Eric Cochling

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PEACHTREE CORNERS, GA—The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) offers its full support to the Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 and commends Congressman Tim Walberg, Chair of the House Committee on Education and Workforce, for introducing this significant legislation to reauthorize the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

GCO is a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization that focuses on ensuring access to quality education, fulfilling work, and healthy family lives through research, policy analysis, and community initiatives. We advance solutions that increase opportunity and give Georgia families a durable path out of poverty. We are also a founding member of the Alliance for Opportunity, a multi-state coalition focused on improving state-administered public assistance and workforce programs to help Americans achieve lasting opportunity and stability.

The Stronger Workforce for America Act aligns with our work and includes an invaluable option for state flexibility, the Make America Skilled Again Grants. These grants would allow 10 states to implement the One Door to Work model, which would empower them to integrate their safety net and workforce systems.

Utah has had this authority for nearly 30 years, after being grandfathered into the strategy. This has enabled Utah to provide its citizens with both support to meet their immediate needs and a clearer path into the workforce and toward self-sufficiency.

The results of Utah’s One Door policy are impressive. For example, the state has outpaced the national labor force participation (LFP) rate, or the number of working-age people employed or looking for a job, by an average of 5.3%. As of late 2025, Utah’s LFP rate was approximately 67.6%, one of the highest in the nation.

In contrast, Georgia’s LFP rate is 60.6%. Put another way, nearly 40% of Georgians, many of them prime-age men, who can work are choosing not to.

Eric Cochling, GCO’s Chief Program Officer and General Counsel, emphasized the detrimental impact of these statistics and the critical importance of work for a flourishing life:

“A good job offers more than just a paycheck. It provides purpose and stability and is one of the most durable ways to empower people to break the cycle of poverty.”

He also stressed the need for reform: “If we truly want to expand opportunity in Georgia and across the country, individual workforce and safety net programs must start functioning as a true system—one that’s designed to support human dignity and flourishing. The Stronger Workforce for America Act is a much-needed step in the right direction.”

Georgia policymakers are paying attention to the success of Utah’s integrated welfare and workforce system and are seeking opportunities like the Make America Skilled Again Grants to implement similar reforms that benefit both Georgians and the state economy.

As Buzz Brockway, GCO’s Vice President of Public Policy, said:

“The ability to link workforce and safety net systems is key to boosting Georgia’s current trajectory as a leader in economic opportunity. The Make America Skilled Again Grants included in the Stronger Workforce for America Act would give Georgia’s leaders a powerful way to strengthen families, expand the workforce, and set the state on a path to more rapid growth.”

Randy Hicks, GCO’s President and CEO, added:

“Every state deserves the ability to design an integrated system that enables people to thrive. Right now, every wasted hour navigating disconnected programs is an hour that could have been spent building a better future. This bill ensures that states can rethink the status quo and create pathways to opportunity for every citizen.”

Through the changes it proposes, the Stronger Workforce for America Act of 2026 is poised to make meaningful welfare and workforce reforms possible in Georgia, and GCO strongly urges its enactment.

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Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) is independent, non-partisan, and solutions-focused. Our team is dedicated to creating durable paths out of poverty for families in Georgia and beyond. To achieve our mission, we research ways to help remove barriers to opportunity and promote our solutions to policymakers and the public so that public policy and civil society can effectively and innovatively strengthen family stability, economic mobility, and child opportunity in the communities where lives are lived.

Send media inquiries to:

Rebecca PrimisGeorgia Center for Opportunity
RebeccaP@foropportunity.org

Parental love helps children gain the emotional health, behavioral skills, and academic success that unlocks social mobility.

The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) is honored to welcome Travis Thorne as the Vice President of Family. Travis will lead GCO’s Family Initiative and shape the future vision of its flagship program, Raising Highly Capable Kids (RHCK), which is an in-person, 10-week program designed to equip parents and caregivers with practical tools, honest conversations, and confidence to raise healthy, responsible, and caring kids.

