifies what I meant when I wrote You Can’t Carbon Copy Community Ownership: each community’s needs will dictate its asset types and community ownership projects. You can learn more about The Guild’s work directly from its founder, Nikishka Iyengar, as she presents it in SPARCC’s Building Community Wealth & Transition to A Liberation Economy webinar. I also recommend the first “Black Paper,” co-written by Nikishka Iyengar, Building Community Wealth: Shifting Power and Capital in Real Estate Finance. We stand in the midst of a tremendous opportunity to channel once in a generation investments to the places and people that need them most. Federal regulators and local governments have an opportunity to review policies related to Notices of Funding Availability (NOFAs) from HUD and funding documents to ensure that community ownership projects are eligible and the innovative community groups leading this work are encouraged to apply. Grant makers have an opportunity to help groups like The Guild to control land and get ready for new funding opportunities. Last, but not least, national intermediaries like Enterprise have an opportunity to shape our programmatic work to share lessons, lift up examples and put our knowledge and networks in service of community innovators looking to expand ownership and shrink the racial wealth gap.  Devin Culbertson is director, National Initiatives at Enterprise Community Partners.   This is sponsored content.

As the largest greenspace along the BeltLine, Westside Park is a critical component of the larger BeltLine vision. By Rob Brawner, Executive Director of Atlanta BeltLine Partnership The opening of Westside Park – the largest jewel on the BeltLine Emerald Necklace – has generated much excitement and is the result of years of hard work by many people and organizations. It reinforces that great places don’t occur by chance but result from dedicated collaboration between city government, philanthropy, non-profits, and residents. Key takeaways from Westside Park provide a roadmap for Atlanta to succeed in delivering the parks envisioned around the BeltLine and throughout the city as proposed in the ActivateATL master plan. Financial commitment from the public sector is a critical catalyst to create new parks. The City of Atlanta invested more than $450 million across three mayoral administrations to purchase land for Westside Park, create the stunning 2.4-billion-gallon reservoir at its center, and fund initial park design and development. This resulted from extensive collaboration between the Department of Watershed Management and the Department of Parks and Recreation (DPR) to meet both greenspace and water management goals – an approach also used successfully at Historic Fourth Ward Park and Rodney Cook Sr. Park. We must continue to find innovative ways to maximize public funding for our parks, which will inspire philanthropic investment. Philanthropic partners are essential to deliver high quality parks for people. At Westside Park, The Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation investment enabled full development of the upper level, enhanced drainage so the fields can withstand heavy use, and provided much needed pavilions, restrooms, and trail connectivity. With the first phase of the park open, The Atlanta BeltLine Partnership continues to raise funds to expand and enhance Westside Park, including The Coca-Cola Foundation’s gift earlier this year. Additional BeltLine greenspaces will be delivered in a similar fashion. Our parks must reflect input from robust community engagement to ensure they meet residents’ needs. Westside Park benefitted from extensive community input during Atlanta BeltLine Inc.’s development of the first comprehensive master plan for Westside Park in 2009. Once funding was secured for Westside Park, DPR formed a community advisory committee and hosted multiple public meetings to update the master plan, resulting in many of the features desired by the community. We can improve outcomes for nearby residents by continuing to seek their input on the economic, housing, and transportation impacts of new parks like Westside Park and then working collectively to address those impacts. Finally, we need more dedicated resources to maintain our parks. In conjunction with the development of Westside Park, The Arthur M. Blank Foundation commissioned a study to benchmark Atlanta’s park system against peer cities and recommend ways to grow public funding and collaboration. This is critically important, as 24% of City of Atlanta residents report that park facilities are not well maintained (double the national average), Atlanta’s ParkScore ranking recently slipped from 40th to 49th, and philanthropic partners and taxpayers will invest more in parks if the city can maintain them. The Atlanta BeltLine Partnership is part of the “Green Cabinet” that is prepared to work with the next mayor on solutions to our maintenance challenges. Atlanta will succeed in establishing world class greenspaces like Westside Park along the Atlanta BeltLine and throughout the city if we can continue to work together to combine public and private investment, community engagement, and a commitment to maintenance. We encourage you to listen to the plans mayoral candidates shared for improving parks at the Mayoral Forum on Greenspace.    

