Georgia nonprofit: New labor numbers show Georgia is benefitting

Georgia nonprofit: New labor numbers show Georgia is benefitting

In The News

Georgia nonprofit: New labor numbers show Georgia is benefitting

New data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics found that total nonfarm payrolls nationwide increased by 372,000 jobs in June, a higher-than-expected increase. At the same time, the national unemployment rate remained at 3.6%.

A Georgia nonprofit says the real story is found at the state level, as many workers are opting to leave many states for places like the Peach State.

“The job numbers are seen as positive overall, but the real story is at the state level where economically free states are performing so much better than more restrictive states,” Erik Randolph, the director of research for the Georgia Center for Opportunity, said in a statement.

 

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate remained at 3.6%

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate remained at 3.6%

UNEMPLOYMENT CASH

the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate remained at 3.6%

Key Points

  • Total nonfarm payrolls for the U.S. rose by 372,000
  • Unemployment rate remained at 3.6%.

On Friday, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported that total nonfarm payrolls for the U.S. rose by 372,000 in June and the unemployment rate remained at 3.6%. The increase was higher than expected.
The Georgia Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) take: “The job numbers are seen as positive overall, but the real story is at the state level where economically free states are performing so much better than more restrictive states,” said Erik Randolph, GCO’s director of research. “Of the 14 states that have recovered all their jobs lost due to the COVID-19 pandemic, 12 of them are governed by leaders more friendly to economic freedom. Recent migration data show that businesses and workers are leaving more restrictive states — like California and New York — to migrate to more free states, like Georgia, Texas, Florida, and Tennessee. These states are far better positioned to weather an economic recession as well.”
GA unemployment 3%
Georgia nonprofit: New labor numbers show Georgia is benefitting

Gwinnett Coalition celebrates work of Gwinnett Cares effort during COVID-19 pandemic

In The News

Gwinnett Coalition celebrates work of Gwinnett Cares effort during COVID-19 pandemic

Gwinnett community leaders recently came together to mark the accomplishments of the Gwinnett Cares effort during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meanwhile, more than 10,000 people facing eviction and homelessness have been helped by HomeFirst Gwinnett and its partners, and $75 million has been spent to help more than 21,000 residents who faced the possibility of their utilities being disconnected. HomeFirst Gwinnett Director Matt Elder also highlighted the construction of 117 new affordable housing units. The Georgia Center for Opportunity’s Better Work Gwinnett program also worked to addressed unemployment, which spiked to about 15% during the pandemic but was eventually reduced to about 2.1%.

What freedom and liberty mean through the eyes of the poor

What freedom and liberty mean through the eyes of the poor

What freedom and liberty mean through the eyes of the poor

Key Points

  • Economic challenges are a key factor that hinder family, education and mental health.
  • The highest inflation rate in four decades is pinching low-income and impoverished households.
  • It will take community-sized efforts to help expand freedom and liberty’s opportunities to the poorest among us.

We just celebrated Independence Day in the United States., a time to reflect on the blessings of freedom and liberty that we enjoy as citizens of this great nation. In the words of Lee Greenwald, “I’m proud to be an American, where at least I know I’m free.”

But even as we give thanks for all that America has to offer, we can’t forget that so many of our neighbors are struggling. Those struggles extend to every area of life — whether it’s a breakdown in relationships, mental health challenges, lack of access to education, or distrust of major institutions — but let’s focus on the area that oftentimes leads to these struggles, economic challenges.

The poor are hurting

The highest inflation rate in four decades is pinching low-income and impoverished households, as the price for essentials like groceries, gas, and rent go through the roof. Meanwhile, wages, while improving, are struggling to keep up with these spiking costs.

Given this reality, what do freedom and liberty in the U.S. mean through the eyes of the poor? At its core, those things mean the opportunity for a better life, both for themselves and for their children. But the steps to achieve that better life don’t come in isolation. And the only solution is not more government intervention. The social safety-net is important, but habitual reliance on it leads to cycles of dependence, not long-term flourishing.

So what do our neighbors who are struggling most need in this environment? A hand up, not a hand out — one that comes when communities come together for good.

 

The Success Sequence is about opening the path to opportunity for everyone.

The Success Sequence is about opening the path to opportunity for everyone.

Opportunity is knocking

We live in a unique time economically: While many households are struggling to survive, the demand for workers in the labor market is at an unprecedented level. “Help wanted” signs are everywhere. In this environment, we have a rare window of opportunity because the Georgia business community is desperately looking for qualified workers.