Travis brings more than 20 years of experience in leadership, relationship management, and strategic problem-solving. Alongside his corporate career, he has spent many years serving in ministry, leading family and men’s small groups focused on strengthening households through practical guidance around money, marriage, and legacy. A Georgia native who grew up in Jonesboro, Travis combines professional expertise with a deep personal commitment to families across the state.

Travis was drawn to GCO because of its holistic approach to poverty and opportunity. “At GCO, we understand that poverty, especially generational poverty, is about more than income,” Travis shared. “It’s often about fractured relationships and a loss of hope. Strong families are where a sense of purpose, belonging, and connection begins.” That belief closely aligns with GCO’s mission to advance solutions that expand opportunity and help Georgia families build durable paths out of poverty.

GCO selected Travis to lead the Family Initiative because of his unique ability to bridge strategy and relationships. His experience building trusted partnerships in high-performance environments, combined with years of hands-on ministry and family engagement, positions him to lead family-centered work that is both relational and scalable.

“I’m thrilled to welcome Travis to our team to lead our work in strengthening families,” said Eric Cochling, GCO’s Chief Program Officer and General Counsel. “Travis brings a unique mix of professional experience, drive, and a passion for this work that I am confident will take our family-focused initiatives to the next level and allow us to have a much deeper impact in the communities we serve.”

In his role, Travis will focus on empowering parents as the primary leaders in their children’s lives and strengthening parent-child relationships to drive generational change. This includes enhancing and expanding RHCK. Unlike many parenting programs that focus only on parents, RHCK brings families together in cohorts that build social relationships, trust, and connection, especially in communities connected to Title I schools, which serve high numbers of low-income households.

Looking ahead, Travis envisions RHCK growing through strong partnerships with faith-based organizations, schools, and community leaders. “We listen, we learn, and we build alongside families,” he said. His vision is to see RHCK become a trusted, community-anchored model that meets families where they are and creates a lasting impact across generations.

With Travis’s leadership, GCO is excited to expand the reach and success of its Family Initiative.

Hear from Travis on the vision behind GCO’s Family Initiative:

Georgia news, in the news, current events, Georgia happenings, GA happenings

Eric Cochling in the DC Journal

Originally published February 3, 2026

A full agenda is underway in the 35 states that have just convened their legislative sessions. Affordability is the buzzword heard far and wide, as millions of Americans continue to struggle with the high cost of living. Economic concerns are likely to dominate statehouses in 2026, especially in an election year, with 36 states holding gubernatorial races. The issues debated in the legislative halls will almost certainly spill onto the campaign trails.

Even without the election-year backdrop, state lawmakers will feel pressure from their constituents to do something about rising household costs. Beyond the cost of groceries and lingering inflation, nothing has quite captured the cost-of-living spotlight like the skyrocketing price of housing.

Home ownership, once a staple of the American Dream, is out of reach for many, but especially the poor and younger generations. The average first-time homebuyer is now 40, a striking shift from the 1980s and 1990s, when Americans usually bought their first home in their late 20s or early 30s.

Owning a home is the key to moving up the economic ladder and building wealth, but it also plays an important role in helping people build families and communities. When Americans no longer see homeownership as part of their future, they delay starting families and putting down roots.

Many state and local governments recognize the magnitude of this problem — and, thankfully, have a great deal of control over housing policy through zoning, permitting and land-use rules. State leaders can look to Montana as an example; it recently passed housing reforms that are set to expand supply and reduce prices.

Read full article here

Eric Cochling is chief program officer and general counsel at the Georgia Center for Opportunity.

Georgia Center for Opportunity and Connect to Work GA have partnered to help more job seekers find rewarding work in the Atlanta area.

Key Points

The Georgia Center for Opportunity and Connect to Work GA have entered into a valuable partnership that will link job seekers with rewarding jobs in the Atlanta area.
The Georgia Center for Opportunity’s BETTER WORK program will prepare clients for work, and Connect to Work GA will then introduce them to employers.
This collaboration will help lift job seekers above the poverty line by providing opportunities for successful careers and upward mobility.

The Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) entered into a dynamic partnership with Connect to Work GA in October 2025. Together, the organizations will link participants in GCO’s BETTER WORK program with rewarding jobs in the Atlanta area.

Eric Cochling, GCO’s Chief Program Officer and General Counsel, shared that “GCO is thrilled to partner with Connect to Work GA because it gives our BETTER WORK clients access to the powerful business network of the Metro Atlanta Chamber and the expertise of the Connect to Work team.”

Work is a gateway to a better future, and this collaboration will create a clearer path out of poverty and toward opportunity for many job seekers across Georgia.

Connecting Georgians to work and upward mobility

GCO’s BETTER WORK program joins forces with employers and local organizations in Gwinnett County and in the city of Columbus. Through these strong partnerships, GCO connects people with training and support services that can help them find meaningful work.

Connect to Work GA was launched by the Metro Atlanta Chamber in February 2025, with support from the Arthur M. Blank Family Foundation. The Foundation focuses on increasing access to career pathways for Georgians—and particularly for young people—so they can grow and thrive.

In the spirit of the Foundation’s mission, the Chamber strives to advance economic growth around Atlanta, and Connect to Work GA contributes to that goal by bridging the gap between pre-qualified job candidates and employers who want to build their teams.

In the new relationship between GCO and Connect to Work GA, GCO’s BETTER WORK program will prepare clients for work by providing them with resume support, interview coaching, and job readiness training. Connect to Work GA will then link those individuals with employers by matching their skills with staffing needs.

GCO will be a preferred provider of job candidates from Gwinnett County, giving GCO’s BETTER WORK clients a promising opportunity to find rewarding jobs with Metro Atlanta Chamber member companies.

Collaborating to build hope and vibrant communities through work

GCO and Connect to Work GA share the goal of making sure that every Georgian has the chance to experience the sense of dignity, purpose, and potential that comes from a meaningful job and upward mobility. They also aim to help communities across the state benefit from more successful businesses and vibrant local economies.

Together, the organizations will remove barriers to work and open doors to opportunity. In doing so, they will inspire hope and turn poverty into flourishing for many more Georgians, their families, and their communities.

Georgia news, in the news, current events, Georgia happenings, GA happenings

Eric Cochling in Governing

Originally published November 20, 2025

Starting in 2027, work requirements kick in for certain beneficiaries on Medicaid, while new work rules for the SNAP food assistance program took effect on Nov. 1. These reforms mandated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act reflect a growing effort to make the safety net not only an important source of support but also a pathway to more opportunity and a better life.

The states, however, face significant challenges in implementing these new rules. America’s safety net “system” isn’t really a system at all. It’s a patchwork of more than 80 separate programs, each with its own database, rules, processes and hoops to jump through. These programs rarely coordinate or talk to each other and often feel inhumane to recipients.

For struggling Americans, accessing needed benefits means navigating a bureaucratic maze: Section 8 for housing assistance, SNAP for food support, Medicaid for health care and workforce programs for job training, for example. Each program brings a different caseworker, different eligibility requirements and endless paperwork. Caseworkers can’t see the full picture of what benefits a recipient receives or easily verify whether someone is working.

To implement new work requirements, these state systems must share information and coordinate, something they weren’t designed to do. A handful of states are starting to explore ways to consolidate their programs and integrate workforce development into the safety net. In doing so, they are creating the beginnings of a blueprint for other states to follow.

In June, for example, Louisiana Gov. Jeff Landry signed the One Door to Work Act — the first step in a multiyear effort to align the state’s workforce and social services systems. The process began with a performance audit of key welfare programs that uncovered inefficiencies and a lack of coordination among agencies. Lawmakers then created a task force to recommend improvements, which ultimately led to the passage of One Door, bringing workforce development programs together under one roof while also integrating state SNAP and Medicaid eligibility systems.