Average U.S. credit scores climb to 695 according to Experian’s State of Credit report and new HOPE Financial Wellness Index As we end the second summer since the arrival of COVID-19, Experian® today announced key findings from its 12th annual State of Credit report. This year’s report also serves as a launch for Operation HOPE’s all-new HOPE Financial Wellness Index, which will help shine a consistent light on the current state of consumer credit. Despite a challenging year and a half, the new data shows consumers are managing credit well with average credit scores climbing seven points since 2020 to 695 – the highest point in more than 13 years. “While consumers on average are managing their credit histories well, we know there are many communities in critical need of more financial education and resources” Tweet this According to Experian’s report, many consumers were managing credit well before the pandemic’s arrival and the accommodations afforded by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act may have helped consumers protect their financial health. At the same time, stay-at-home orders and record savings levels1 may have contributed to lower unsecured and total debt levels, lower credit utilization rates and fewer missed payments. This year, Experian is partnering with Operation HOPE – the nation’s largest nonprofit dedicated to improving financial literacy – to launch the HOPE Financial Wellness Index, which highlights the average credit score in every state and city. According to the index, consumers in Minnesota have the highest credit scores with an average of 726, followed by Vermont (719), New Hampshire (718), Washington (717) and Massachusetts (716). States with the lowest credit scores were found in the south, including Mississippi (666), Louisiana (669), Alabama (672), Oklahoma (672) and Texas (673). The HOPE Financial Wellness Index will be updated regularly and will be used to develop programming and identify communities most in need of financial education and resources. “We believe credit education plays an important role in driving financial inclusion and helping consumers reach their fullest potential,” said Alex Lintner, President Experian Consumer Information Services. “While these findings are positive, we recognize they do not tell the full story and many consumers face financial obstacles due to a limited credit history. We are committed to working with consumers, as well as our partners like Operation HOPE, to improve financial equity and access.” Given the unique circumstances of 2020, this year’s report compared credit trends over the last three years. While consumers took on more mortgage and auto debt, score improvements were supported by fewer missed payments, lower credit utilization rates and reduced card balances and total debt levels year-over-year and prior to the pandemic’s arrival. Highlights of Experian’s State of Credit report include: 2021 State of Credit Report 2019 2020 2021 Average VantageScore® 2 682 688 695 Median VantageScore 687 697 707 Average number of credit cards 3.0 3.0 3.0 Average credit card balance $6,494 $5,897 $5,525 Average revolving utilization rate 30% 26% 25% Average number of retail credit cards 2.50 2.42 2.33 Average retail credit card balance $1,930 $2,044 $1,887 Average nonmortgage debt $25,057 $25,483 $25,112 Average mortgage debt $210,263 $215,655 $229,242 Average auto loan or lease debt $19,034 $19,462 $20,505 Average 30–59 days past due delinquency rates 3.8% 2.4% 2.3% Average 60–89 days past due delinquency rates 1.9% 1.3% 1.0% Average 90–180 days past due delinquency rates 6.6% 3.8% 2.5% “While consumers on average are managing their credit histories well, we know there are many communities in critical need of more financial education and resources,” said John Hope Bryant, Operation HOPE founder and CEO. “By helping people raise their credit scores, we are empowering them to take advantage of one of our nation’s most democratic tools. From housing and employment to healthcare and education, credit worthiness can be leveraged to improve our overall quality of life. We’re committed to using the HOPE Financial Wellness Index as a force for good in the communities we serve.” Understanding generational differences State of Credit also spotlights how each generation is managing their debts, showing scores have improved for every generation year-over-year. This trend is attributed to declining utilization rates and fewer missed payments. Credit utilization rates have declined for nearly every generation since 2019 except Gen Z who saw a slight uptick year-over-year. Similarly, credit card balances decreased for consumers of all age groups except Gen Z who increased their balances by $115 year-over-year. Across the board, consumers are missing fewer payments, with notable improvements seen among the youngest consumers. Gen Z decreased their 90 – 180 days past due delinquency rate by 29 percent year over year to 1.73 in 2021. This is a 72 percent decrease from the same period in 2019. Millennials also decreased their 90 – 180 days past due delinquency rates to 1.73 