BETTER Work Network is Growing in Columbus

BETTER Work Network is Growing in Columbus

by | Dec 1, 2021

BETTER Work Network is Growing in Columbus

A Network of Partners is Growing in Columbus

Columbus, Georgia has over 11,000 citizens identifying as unemployed, but the number of available jobs is over 6,000.  What’s the problem? Why are so many people not working?

Kristin Barker serves as the program manager for BETTER WORK Columbus, and provides insight as to why there’s limited job access in the area.

Through growing partnerships in Columbus, the BETTER WORK Network will meet the needs of people where it will have the most impact – in their neighborhoods. One of our partners, Jobs for Life, will utilize their sites to help address the underlying issues creating unemployment.

We know that satisfying work has the ability to restore dignity, build communities, and reduce crime.

We are excited to see so many people working together for the good of helping people.

 

The BETTER WORK Network will meet the needs of people where it will have the most impact – in their neighborhoods.

#GivingTuesday 2021

#GivingTuesday 2021

by | Nov 29, 2021

#GivingTuesday 2021

Giving Opportunity

The days following Thanksgiving have become jam packed with advertisements for all the product sales happening after the holiday. The volume of advertisements often becomes overwhelming and obnoxious. 

As we reflect on all we have accomplished this year—and what  still needs to be accomplished—we’re asking you to persevere through the barrage of ads and think about tomorrow. #GivingTuesday is globally recognized every year on the Tuesday after Thanksgiving—this year November 30th. The purpose of the day is to inspire people to give to the causes and organizations they care about.  

We’ve set a goal for $150,000, and we need your help. 

We see this day as an opportunity to help more of our neighbors and to share the impact of our work. Through your tax-deductible gift, we have been able to expand opportunities in local communities and help children and families access the education options not previously available to them. We have built onto our BETTER WORK model helping connect the chronically un- and under-employed with the resources they need to get back to work. And we have partnered with community schools, churches, and organizations providing the tools families need to build healthy foundations, allowing them to withstand the stressors of life. 

#GivingTuesday isn’t just about the dollars you donate. It’s about transforming lives. It’s about helping REAL people, and giving opportunity for success when there was no hope of a better life to be found. YOU can make the difference. Please, don’t wait until tomorrow to give. Give the gift of opportunity right now.

Give a gift today.

Additional Ways You Can Support The Georgia Center For Opportunity:

 

AmazonSmile

Find out how you can give to GCO while shopping this holiday season. It’s easy, fast, and fun!

Steps to set up AmazonSmile »

 

Kroger Community Rewards

Connect your Kroger Rewards card with the Kroger Community Rewards Program.  If you have a card, you can connect it to Georgia Center for Opportunity by going to the community rewards and searching for PF157.

Connect your card today! »

 

Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner Expected To Hurt Those In Need

Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner Expected To Hurt Those In Need

by | Nov 22, 2021

Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner Expected To Hurt Those In Need

turkey

The Farm Bureau Released A Report That The Cost of Thanksgiving Dinner Was Going Up Significantly.

 What is happening
  • Many people are gathering for the first time in nearly 2 years for Thanksgiving.
  • A recent Farm Bureau report shows the impact of Inflation and other factors that are leading to a 14% increase in the cost of Thanksgiving dinner.
  • GCO’s work in our community is shedding a light on the impact higher prices is having on many communities and social support efforts.
Why it matters
  • The hardest hit will be those already facing food insecurity.
  • Inflation impacts those already living in the margins far more than it hurts many of the decision-makers
  • Family is a vital component to a flourishing life and can be undermined by creating a financial burden for family gatherings.

My family and I are headed home to the mid-west this Thanksgiving to see my extended family and 95-year-old mother. The pandemic kept us away from each other, and my children are really looking forward to catching up with mom and their cousins. We have a lot to be thankful for and I am extremely grateful for my parents and siblings and the love we have for each other.  Family matters so much and the Eckstein’s are blessed in abundance. 

I note a Farm Bureau report this week that estimates the cost of that Thanksgiving dinner to again be on the rise—up 14% from last year. Of course, last year we were in the heart of the pandemic and we hadn’t yet felt the supply chain crush brought on by lockdowns and the employment market. As a result, demand and prices were low. 

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.

Given our families blessings, we don’t feel the impact of these swings as much as some of the people we work with at GCO. We work in coalitions with partners focusing on food security, housing, and mental health. We bring our expertise in employment, education, and family relationships to make those within the partnership more effective, allowing them to have greater impact. We see a lot of families that would be impacted by even a small increase in price. It can seem hard sometimes for those blessed like us to believe that the Farm Bureau’s estimate of just under $6 for a group of 10 to eat that Thanksgiving dinner is unaffordable to some. But we can assure you that is the case. Inflation impacts the poor disproportionately and we are witnessing its devastating impacts on families daily.

Our prayer for those families—and for you and your family— is that this holiday will be a time of peace, an opportunity to be grateful for all families big and small and the communities they live in.

Why Recidivism Rates are Dropping

Why Recidivism Rates are Dropping

by | Oct 14, 2021

Why Recidivism Rates are Dropping

In Georgia there has been a reduction in the rate of ex-offenders returning to prison. In the most recent report from the Georgia Department of Corrections, 25.3 percent of those released from all facilities (private, state, inmate boot camps, county, transition centers) in state FY 2018 were reconvicted for a felony after three years. That number dropped from 27.7 percent previously.  In the last few years, the growing number of ex-offenders returning to a life in prison has become a more widely recognized issue among policymakers and organizations. We believe the percentage is slowly dropping due to the Second Chance program, and organizations like GCO working to help ex-offenders find stable employment, and the elimination of policy barriers that keep this population from working. 