Matching these non-workers with the skills and opportunities they need to thrive is our goal here at the Georgia Center for Opportunity, specifically through our BETTER WORK programs in Gwinnett County and Columbus.

To flourish, people need a great job with a clear path of upward mobility. They need a job that pays a living wage and one that gives dignity and meaning. BETTER WORK offers a pathway to achieve this goal through the cooperation of local businesses, nonprofit service providers, staffing agencies, churches, and other community organizations. 

Through BETTER WORK, those who are struggling get the life-stabilizing help they need — food for their pantry, or help with housing assistance so they have a pantry to begin with — while receiving job training plus assistance. They also are linked with a mentor as the job search continues.

It takes a community

One of the more depressing statistics in 2022 America is how low our view of institutions remains — whether it’s government, business, or similar examples. But that is where “homegrown” institutions can step in, on the ground in our communities where we actually live out our lives. Where trust and authenticity already exists.

That requires you and I to step up to help the less fortunate around us. These are the values born out of freedom and liberty and these are the traits that make the United States the great nation that it is.

 

Why one woman turned down a $70K job due to the benefits cliffs

Why one woman turned down a $70K job due to the benefits cliffs

Frankie and Luisa

Why one woman turned down a $70K job due to the benefits cliffs

Key Points

  • Frankie made an unexpected choice when she turned down a $70,000 a year job opportunity while living in hotel housing.
  • Oftentimes people on safety net services make rational choices to stay on these services because the system would punish them before they have a firm place to land.
  • Frankie,  in a place of crisis, was unwilling to gamble with a stable choice despite a potentially great job opportunity.
  • Our safety net services must be reworked to address these “cliffs” and rebuilt to encourage and support the move into the workforce.

The thought of someone turning down a well-paying job to stay on welfare seems absurd. But that’s the exact scenario Frankie Johnson faced. It’s a real world example of the way benefit cliffs hurt people. Thankfully, Frankie found the BETTER WORK program and is on a new path to success.

 

An unexpected journey in life

Frankie Johnson, a Washington, D.C. native, grew up in a middle-class neighborhood and spent time serving her community. Through her community service work, she connected with many individuals who were victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, job loss, and poverty. By the time she’d reached her teens, Frankie knew she found fulfillment in working alongside others to improve their lives. 

At age 14, Frankie became pregnant with her first child, Evelyn. She gave birth just before her 15th birthday. She went on to get an internship through Job Corps, then earn her high school diploma. After graduation, she attended California College of the Arts in San Francisco, where she planned to study photography and 3D installation. 

But leaving Evelyn in Maryland with her parents while she studied in California proved to be too difficult a separation for Frankie. She moved to New York instead, which allowed her to see her daughter more often. 

At age 18, Frankie married a member of the military who was six years her senior. His deployments and resulting war-related trauma proved to be difficult on the family and the couple’s marriage. For the next six years, they lived in Texas and the Midwest before returning to Maryland. Steadily, the situation with Frankie’s husband deteriorated. 

 

It’s time to stop funding poverty.

And start finding solutions.

It’s time to stop funding poverty. And start finding solutions.

High aspirations, hidden pain

Despite the trouble at home, Frankie was a high achiever, building a career in human resources and working for firms such as Monumental Sports and the Nick Cannon Foundation. She worked as a high-end event planner, where she regularly brushed elbows with celebrities and influencers. 

When the family returned to Maryland, Frankie found herself heading up events for women who were victims of domestic violence. Meanwhile, at home, she was living in an abusive environment herself. 

“At home, I never knew what was going to become of my peace or if he was going to get triggered,” Frankie says. “I was serving in the community as a social worker. I put on events for women, took them on yacht parties, and tried to boost their self-esteem. No one knew I was suffering so much.”

Finally, the situation in Frankie’s home came to a head, and she fled to Atlanta with her children. Her uncle lived in the city, and she planned to make a fresh start there. 

But that fresh start didn’t come quickly or easily. 

 

Seeking safety in Atlanta

Without a job or a place to live, Frankie was forced to seek out government assistance and transitional housing in Gwinnett County for her family. 

“This was my first time being on the opposite side of transitional housing and understanding what the women who would talk to me [in the past] were going through,” she says. “It was strange to see the scarce resources, and to see women locked out of their hotels because the projects or community partners ran out of funding.” 