With these reforms, Louisiana has made the most significant progress toward streamlining its safety net since Utah pioneered the One Door model in the 1990s, combining safety net and workforce development programs. Utah now boasts the lowest percentage of residents on Medicaid and food stamps, while simultaneously having consistently low unemployment rates.

Read the full article here.

Eric Cochling is chief program officer and general counsel at the Georgia Center for Opportunity.

Higher numbers of non-working adults are concentrated in Georgia communities struggling with poverty and distress.

Lawrenceville, Georgia, launched a unique partnership called ReCAST (Resiliency in Communities After Stress and Trauma) in 2021 to address poverty and expand opportunities in the city.

Because growing vibrant, resilient communities isn’t ever a solo endeavor, ReCAST coordinators connected with local organizations that could meet the needs of underserved residents where it mattered most—in Lawrenceville’s homes and neighborhoods.

ReCAST engages three dynamic partners to meet its goals. Impact46 provides essential housing services to people experiencing financial hardship. View Point Health offers mental and behavioral health assistance. And the Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) helps chronically unemployed or underemployed people prepare for and find rewarding work.

Eric Cochling, GCO’s Chief Program Officer and General Counsel, noted:

“We chose to participate in ReCAST because of the comprehensive approach to addressing community needs envisioned by the initiative. The focus on collaboration among local groups and on helping families develop community relationships reflects GCO’s method of supporting people in need.”

Lawrenceville recently produced a mini-documentary highlighting the third year of ReCAST’s accomplishments. It shows what’s possible when community members unite to open doors to a brighter future for local residents.

Connecting Lawrenceville job seekers with meaningful work

Employment plays a key role in healing communities after stress and trauma. In Gwinnett County, where Lawrenceville is located, GCO’s BETTER WORK program furthers ReCAST’s goals by bringing together local employers, nonprofits, and mentors to help people find fulfilling jobs close to home.

Carolina Pachon, GCO’s BETTER WORK Program Manager in Gwinnett County, explained that the program changes lives by giving people “a sense of hope, stability, and a way forward.”

As part of the BETTER WORK initiative, GCO offers a class called Jobs for Life. The class teaches valuable work skills, but it’s much more than a job training or placement course. It helps participants form the supportive community relationships that can point them in a new direction in life.

During the class, Jobs for Life students learn that meaningful work brings more than just a paycheck. It provides a sense of dignity and purpose that’s essential for human flourishing. A rewarding job also gives workers the confidence and courage to rise out of poverty and build a better future. This resiliency then spreads, revitalizing and strengthening workers’ families and communities as well.

GCO’s programs are particularly impactful in Lawrenceville, where many residents struggle with barriers to opportunity. The city’s poverty rate is 17.2%, well above Gwinnett County’s average rate of 10.5%. The higher poverty rate also correlates with data showing that about 19% of prime-age (25-54) adults in Lawrenceville aren’t currently working.

Sparking change in a young man’s life

Josiah, a young Lawrenceville resident, found Jobs for Life at a point when he most needed his local community to listen and offer support. He was having a hard time finding a sense of purpose in his life.

Carolina described Josiah as shy at first, but during the class, she saw a big transformation in his mindset. Josiah’s self-esteem soared as facilitators and fellow students created a caring community around him. At the end of the program, he gave an inspiring graduation speech emphasizing the significance of the personal connections he’d made. “I’ve come to believe that the purpose of life is to build meaningful relationships with people,” he shared.

Josiah now works in a restaurant and has a passion for cooking. He’s looking for ways to combine this enthusiasm with his desire to serve others. “I’m super excited,” he said.

Josiah offered this valuable advice to others who are struggling: “Let go of uncertainty. If you think you want to do something, do it.”

Making Lawrenceville a true hometown

Communities grow stronger when people invest in the well-being of their neighbors. ReCAST enables Lawrenceville residents to do just that through vital local initiatives.

Support for neighbors who need a hand empowers people like Josiah to take meaningful steps forward, to rise out of poverty, and to help the whole community thrive. The interconnectedness that ReCAST has set in motion makes Lawrenceville a true hometown—a place to belong—for the individuals and families who live there.