percent in 2021, down from 4.4% in 2021 and 10.6 percent in 2019. Additional 2021 generational findings from Experian’s State of Credit report include: 2021 findings by generation Gen Z Gen Y Gen X Boomers Silent Average VantageScore® 660 667 685 724 730 Median VantageScore 674 678 699 755 741 Average number of credit cards 1.7 2.7 3.3 3.4 2.7 Average credit card balance $2,312 $4,569 $7,236 $6,230 $3,821 Average revolving utilization rate 31% 30% 30% 21% 13% Average number of retail credit cards 1.6 2.1 2.5 2.5 2.1 Average retail credit card balance $1,125 $1,819 $2,214 $1,887 $1,329 Average nonmortgage debt $12,524 $28,317 $32,898 $24,136 $11,725 Average mortgage debt $192,276 $255,527 $259,100 $198,203 $163,254 Average 30–59 days past due delinquency rates 2.1% 3.1% 3.0% 1.8% 1.1% Average 60–89 days past due delinquency rates 1.0% 1.3% 1.3% 0.8% 0.5% Average 90–180 days past due delinquency rates 1.7% 3.2% 3.4% 2.0% 1.3% A strong credit history and responsible credit management can help consumers save thousands of dollars over a lifetime. For example, a person with a low credit score may pay close to $3,000 more in interest to purchase a $10,000 used car3 and a person with a subprime credit score may pay $241 more per month or $86,503 more over the life of a 30-year fixed-rate mortgage loan than a person with a score of 760 or above4. …

By Jenelle Williams, Director of Programs, Global Health Action GHA was founded on the belief that the key to improving local and global health is to train, educate, and empower individuals. This core value was put to the test in 2020 as COVID-19 locked down entire communities, exacerbated existing health and safety vulnerabilities, and threatened lives around the world. Through its proven model of listening to needs and then mentoring, coaching, training and providing technical assistance to organizations who are ready to transform their communities, GHA is making a difference at the forefront of the global pandemic. In the midst of travel restrictions and constrained resources, GHA continued working (often virtually!) alongside organizations in Kenya, Uganda, Haiti and beyond. At the request of program alumni, GHA facilitated the development of a COVID-19 response team in Kenya and Uganda to meet immediate nutrition, psychosocial, and safety needs of their neighbors during the pandemic. As a result, innovation at the community level flourished. 2020-2021 proved the value of GHA’s ongoing investment in transformational leadership and local solutions to global health challenges! In 2020, GHA coordinated the development of a groundbreaking COVID-19 Response Team in East Africa. This network formed in response to COVID-19 to immediately implement life-saving programs while also expanding organizational capacity for sustainability to meet future needs in their communities. Now, the network has grown to become the GHA East Africa Network focused on community strengthening and health system strengthening in East Africa. GHA is currently expanding its networks and capacity building programming in the upcoming months! To learn more, partner and support, please visit us at https://globalhealthaction.org/ Since the onset of COVID-19, GHA provided over 700 hours of intensive coaching, mentoring, and training to 13 organizations. Focused on leadership development, organizational development, and program design and implementation, this comprehensive approach to capacity building demonstrated immediate and sustained impact in Kenya and Uganda. Response team members educated communities about COVID-19 prevention, creatively identified local assets to make or source face masks, distributed emergency food packages, engaged with local government for improved COVID-19 response, and much more! Team members credit these successes to the training and technical assistance provided by GHA. There are many stories of the impact of GHA’s programming, here are a few highlighted below: Young Women Creating & Distributing 25,000 Face Masks Grace Adhiambo, director of Women Volunteers for Peace (WOVOP), joined other grassroots organizations in Kenya as part of the COVID-19 Response Team in April 2020 after learning about this unique opportunity to receive mentorship, training and technical assistance from GHA. WOVOP began making face masks with materials donated by community members and then distributed them for free to children, the elderly, people living with disabilities, and small- and micro-enterprise businesswomen. WOVOP distributed over 25,000 face masks in the midst of the first waves of COVID-19 and has now expanded their programming to address the needs of girls returning back to school. Reaching beyond their local community, WOVOP partnered with other response team members to distribute face masks to other communities without access to these life-saving supplies. Grace was recognized by the Chairperson’s Special Envoy on Youth of the African Union Commission for her innovative work during COVID-19. Feeding Over 1,000 Families in Soweto Slums The Soweto Youth Initiative (SYI), established by young people in the Soweto slums on the