Lawrenceville organization gets money for coronavirus help | AJC

by Corey Burres | Feb 15, 2021

Lawrenceville organization gets money for coronavirus help | AJC

A Gwinnett County resource to help residents struggling through the coronavirus pandemic just got a boost in funding.

The Lawrenceville Response Center, which opened last April, this month received more than half a million dollars in additional funding, including money from the city and the county…

The response center partners with a number of organizations, including the Lawrenceville Co-Operative Ministry, Georgia Center for Opportunity, Lawrenceville Employment Assistance Program (LEAP), Families First, and the Gwinnett Housing Corporation.

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CBO: $15 minimum wage would lead to 1.4 million lost jobs | THE HIGHLAND COUNTY PRESS

by Corey Burres | Feb 10, 2021

CBO: $15 minimum wage would lead to 1.4 million lost jobs | THE HIGHLAND COUNTY PRESS

A $15 minimum wage would result in 1.4 million jobs lost and disproportionately hurt younger workers and those with less education, a new Congressional Budget Office report says.

President Joe Biden, U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and other Democrats have proposed raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025, more than double the current federal minimum of $7.25 an hour…

The Georgia Center for Opportunity, which advocates for those in poverty through free-market solutions, said the negatives of such a large minimum wage hike outweigh any benefits.

“Workers need immediate help, but doubling the federal minimum wage when Georgia small businesses are closing left and right is not the right answer,” Buzz Brockway, GCO’s director of public policy, said in a statement. “Recent data have shown us that unilateral minimum wage hikes hurt low-income, low-skilled workers the most. What’s needed for low-income Georgia workers is more than a temporary fix: What’s needed is practical training and credentialing to help them ‘upskill’ into better-paying jobs and careers.”

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New federal budget report boosts $15-an-hour minimum wage | GEORGIA RECORDER

by Corey Burres | Feb 9, 2021

New federal budget report boosts $15-an-hour minimum wage | GEORGIA RECORDER

The nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office in a report Monday found a gradual increase to a $15 federal minimum wage by 2025 would reduce poverty, add $54 billion to the deficit over a decade and increase pay for millions of low-income workers.

The report could help Democrats make a strong case for including a gradual federal minimum wage increase in the $1.9 trillion relief package put forth by the Biden administration…

“Workers need immediate help, but doubling the federal minimum wage when Georgia small businesses are closing left and right is not the right answer,” said Buzz Brockway, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s director of public policy and a former Republican state lawmaker from Gwinnett County.

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Broadband expansion gives Gov. Kemp rural toehold | 11ALIVE

by Corey Burres | Feb 9, 2021

Broadband expansion gives Gov. Kemp rural toehold | 11ALIVE

Internet access in rural areas has been a problem for years – the pandemic only magnified the challenges. The issue could make or break Kemp’s re-election next year…

“It’s tied directly into economic development,” said former state Rep. Buzz Brockway, who now leads the Georgia Center for Opportunity. “That could be a real economic boon to rural Georgia in years to come. But a lot of that is predicated on having good internet access.”

For Gov. Kemp, it’s also about giving back to a constituency that helped elect him. Though Democrats won statewide races last year, the map still shows Republican red prevailing in rural Georgia. Putting high speed internet in rural Georgia is good business. For Kemp, it’s also good re-election politics.

“His strategy for winning (in 2018) was to do really well in rural Georgia, and he did,” Brockway said. “That provided the margin for him. And he’s going to have to rely on that again.”

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The importance of the African American family in our history

by Corey Burres | Feb 1, 2021

The importance of the African American family in our history

A focus on the contributions of the African American family

As we head into February, we at the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) are proud to celebrate Black History Month and the experience of the African American community. In particular, we plan to take this month to celebrate and promote the African American family and how it has positively shaped our nation as a whole.

We believe that all communities can learn from each other. The strength and generational bond that is particularly strong within the African American family is something that should be applauded and modeled for others. African American families have had to face so much in our nation’s history—from slavery to legally sanctioned discrimination—yet there are so many stories of the triumphs and stories of these strong relationships. They inspire us all.

So this month we will feature blogs and commentary around family and the strength of the African American community. Expect to see features on Marriage Week (Feb. 7-14), the foundational principles that define family, creating an extended family for foster children, and fundamentals for a healthy marriage. These universal principles will help shape our understanding of what it means when we say “better relationships”.

The Success Sequence provides an outline of how to reverse the cycle of poverty in our communities. GCO uses this as a framework for much of our work.

Family makes us stronger

We are all stronger when we have the support base of a family that will stand by us throughout hardships. We know that the support structure and relationships formed out of strong family bonds lead to success throughout life. It is why we provide training and support to further family development in our communities. Healthy relationships and strong family bonds are a key part of the Success Sequence, a process that helps people avoid poverty and leads to meaningful work, finances, and relational lives. In short, it leads to a vibrant and thriving life.

We value the importance of listening and learning from the experiences of others. That is why throughout February we will be highlighting the strength and values of the African American family from the perspective of those in the African American community. GCO staff members will share their experiences and we will draw on the experiences of those we serve—all of this with the purpose of applauding the marriage, family, and diversity of experience