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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 they don’t reflect the biggest poverty-related issue, both for the nation and for Georgia: the concentration of poverty in specific neighborhoods. Instead of affecting only certain individuals and families, poverty is enveloping entire communities. This is leading to significant geographic and societal separations among Georgians—not only financially, but also in terms of opportunities for education, work, and family formation.

Randy Hicks, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s President and CEO, also shared that:

“The national numbers don’t tell us much about poverty from the perspective of the person or community experiencing it. They fail to convey that poverty is much more than a material issue for those who are struggling. Research has shown that people living in neighborhoods with high concentrations of poverty lack the essential local network of supportive relationships that’s crucial for helping them thrive and rise out of poverty.”

At a glance: facts on concentrated poverty in Georgia

Georgia’s poverty rate: 13.5%—2.9% above the national average, ranking 38th.
Poverty exceeds the national rate in 133 of Georgia’s 159 counties.
Atlanta’s poverty rate: 18.1% overall; 27.2% among children.
Lawrenceville’s poverty rate: 17.2%, compared with Gwinnett County’s 10.5%.
Southern and central Georgia show especially high concentrations of poverty.

Breaking down Georgia’s poverty landscape

Georgia’s average poverty rate was 13.5% in 2023, per the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, or 2.9% higher than the national rate.

This difference may seem slight, but it puts Georgia 38th in the country when it comes to poverty. Poverty rates in 133 of Georgia’s 159 counties also exceed the national rate.

Within counties, concentrations of poverty exist in particular cities. For example, Atlanta, the county seat of Fulton County, has a poverty rate of 18.1%. Poverty is even more concentrated among the city’s children, with 27.2% living in poverty. These numbers are significantly higher than the county’s average poverty rate of 12.6%.

Lawrenceville, in Gwinnett County, also struggles with concentrated poverty at a rate of 17.2%. The county’s average poverty rate is just 10.5%.

In many cases, poverty rates are higher than the state average in central and southern Georgia, suggesting concentrations of poverty in communities in those regions.

Impacts of increasing concentrations of poverty

In neighborhoods with higher poverty levels, residents experience many negative impacts, including limited access to quality education, healthcare, and employment opportunities. They also struggle with increased crime and inadequate housing and living conditions. These factors significantly hinder social and economic mobility and contribute to cycles of poverty that are difficult to escape.

Eric Cochling, the Georgia Center for Opportunity’s Chief Program Officer and General Counsel, noted:

“Poverty has an especially big impact at the local level. It’s a crisis of human well-being. These neighborhoods are often missing the vital community connections and social institutions that help people navigate life’s challenges. As social isolation and disengagement from work increase, people suffer from the loss of purpose and belonging that work and relationships provide.”

About the Georgia Center for Opportunity

The Georgia Center for Opportunity is a nonprofit organization that works to remove barriers to ensure that every person—no matter their race, past mistakes, or the circumstances of their birth—has access to safe communities, a quality education, fulfilling work, and a healthy family life. Learn more at foropportunity.org.

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Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) is independent, non-partisan, and solutions-focused. Our team is dedicated to creating opportunities for a quality education, fulfilling work, and a healthy family life for all Georgians. To achieve our mission, we research ways to help remove barriers to opportunity in each of these pathways, promote our solutions to policymakers and the public, and help effective and innovative social enterprises deliver results in their communities.

Send media inquiries to:

Camille WalshGeorgia Center for Opportunitycamillew@foropportunity.org

Georgia news, in the news, current events, Georgia happenings, GA happenings

By Randy Hicks and Eric Cochling
Originally published on February 19, 2025, in Governing

Most state legislatures are in session right now. And while AI, education, housing and taxes will dominate headlines, policymakers should not overlook the importance of welfare reform. In particular, they should look for ways to help recipients move out of poverty so they can thrive on their own.