outskirts of Nairobi to nurture and empower the community, had never received external funding in the 20 years prior to connecting to GHA. However, using the skills learned in GHA training and coaching sessions, Bonface Kangonga, co-founder and program manager, and the SYI team restructured their organizational, volunteer management and fundraising plans. As a result, they organized a successful emergency fund at the start of COVID-19. The fund surpassed the initial goal and raised enough money to sustain more than 1,000 vulnerable families with food for 6 months. Simultaneously, SYI raised funds and launched a 1.5 year-long feeding program which is currently feeding 800 kids a hot meal twice a week. Bonface was presented Youth Agenda’s Top 35 Under 35 Award for Youth Excellence. Delivering Emergency Food to Children in Dandora Slums With a population of approximately 40,000, the Gitare Marigo community is located near a dumpsite within the Dandora slums of eastern Nairobi. With few income opportunities during COVID-19, large families live in shanties and often eat only one meal every three days. Due to the devastating hunger, children will eat anything, including dangerous and harmful foods from the dumpsite. Daniel Steven Rateng, project coordinator at Ugenya Youth and Community Development Project (UYCDP), credits GHA for inspiring him to mobilize funding to provide food parcels and face masks to over 2,000 individuals in 500 households in Gitare Marigo. Sparked by a GHA training, Daniel engaged his community and restarted the grassroots organization, UYCDP. Using skills learned from GHA, UYCDP has been formally approved as a local NGO, mobilized funds to launch the food project in Gitare Marigo, and kick-started another project providing psychosocial support to women and children impacted by the pandemic. “With GHA, I was inspired to start again! Thank you, GHA!” Daniel Steven Rateng, UYCDP Meeting Critical Healthcare Needs in Rural Kenya Impact Healthcare International (IHI) is a faith-based local health facility currently operating in Nakuru County, Kenya, covering an area of 296 square miles with a population of 269,722 people. The only health care facility in the area, IHI provides comprehensive primary healthcare services to 72,000 people annually. After participating in an in-person GHA leadership, management and governance training, IHI’s board and leadership committed to transforming the organization. Since then, IHI’s management team participated in monthly one-on-one coaching sessions as well as the COVID-19 response team group sessions. Using the skills learned from GHA, IHI adopted organizational policies, developed both a budget and an annual work plan, and upgraded from a community-based organization to a registered non-governmental organization. As a result, IHI has now opened an Impact Healthcare Annex to extend health services to the Solai community further north in the Rift …

By Aixa Pascual COVID-19 has put the economy on a roller coaster ride. In the early days of the pandemic, unemployment rolls soared as businesses shed jobs. In April 2020, a record 20.5 million Americans lost their jobs, with unemployment reaching a mind-blowing 14.8%. The economy has recovered over the past year, but labor markets are still in flux. Even with a record 10 million jobs open nationwide and unemployment at 5.2%,  according to the latest Bureau of Labor Statistics data, there seems to be an imbalance in the supply and demand sides of the labor equation. In the afterglow of Labor Day, and with an estimated 7.5 million workers across the country expected to lose enhanced pandemic unemployment benefits as of Sept. 6, read on for  a look at the current state of the labor market in Georgia and metro Atlanta.   This is sponsored content.

On July 1, 2021 the Supreme Court handed down its decision in a highly anticipated voting rights case, Brnovich v. Democratic National Committee, on appeal from the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit. The case arrived at the Court as a result of past litigation filed by the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and certain affiliates challenging the validity of two provisions in the State of Arizona’s voting framework under Section 2 of the Voting Rights Act of 1965 (VRA). While VRA Section 2 cases have previously come before the Court for consideration in matters involving redistricting challenges and vote-dilution claims, Brnovich represents the Court’s attempt at answering the important question of how to answer a Section 2 challenge to state laws governing the time, place and manner of an election. As summarized below, the impact of the Court’s ruling will have a profound effect on how courts interpret VRA Section 2 challenges going forward, and the ability of plaintiffs to challenge facially-neutral state election laws based purely upon allegations of disparate impact on certain groups of voters. The first election regulation under review in the Brnovich case requires that Arizona state residents who live in counties using an electoral precinct system vote in their