NEWS & OPINIONS
Atlanta has $29.8 million in public safety funding for 2025. Here’s why it matters.
Atlanta’s City Council has adopted its budget for 2025, and it has devoted public safety funding to a few best practices that are good news for crime-weary residents.
9 Benefits of Work for Teens and Young Adults
Our review of the research uncovered nine benefits of work that help young people develop the foundations for success in every area of life.
Everything to Know About Education Savings Accounts (ESAs) in Georgia
Education plays a powerful role in breaking the cycle of poverty and helping children lead healthy, flourishing lives. Education savings accounts in Georgia are a solution to help more of Georgia’s kids get the benefits of a quality education.
BETTER WORK and Jobs for Life: Giving Georgians a Path to Find Purpose and Possibility in Work
Our BETTER WORK initiative is unique because we help people move from crisis situations and into a mindset and support system that empowers them to pursue long-term employment. How do we do it? A partnership with Jobs for Life.
Georgia Passes Promise Scholarships and Expands Education Opportunity
On April 23, 2024, Governor Brian Kemp signed SB 233, the Georgia Promise Scholarship Act, into law. This education savings account program—the first of its kind in Georgia—will allow eligible students to receive $6,500 state-funded scholarships that they can use to access the education option that best fits their needs.
Safer Kentucky Act: Six Crime Reforms Included and How They Help
The Safer Kentucky Act (House Bill 5) is a package of crime-related bills, including six GCO-recommended solutions for restoring community safety and better opportunities close to home, especially in impoverished neighborhoods that tend to bear the brunt of increasing violence.
Promise Scholarships Cross Major Hurdle
On March 14, 2024, the Georgia House passed SB233, The Georgia Promise Scholarship Act. This bill is an important first step in extending an education lifeline to the over half-a-million kids stuck in failing public schools.
Why Georgia Policies Matter
Georgia is a battleground state and the policies it enacts can have a huge impact on those living in poverty. We discuss why policy matters in Georgia and what we can expect in 2024.
A Better Safety Net in Georgia: Mapping the One Door Policy (House Bill 738) Would Be a Big Step Forward
Legislation pending in the Georgia Legislature, House Bill 738, would create a task force to explore how Georgia could use Utah’s One Door policy to build a safety net system that helps more people find meaningful work and pathways out of poverty.
SB 233: Georgia Promise Scholarships Would Help Thousands of Students. Why Did Some Districts Vote Against It?
If we truly want all of Georgia’s students to obtain a quality education that prepares them for a meaningful career and a stable life, parents need more options. Promise Scholarships are an incredible opportunity, but making them available to Georgia families depends on support from a few districts.
The Marriage Penalty: A Barrier to Relational Support and Better Opportunities for the Poor
Strong relationships are a cornerstone of vibrant communities, and research has shown that marriage is one key type of relationship for empowering individuals, regardless of race or circumstance, to escape poverty and find stability and opportunity. But a current tax policy is making it difficult for communities in Georgia and beyond to reap the benefits of marriage.
Understanding How Benefits Cliffs Impact Those In Poverty
We discuss the issue of Benefits Cliffs and what we are doing on this important issue for anyone on welfare or safety net services.
MEDIA MENTIONS
Point: When Violent Crime Was at Its Worst, Congressional Action Helped – DC Journal – InsideSources
For an alternate viewpoint, see “Counterpoint: The 1994 Crime Bill’s Legacy — Thirty Years of Failure.” By the early 1990s, the United States had experienced dramatic and unprecedented surges in crime, with the violent crime rate up 470 percent from 1961 and the...
Report: Welfare a barrier to economic mobility for low-income workers
At a campaign stop in North Carolina last month, Vice President Kamala Harris suggested that efforts to combat price gouging are needed to help poor and middle-class households. But a new research report shows that government transfer benefits are contributing to the...
New Crime Fighting Proposals in CA – Josh Crawford Guest on Conway and Larson
Leland Conway meets with Josh Crawford to discuss real solutions for combatting crime in California. Listen to the full interview
“DOING RIGHT BY KIDS” BOOK EVENT TOMORROW
One of my colleagues Josh Crawford, contributed to a book titled “Doing Right by Kids: Leveraging Social Capital and Innovation to Increase Opportunity.“ The book will be released next week, but tomorrow the American Enterprise Institute (AEI) will host what they’re...
San Francisco Should Try Punishing Criminals, Not Businesses
Josh Crawford, Director of Criminal Justice Initiatives at Georgia Center for Opportunity, recently appeared on Ave Maria in the Afternoon to discuss one of the nation's most challenging public-safety environments: San Francisco’s Tenderloin District. Crawford shared...
San Francisco Should Try Punishing Criminals, Not Businesses
A new city ordinance mandating nightly business closures in the Tenderloin both fails to address the real problem and hampers economic opportunity. San Francisco’s Tenderloin District is one of the most difficult public-safety environments in the country. Long derided...
Josh Crawford Joins the John Butler Show
In this engaging interview, Josh Crawford, a respected criminal justice specialist, shares his insights on pressing issues related to public safety, crime trends, and effective law enforcement strategies. Hosted by John Butler, the conversation delves into the...
Report: Safety-net programs discourage career advancement
While safety-net programs such as Medicaid and food stamps support those in need, they "discourage career advancement," according to new research from the Georgia Center for Opportunity. The group's "Workforce Engagement: A Missing Link in Understanding Income...