Accomplishing that would go a long way toward getting the costs of welfare under control. Social services programs, including Medicaid, Temporary Assistance for Needy Families and the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, are a primary driver of expanding state budgets. Welfare accounts for 45 percent of states’ direct general expenditures, the largest share of direct state spending.

In addition to the costs, the U.S. safety net system has grown increasingly complex. What started as just a handful of initiatives has evolved into a system of more than 80 programs, each with different goals, eligibility requirements and rules — a maze that is incredibly difficult for a policy wonk to navigate, let alone a recipient.

Costs and complexity are one thing if the system is truly helping people. But welfare does not well serve the low-income and marginalized communities it’s intended to help. While the safety net supports individuals so they can survive on a basic level, it does not move them out of poverty so they can flourish, thrive and reach their true potential. States should consider how to design their safety net systems so that they actually help Americans become permanently self-sufficient — and gain hope and dignity along the way.

Read the full article here.

Randy Hicks is president and CEO and Eric Cochling is chief program officer and general counsel of the Georgia Center for Opportunity.

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Buzz Brockway and Eric Cochling talk about their experience at the Resource Bank Conference.

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Government, particularly at the federal level, can only do so much to help those who are struggling in poverty to lead stable lives. We know instinctively that real change happens at the community level, when individuals, businesses, nonprofits, churches, and schools come together in the joint mission of lifting people out of poverty, giving them purpose, and strengthening the local economy.

That’s the theory behind Georgia Center for Opportunity’s Hiring Well, Doing Good (HWDG) initiative. HWDG brings together individuals seeking jobs with employers who need good workers and nonprofit community organizations who serve those in need.

Here’s the exciting news: Until this point, HWDG was all about one-on-one, face-to-face interaction. As a result, there was a natural limit to the number of people we could reach.

Announcing the HWDG online portal

The great news is that we’re taking the one-on-one interaction that makes HWDG so special and effective and scaling it online. In the coming weeks, we’ll be launching a new online portal website for HWDG as a pilot test in Columbus before scaling to other Georgia cities later in 2020, including South Gwinnett.

Individuals start with the HWDG online assessment tool to identify their barriers. The portal then shepherds them through the process and connects them with wrap-around services to remove their employment barriers and then directly with employers eager to hire.

Employers who participate benefit by getting a steady stream of committed, reliable workers ready to contribute.

“We couldn’t be more excited about the launch of HWDG’s online portal,” said Eric Cochling, Chief Program Officer and General Counsel for GCO who is also heading up HWDG. “This gives us a unique opportunity to reach underserved areas and treat individuals holistically. We know that a well-paying, upwardly mobile job is a key factor in well-being. But the benefits of work extend so far behind that—it provides a sense of purpose and contribution to one’s family and broader community.”

What makes the HWDG portal unique

It would be a mistake to think of the HWDG portal as just another Monster.com or Indeed.com. What makes this portal unique is the fact that it addresses the individual from multiple sides.

We’ve actually vetted and worked with the full spectrum of local resources to ensure that peoples’ barriers are addressed and resolved. We match a specific individual to help for a specific barrier they’ve experienced that’s preventing them from getting a job.

That’s what really excites us. Other services only have one side of the equation—linking an individual with a job. But that’s not treating people like people. The wrap-around services provided by the HWDG portal remove the barriers that make employment difficult.

Eric Cochling

Hear from Travis on the vision behind GCO’s Family Initiative:

Connecting Lawrenceville job seekers with meaningful work

Sparking change in a young man’s life

Making Lawrenceville a true hometown

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Hear from Travis on the vision behind GCO’s Family Initiative:

Key Points

Connecting Georgians to work and upward mobility

Collaborating to build hope and vibrant communities through work

Connecting Lawrenceville job seekers with meaningful work

Sparking change in a young man’s life

Making Lawrenceville a true hometown

Get Buzz’d in Austin, Texas at the Heritage Foundation Resource Bank Conference

Announcing the HWDG online portal

What makes the HWDG portal unique

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