assigned registration precinct if they choose to vote in person on Election Day. The second state regulation under review in the case makes it a felony for anyone other than an election official, postal worker, or designated caregiver, family, or household member to collect another voter’s early ballot prior to or after completion. In the underlying litigation associated with the case, the DNC and its affiliates challenged both regulations as in violation of VRA Section 2 under the theory that they caused a purported “adverse and disparate effect” on Arizona’s American Indian, Hispanic, and African-American voters. The District Court in the case rejected these claims, as did a divided panel of the Ninth Circuit. Those findings were reversed, however, in an en banc decision by the Ninth Circuit, which was subsequently appealed to the Supreme Court. Following review and oral argument earlier this spring, a 6-3 majority of the Supreme Court reversed the en banc decision of the Ninth Circuit and upheld the legality of both Arizona regulations. In its decision, the Court held that neither regulation violated the VRA’s requirement that the voting process be “equally open” to all voters based upon a review of the challenged regulations under the totality of circumstances required by Section 2. Justice Samuel Alito, writing for the majority, noted that Brnovich was a case of first impression as it relates to the Court analysis of state laws governing the time, place, and manner of voting under VRA Section 2. While the Court refused to announce a formal rubric for analyzing Section 2 challenges to time, place, and manner voting rules going forward, the majority did compile a list of guideposts by which to conduct the mandated totality of circumstances analysis. Factors identified by the Court for this analysis included: the size of the burden imposed by a challenged voting rule; the degree to which a voting rule departs from what was standard practice when Section 2 was last amended by Congress in 1982; the size of any disparities in a rule’s impact on members of different racial or ethnic groups; the opportunities provided by a state’s entire system of voting; and the strength of a state’s interests served by a challenged voting rule. Since Arizona’s system generally makes it easy to vote (through a combination of early voting, permanent no-excuse mail voting, and vote centers), and because Arizona has a “strong and entirely legitimate state interest in preventing election fraud,” the Court found that the challenged regulations did not burden voters in a manner that kept the state’s voting process from being equally open to all. According to the majority, both requiring Election Day voters to cast their ballots at their assigned precincts, and requiring voters to cast their own paper ballots or use statutorily authorized proxies for such activities, were examples of “the usual burdens of voting.” The Court also rejected the DNC’s argument that Arizona’s second regulation was racially-motivated, finding no evidence that the legislature’s restriction on early ballot collection was “imbued with racial motives”. Writing for the dissent, Justice Elena Kagan argued that the majority interpreted Section 2 of the VRA too narrowly, and created a set of extra-textual factors by which to apply the totality of circumstances analysis mandated by the statute. Rejecting this approach, the dissent noted that following a Supreme Court decision in 1980 requiring a showing of discriminatory purpose to support a Section 2 claim, Congress amended the law in 1982 to “make clear that ‘results’ alone” could establish a violation of the VRA. The majority, however, took issue with this analysis, highlighting Justice Kagan’s focus on adopting a disparate-impact standard for legality under Section 2 and placing a least-restrictive means requirement on the facially-neutral regulation of voting by state legislatures. Given the substantial number of states that have enacted new voting legislation in the wake of the 2020 election and the assortment of legal challenges pending across the country regarding these nascent laws, the legal standards announced in the Brnovich decision will undoubtedly have a huge impact on the implementation and interpretation of state election law in many jurisdictions leading up to the 2022 midterm elections. Much remains to be seen in the wake of this consequential decision, but at the very least the Court’s opinion signals that neutral time, place, and manner rules governing voting will likely withstand Section 2 scrutiny provided that a state’s election processes remain equally open to all voters. The Court’s ruling also likely strengthens the viability of efforts around the country to implement and strengthen state laws restricting third-party ballot collection, sometimes referred to as “ballot harvesting” activities. Looking ahead to the important 2022 election cycle, Dentons Political Law team will continue to monitor key election litigation, legislation and policy developments nationwide and provide updates as appropriate.   This is sponsored content.

