Neighborhood Collaborative - The Atlanta Project¹
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. TAP is part of the activities of Domestic Programs at the Andrew Young School of Policy Studies. 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. Douglas Greenwell is the Director of the Neighborhood Collaborative and The Atlanta Project.

During the 2001 year, the Atlanta Project has been successful in the development of more effective partnerships between the university and the community.

Projects

Neighborhood Collaborative. Douglas Greenwell. This project provided a grant that will allow GSU to continue the community building efforts of The Atlanta Project. ($1,082,741)

Family Friends Program. Department of Health and Human Services Administration on Aging. Family Friends is in its second year with the potential for renewal for one additional year. The goal of the program is to match senior volunteers to families with special needs children, such as disabilities or chronic illnesses. Volunteers help the children as well as the entire family find solutions to the many problems they face. A special connection was made with the Operation PEACE community to match senior residents with area children. ($148,800)

Fatherhood Services Center. This program was made possible through a contract from The Georgia Office of Child Support Enforcement, to TAP, for the benefit of non-custodial parents. It 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. ($150,003)

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 will be the external evaluator to measure the results of the Weed and Seed goals and objectives.

Atlanta Community Access Coalition. TAP 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, Westend Medical Center, Southside Medical Center, Oakhurst Medical Center, St. Joseph Mercy Medical Care, Morehouse School of Medicine, Emory School of Public Health and the Pathways Network. The coalition was successful in securing a grant from the Department of Health and Human Services, Health Resources Services Administration for $1,000,000 for one year. TAP now has a contract for $120,000 to conduct the evaluation and develop the Geographical Information System for the coalition.

Community Outreach and Partnership Center. 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. The Department of Housing and Urban Development. ($150,000)

Community Empowerment Advisory Board. TAP negotiated an 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 501 (c)(3). It has the responsibility to provide advice and direction as well as to recommend approval of proposals for the Atlanta Empowerment Zone.

Employee Focus Groups. The Atlanta Outreach Consortium (AOC), composed of Clark-Atlanta, Emory, Georgia Tech and Georgia State universities, is developing plans to focus on working cooperatively on community outreach in our city. The AOC received a grant from the Annie E. Casey Foundation to address welfare reform in Georgia. TAP conducted focus groups with employers for the conference held in December.

AmeriCorps VISTA (Volunteers in Service to America). TAP continues to sponsor AmeriCorps VISTAs. Four new VISTAs began their yearlong term of service in August. They work with the individual TAP projects, such as Family Friends and Fatherhood, as well as doing research, developing public relations, and developing a web site and other reporting information for TAP.

Data And Policy Analysis. This unit was established by TAP in 1993 through a contract with a professor at Georgia Institute of Technology. Students are contracted to produce vital geographic and statistical data that can be extracted by address throughout TAP's 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.

Community Capacity Building

The Atlanta Project's Community Capacity Building activities are headquartered at City Hall East. The three Neighborhood Offices, located at Crim High School, Dunbar Recreation Center and Providence Missionary Baptist Church, continue to enhance Community Capacity Building, with activities such as the following:

• Hosted two Family Friends Extravaganza's to bring all the senior volunteers and families together for fellowship and a meal. These extravaganza's are bi-monthly and 50-75 people attend each event.
• Sponsored three GSU students in the OCOP Serve and Learn partnership. The students, both undergraduate and graduate, worked with Family Friends, the Fatherhood Services Center and with the development of various forms of public information.
• Provided Legal Education classes to 80 non-custodial parents.
• Facilitated the sharing of information on community service activities by GSU College and Unit representatives.
• Provided a computer lab for training and Group Process Facilitation. A sample of groups who used this lab includes the Center for Black Women's Wellness, the Mayor's Office of Community Technology, the United Way of Metro Atlanta, the City of Atlanta and the Atlanta Outreach Consortium (AOC).

The Atlanta Project hosted Professor James Wall and his class from Whitworth College in Spokane, Washington. The class was touring the United States to learn of racism, poverty and community building programs. The title of the class was Prejudice Across America. Dr. Waller authored a book of the same title in which he referenced The Atlanta Project.