Even so, recidivism rates are still too high. Each number—each piece of data—is a person seeking direction and purpose to succeed and be self-sustaining. Not to mention, in a time when federal spending is high and inflation is growing, recidivism is a very costly issue for taxpayers. 

It’s a common misconception government assistance programs fill the gap for this population as they reenter society. The key to mitigating the usage of assistance programs and aid in breaking the cycle of poverty and crime for many is stable employment. This might sound elementary at first, but as we move deeper into this idea you’ll see it is common sense.  

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.

 

  1. Jobs provide financial support

We all have bills to pay. A job provides a paycheck. However, let’s not get lost in the dollar signs. A job is more than a paycheck, too. A job is long-term financial security. Having a job allows people to plan for the future and set new life goals, essentially helping to define a person’s purpose. In a 2000 study by Christopher Uggen titled “Work as a Turning Point in the Life Course of Criminals: A Duration Model of Age, Employment, and Recidivism,” he found those over the age of 27 with a job were less likely to return to criminal activity. 

  1. Jobs provide purpose

Plain and simple, we all have the inherent need to be needed. Work allows each one of us to use our talents and gifts for positive impact. Fulfilling work allows us to play a part in a community, whether that is a community of coworkers or the actual community we live in. Every job, no matter how big or how small, has intrinsic value. A job helps us to develop daily structure, meet goals, and take our place within society. It’s not easy to go from being told when to eat and sleep to freedom. Jobs help create boundaries and play a part to keep our daily activities moving forward in a positive direction. 

In 2005, a study called  “Ex-Offender Employment Programs and Recidivism: A Meta-Analysis” found “having a legitimate job lessens the chances of reoffending following release from prison and that recidivism is less likely among those with higher wages and higher quality jobs.”

When people have a sense of purpose, they become more committed, responsible, creative thinkers. They become healthier and more passionate about serving in a way that helps others. 

 

  1. Jobs provide dignity

People generally obtain a large portion of their self-worth from their work. At the end of the day, no matter who we are we want to be treated with respect and equality. These are usually derived from our place of employment.

Without a job people are economically vulnerable to the cost of living and the economy’s fluctuation. Having a job and a sense of self-worth also helps reduce mental health issues among those who have spent time incarcerated. 

“Those who end up in U.S. prisons are perhaps among the lowest skilled adults in society, and have a number of personal problems (health and behavioral) that render many of them difficult to employ.” 

Relationships with coworkers often provide the social structure and friendships needed for people to ease back into society and reduce the feeling of isolation.Through employment former inmates are able to receive the mental health and medical health support needed to integrate back into society in a dignified way. 

 

Wrapping up

GCO has dedicated much of its time and manpower to working with policymakers to reduce the barriers formerly incarcerated people face when looking for employment. To learn more about what we’re doing click here. 

 

 

Nicole’s story: How a raise meant losing food stamp benefits for this mom of four

Nicole’s story: How a raise meant losing food stamp benefits for this mom of four

by | Oct 4, 2021

correctional officer

Nicole’s story: How a raise meant losing food stamp benefits for this mom of four

Nicole had high hopes when she moved her family from a rural area in south Georgia to Henry County in the Atlanta metro. The cost of living went up, but the job opportunities were more plentiful and paid much better: She went from making $25,000 a year to over $35,000 as a corrections officer.

But that’s when Nicole got an unpleasant surprise. Her new salary level meant that her safety-net benefits from the government went entirely away—not reduced, but entirely eliminated. She ended up getting around a $10,000 raise but losing approximately $12,500 in benefits.

“I ended up getting kicked off social services because I made a couple dollars more than the max I could,” Nicole shared.

Nicole is 32 years-old and the single mother of four boys. “I’m the only income. I don’t get child support payments or anything else,” she said.

Losing her benefits—particularly food stamps—was a severe blow, especially during the pandemic. Although she has gotten help from local church-based food banks to help her make ends meet, her situation is still stressful.

To further bridge the gap, Nicole is working as much overtime as possible. But she would need to earn significantly more—to the tune of $25 an hour—in order to fully make up for the benefits she has lost. Even in an economy where wages are quickly rising for many workers, that raise level is a tough haul.

 

What needs to change?

Nicole encountered what we call the “benefit cliff,” where well-intentioned policies actually prevent people from getting off public services. They make just enough to lose their benefits, but not enough to make up for those lost benefits. The result is a system that keeps people trapped in poverty rather than one that propels them toward self-sufficiency and the dignity that comes with it.

While it is wonderful to see how the community has stepped up to help Nicole fill the gaps left from her losing access to food stamps, not everyone is so fortunate.

So, what’s the best pathway forward? Our goals should be to shore up the safety net for those who truly need it, eliminate these benefit cliffs, and create a system that encourages (rather than discourages) people from climbing the economic ladder. Along these lines, here are three possible ways forward:

 

  • The food stamp program could be fully redesigned to eliminate the benefit cliffs.

 

  • Separate pools of funds (from public, private, and charitable resources) could be set up as temporary stop-gap measures to get people like Nicole beyond the cliff.

 

  • Nicole could work with someone who understands the cliffs to help her strategize a career and pay progression to effectively jump over the cliff.

 

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.

#DareToClimb media campaign

This is why the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) recently launched the #DareToClimb media campaign. The campaign is designed to raise awareness and share stories of those trapped in government assistance programs that, while well-intentioned, are structured in a way that often does more harm than good. GCO believes it is important to share the stories of these courageous men and women who have overcome obstacles in their lives to achieve self-sufficiency.

To learn more, follow the #DareToClimb hashtag.

** The $35,000 income limit is based on Nicole’s interview with us. Although our calculations show it will be somewhat higher, the impact and stress she is experiencing will be the same.