After a hiatus, the Westside Future Fund is back to supporting thought leadership in the SaportaReport on Atlanta’s Historic Westside.   As the leader of WFF, I am grounded and inspired by WFF’s vision statement, to “help develop a community Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would be proud to call home.”  Much of Dr. King’s life was lived and shaped on the Historic Westside: he attended The Booker T. Washington High School in the historic Ashview Heights neighborhood.  He then attended Morehouse College, practically across the street in the AUC Neighborhood.  In 1965, after he and his wife Coretta returned to Atlanta, they purchased a home in Historic Vine City, 234 Sunset Avenue, NW, that is now owned by the U.S. Park Service as part of the Martin Luther King, Jr. National Historical Park.   In reflecting on WFF vision statement, I imagine Dr. King would be proud if we preserved and renovated iconic buildings that were part of his home community, and the civic and academic institutions that nurtured and supported the community, as well as so many national and international African American leaders. The October 1, 2021 Transform Westside Summit lifted up one such structure and institution: Fountain Hall and Morris Brown College.  Built in 1882, Fountain Hall is one of Atlanta’s most historic structures and in 1972 declared a National Historic Landmark.   Morris Brown College is the only institution of higher learning in Georgia organized for and by African Americans. Dr. R. Candy Tate, Founder & CEO Culture Centers International; Coordinator ATL MLK Main Street, led a panel discussion that included Dr. Kevin E. James, President, Morris Brown College.  You can watch the rich panel discussion and supporting videos by clicking here.  During the panel discussion, we learned the exciting news of a recent grant award from the National Park Service to start the restoration of Fountain Hall, but more funds are needed to complete the renovation.   Dr. James discussed the “hard reset” of Morris Brown College, importantly the award of “accreditation candidacy.”  This means that Morris Brown College can apply to the US Department of Education to participate in financial aid programs and Title IV funding, which it lost in 2002. Dr. James shared Morris Brown College has applied and hopes for positive news very soon!  Over the last few years, Dr. James has already announced some exciting partnerships, including a $30 million investment by CGI Merchant Group to covert some existing facilities into a 150-key upscale hotel and hospitality management training complex and a $500,000 gift from the Chick-fil-A Foundation to train student leaders. Morris Brown College is about a ½ mile from 234 Sunset Avenue.  I imagine if Dr. King were to walk from his home and witness a thriving Morris Brown College and restored Fountain Hall, he would be proud!  We have many miles to go but the leaders on our panel discussion today are determined to complete the journey and would welcome your support! This is sponsored content.   Photo by Kelly Jordan

*The success story below was provided by United Way of Greater Atlanta partner agency Housing Plus. “Myself and my kids are so grateful to you all. You really reached out to us when we needed it the most.” – Emergency Housing Assistance Program funding recipient Jallow Hadijjatou Like so many City of Atlanta residents, Jallow Hadijjatou lost her job at the start of pandemic. A single mother and immigrant, the stress of caring for her family without a job quickly set in. According to the US Census Bureau, there are approximately 13.6 million single parents in the U.S., raising 22.4 million children. And eighty percent of those single parents are moms like Jallow. The strain the pandemic has put on single mothers is heartbreaking. According to the University of Oregon study Home Alone: The Pandemic Is Overloading Single-parent Families, researchers note the impact of COVID-19 is more distressing for single parent families than other types of households.  While unemployed, Jallow, like most parents during the pandemic, became an at-home teacher’s assistant, helping her children navigate remote learning. When school was done for the day, she tried to keep them busy – all while dealing with the worry of affording rent and utilities. As lockdown stretched on, Jallow continued to search high and low for a job, but rent payments were a continuous struggle and were piling up. According to the Federal Reserve of Atlanta’s one-year study of the pandemic, more than 60 thousand evictions were filed. That number has now grown. After hearing about rental assistance programs, Jallow decided to shift her focus on the short term. Through the Emergency Housing Assistance Program and United Way of Greater Atlanta’s partner, Housing Plus, Jallow connected to a case manager who listened to her experiences and provided personalized care and rental assistance. Jallow and her children were able to stay in their apartment, and focus on school in a stable home environment.  United Way of Greater Atlanta and the City of Atlanta recently announced that the Emergency Housing Assistance Program re-opened October 4th to distribute an additional $12M in Department of Treasury funding received through the United States Treasury.  The current Emergency Housing Assistance Program – totaling $15.2M in federal funds – is on track to distribute the entire amount by mid-October. Since August 2020, through both the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (“CARES Act”) and the US Treasury, the Emergency Rental Assistance program has helped more than 7,800 individuals and families affected by the COVID-19 pandemic stay in their homes. “According to the NY Times, about 89 percent of rental assistance funds have not been distributed nationally,” says Milton J. Little, Jr. President and CEO of United Way of Greater Atlanta. “We’re proud to say that we are on track to spend the full amount of previous  American Rescue Plan Act dollars. Now, with the additional funding, we hope to help an additional 2,000 families.”  