GCO welcomes new team members to grow our BETTER WORK initiative
The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) is pleased to welcome two new team members, Mariah Thomas and Angelique Valentine. They will be program specialists for our BETTER WORK initiative. BETTER WORK empowers communities to be the first line of assistance for local...
National Poverty Rate Fails to Capture the Problem of Poverty Concentration in Georgia and Beyond
PEACHTREE CORNERS, GA—The official poverty rate fell 0.4% to 10.6% in 2024, according to the U.S. Census Bureau’s latest report on poverty. The data shows that 35.9 million Americans were living in poverty last year. These numbers suggest trends at a high level, but...
Non-working adults concentrated in Georgia’s distressed communities
Many Georgia counties face high rates of non-working adults, fueling distress and limiting opportunities in struggling communities. See the percentages for your county.
What to know about education in Georgia as students go back to school
As August ushers in a new school year in Georgia, nearly two million students are headed back to our states 2,300 public schools. How are Georgia schools doing when it comes to preparing kids for work and life? Here’s a look at some key measures.
Three issues Georgia parents are most concerned about
A new report on child well-being from Emory University reveals the issues that Georgia parents say are impacting kids—and their futures—most.
Are we witnessing a Baltimore Miracle in the fight against crime?
Baltimore has struggled with crime, especially drugs and violent crime, in both reality and in the imaginations of the American people for decades. That is, until recently. What changed and what can other high-crime cities learn from Baltimore’s approach?
Welfare stands in the way of the American dream
Meaningful relationships and a strong sense of community are as much a part of the American dream as any economic measure. What’s rarely discussed is how systemic obstacles are undermining these important aspects of a flourishing life.
A better way to get welfare recipients back into the labor force
If the One Big Beautiful Bill becomes law, states will quickly discover that their administrative systems are ill-equipped to move recipients from welfare to work. To succeed, states should adopt a more integrated approach.
What Georgia can learn from other states about fixing welfare
Like most states, Georgia’s welfare system is a maze of complex rules and disconnected programs that trap people in a cycle of frustration and dependence. A few states are beginning to rethink how welfare operates and are making changes that could also work in Georgia.
It’s time to eliminate marriage penalties in the U.S. tax code
An important step to eliminate marriage penalties is to take those programs away from the IRS and give them to an agency that knows how to run safety-net programs.