Since August 2020, United Way of Greater Atlanta has partnered with the City of Atlanta, Curry Davis Consulting Group, and agency partners on the Emergency Housing Assistance Program. Having a roof over your head and having a stable place to call home is foundational to United Way of Greater Atlanta’s Child Well-Being mission. Families that have been evicted or face eviction deal with a number of factors including keeping children in school, maintaining stable employment and protecting their health. According to Bloomberg News, “Evictions touch households beyond just those who receive an order to vacate. People who get evicted from their homes tend to double up, moving in with friends or family, or going to shelters. These outcomes make for more crowded households, increasing the points of contact between a home and the outside world, and creating more exposure opportunity for someone who hasn’t gotten the vaccine.” That’s why United Way of Greater Atlanta joined the City of Atlanta to help get federal funding out as quickly as possible to people most in need through the Atlanta COVID-19 Emergency Housing Assistance Program. City of Atlanta residential renters who have experienced a loss of income because of COVID-19 will be able to receive assistance with the payment of their past due rent, utility and/or security deposit assistance dating back to March 13, 2020 with an average payment of $3,000 per household.  Due to new federal guidelines, mortgage assistance is not available. Individuals and families impacted and in need of support will have multiple access points to apply for assistance in both English and Spanish. To apply for assistance and view eligibility requirements and FAQs, options include: -Access the client application by visiting www.unitedwayatlanta.org or by clicking here. -Visit http://211online.unitedwayatlanta.org/  -Call 2-1-1 to speak with a live 2-1-1 Community Connection Specialist Hours are limited from 8:00 am to 7:00 pm, Monday through Friday. Due to high call volumes, the above listed options are preferred. For more information, visit www.unitedwayatlanta.org.   This is sponsored content.

A team of six Emory computer science students are helping to usher in a new era in artificial intelligence. They’ve developed a chatbot capable of making logical inferences that aims to hold deeper, more nuanced conversations with humans than have previously been possible. They’ve christened their chatbot “Emora,” because it sounds like a feminine version of “Emory” and is similar to a Hebrew word for an eloquent sage. The team is now refining their new approach to conversational AI — a logic-based framework for dialogue management that can be scaled to conduct real-life conversations. Their longer-term goal is to use Emora to assist first-year college students, helping them to navigate a new way of life, deal with day-to-day issues and guide them to proper human contacts and other resources when needed. Eventually, they hope to further refine their chatbot — developed during the era of COVID-19 with the philosophy “Emora cares for you” — to assist people dealing with social isolation and other issues, including anxiety and depression. The Emory team is headed by graduate students Sarah Finch and James Finch, along with faculty advisor Jinho Choi, associate professor in the Department of Computer Sciences. The team also includes graduate student Han He and undergraduates Sophy Huang, Daniil Huryn and Mack Hutsell. All the students are members of Choi’s Natural Language Processing Research Laboratory. “We’re taking advantage of established technology while introducing a new approach in how we combine and execute dialogue management so a computer can make logical inferences while conversing with a human,” Sarah Finch says. “We believe that Emora represents a groundbreaking moment for conversational artificial intelligence,” Choi adds. “The experience that users have with our chatbot will be largely different than chatbots based on traditional, state-machine approaches to AI.” Last year, Choi and Sarah and James Finch headed a team of 14 Emory students that took first place in Amazon’s Alexa Prize Socialbot Grand Challenge, winning $500,000 for their Emora chatbot. The annual Alexa Prize challenges university students to make breakthroughs in the design of chatbots, also known as socialbots — software apps that simplify interactions between humans and computers by allowing them to talk with one another. This year, they developed a completely new version of Emora with the new team of six students. They made the bold decision to start from scratch, instead of building on the state-machine platform they developed in 2020 for Emora. “We realized there was an upper limit to how far we could push the quality of the system we developed last year,” Sarah Finch says. “We wanted to do something much more advanced, with the potential to transform the field of artificial intelligence.” They based the current Emora on three types of frameworks to advance core natural language processing technology, computational symbolic structures and probabilistic reasoning for dialogue management. They worked around the clock, making it into the Alexa Prize finals in June. They did not complete most of the new system, however, until just a few days before they had to submit Emora to the judges for the final round of the competition. That gave the team no time to make finishing touches to the new system, work out the bugs, and flesh out the range of topics that it could deeply engage in with a human. While they did not win this year’s Alexa Prize, the strategy led them to develop a system that holds more potential to open new doors of possibilities for AI. In the run-up to the finals, users of Amazon’s virtual assistant, known as Alexa, volunteered to test out the competing chatbots, which were not identified by their names or universities. A chatbot’s success was gauged by user ratings. “The competition is extremely valuable because it gave us access to a high volume of people talking to our bot from all over the world,” James Finch says. “When we wanted to try something new, we didn’t have to wait long to see whether it worked. We immediately got this deluge of feedback so that we could make any needed adjustments. One of the biggest things we learned is that what people really want to talk about is their personal experiences. ” Sarah and James Finch, who married in 2019, are the ultimate computer power couple. They met at age 13 in a math class in their hometown of Grand Blanc, Michigan. They were dating by high school, bonding over a shared love of computer programming. As undergraduates at Michigan State University, they worked together on a joint passion for programming computers to speak more naturally with humans. “If we can create more flexible and robust dialogue capability in machines,” Sarah Finch explains, “a more natural, conversational interface could replace pointing, clicking and hours of learning a new software interface. Everyone would be on a more equal footing because using technology would become easier.” She hopes to pursue a career in enhancing computer dialogue capabilities with private industry after receiving her PhD.  James Finch is most passionate about the intellectual aspects of solving problems and is leaning towards a career in academia after receiving his PhD. The Alexa Prize deadlines required the couple to work many 60-hour-plus weeks on developing Emora’s framework, but they didn’t consider it a grind. “I’ve enjoyed every day,” James Finch says. “Doing this kind of dialogue research is our dream and we’re living it. We are making something new that will hopefully be useful to the world.” They chose to come to Emory for graduate school because of Choi, an expert in natural language processing, and Eugene Agichtein, professor in the Department of Computer Science and an expert in information retrieval. Emora was designed not just to answer questions, but as a “social companion.” A caring chatbot was an essential requirement for Choi. At the end of every team meeting, he asks one member to say something about how the others have inspired them. “When someone sees a bright side in us, and shares it with others, everyone sees that …

There is a workforce crisis. It is a national issue and also one in Georgia. This issue started before the pandemic and has become more amplified over the past 18 months. It has become increasingly difficult to recruit people to careers in early childhood education. Before and during the pandemic, educators report that the primary issue driving them away from the field is lack of support, resources, and compensation—issues that have only deepened in the context of the pandemic. Early childhood education is a labor-intensive field and providing high-quality early childhood education is not – nor should it be – a cheap endeavor.  There are many reasons for this shortage. Parents deciding to stay home post pandemic, workers not making enough money to maintain a low wage job and still take care of their children. Bottom Line: hard-working families shouldn’t need to spend their whole income on child care, and child care workers deserve a living wage. Congress is currently considering several proposals including the American Families Plan (AFP) which, if passed, would help ensure early childhood educators receive a livable wage. This could secure that families can afford child care and start their child’s education right with high-quality pre-K. The Frazer Center saw very clearly that we had to get ahead of this situation in order to survive and provide the critical services we offer to our community. We are in support of the AFP but could not wait for it to pass. The Frazer Center’s teaching staff was understaffed by 30% and had reduced enrollment in the Children’s Program. Therefore, we committed to making this investment and raising our wages to $15/per hour. This change was implemented on September 6, 2021.  Many employers are responding by increasing their starting wage to $15/hour. When faced with working a difficult and challenging job at Frazer Center for $12/hour, or stocking shelves at Walmart for $15/hour, some are understandably choosing the latter. Businesses like ours rely on entry level workers to fill the gap in early education and services for adults with disabilities. It’s not just Walmart and Target that are raising wages to $15/hour. It is other disability providers and early childhood programs. For those who feel called to this profession as a career, they can now stay in the field and earn $15/hour or more.  We are fortunate that we have been able to increase wages for The Frazer Center Staff. We hope more early education and adult disability service organizations will take the same steps. We provide critical services to the most vulnerable of our community, the youngest and the oldest. Now is the time to build a system that works, and to join with us and our partner, GEEARS: Georgia Early Education Alliance for Ready Students in raising our voices to support our workforce. Take action now in support of significant, sustained federal funding for child care to be passed through the budget reconciliation package.  Paige McKay Kubik CEO The Frazer Center The Frazer Center fosters inclusive communities where children and adults, with and without disabilities, gather, learn, and flourish. We offer a high-quality early education program and our adult program provides individualized programming to individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. For more information, visit https://www.frazercenter.org and https://geears.org.   This is sponsored content.