Transitional housing in hotels and apartments can cost women $500 or more per week, and according to Frankie, the living conditions are unsafe and unsanitary. Worse, residents got a chilly reception from their case workers when they raised concerns. 

“The water makes your skin itchy, and there are roaches coming up out of the sink and the drains,” Frankie says. “We were told we needed to boil our water to use it. It comes [out of the faucets] brown, and we had brown rashes on our bodies.”

While Frankie’s family was living in transitional housing, she experienced relentless prejudice, racism, and ridicule. 

“I had people come to my hotel, and ask me if I was a prostitute because my daughter said we were living in a hotel at school,” she says. “Someone from [the Department of Family and Children Services] came to my apartment and asked if I left my children [alone] at nighttime. He asked me if I was a stripper.” 

 

Forced to choose between assistance and higher income

While Frankie was waiting for available childcare and a pathway to affordable housing, she was forced to turn down a job placement that would have paid $70,000 per year. While she needed employment, she also needed the support from the government program. That was her ticket to a home she could afford, but she wouldn’t qualify if she took a new job that raised her income past eligibility requirements. 

“I never thought it would come to this,” she says. “I hadn’t prepared financially; I spent through my savings because I was waiting on childcare.” 

Frankie found herself trapped on what we call the Benefits Cliff — torn between taking steps toward a more secure future, but ultimately forced into making decisions that trapped her into long-term dependence on government benefits. Individuals and families who make over a certain amount of income per year are automatically struck from the list, and are no longer qualified for affordable housing, food support, or other government assistance. 

“They want to see your pay stubs, your bank statements. They want to make sure you’re poor,” Frankie says. “If you have a car, they want to know what kind of car you’re driving and if you have insurance. They want to make sure there’s no possible way you can work a job.”

“If there are no daycare facilities within a 30-mile radius of where you place me in my hotel and I don’t have a car to take my child a city over, I’m not going to be able to get a job,” she added. “Who’s going to watch my child all day?” 

Families in these transitional programs often find themselves stuck paying high bills while they await affordable housing. Frankie was forced to pay more than $2,000 per month for the hotel she and her children stayed in. Financially, staying put made no sense, but Frankie held on in hopes that affordable housing would come through. 

Leaving transitional housing puts parents at risk of losing their children to CPS, particularly if they’re perceived as living out of their vehicle. On the other hand, getting a higher-paying job disqualifies them from further government and charitable support. 

“It’s like a loophole to keep you destitute,” Frankie says. 

 

Dreams for a brighter future 

After three months in transitional housing, Frankie was able to connect with BETTER WORK Gwinnett. Her case worker, Luisa, formed a close connection with her, encouraging her and checking in on her as she prepared for a fresh start. 

“We lost our jobs during the pandemic,” Frankie says, “and that was the time when we needed encouragement and to find our way again — laugh again. Ms. Lusia provided a lot of that. She called me every day just to check on me.”  

After experiencing the frustration, humiliation, and helplessness of transitional housing herself — including witnessing another mother abandon her children when her time at the hotel was up — Frankie wants to help other women in similar circumstances. She hopes to go to law school to provide legal aid to other families who have suffered at the mercy of the system. 

“We need to get them their GEDs and diplomas. Start them off as home health aides, CPAs, LPNs, RNs, physician’s assistants, or doctors,” Frankie says, “But no one’s willing to help. They just want to enable their programs to get money for housing us. After that, you’re out on the street like a dog.”  

As for Frankie, she’s working with Luisa to get back into the human resources field, and considering a move to a more affordable city in south Alabama. 

“I’m not going to sit and wait for anyone to take care of me,” she says. “For the women who don’t have options, I’m going to school to fight for them.”

May CPI set a new recent record for inflation

May CPI set a new recent record for inflation

calculator and graphs

May CPI set a new recent record for inflation

Key Points

  • May the Consumer Price Index (CPI) set new record for inflation
  • Lack of discussion over the price level, which is the new ‘floor’ for prices in the economy
  • Leaving the price level elevated means we are leaving the economically disadvantaged further behind, exacerbating the economic divide in our nation

New record for inflation

Today, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics announced that in May the Consumer Price Index (CPI) rose by 1%, not seasonally adjusted. Year over year, the CPI has gone up 8.6% in the last 12 months. The May CPI exceeded expectations and set a new recent record for inflation.

The Georgia Center for Opportunity’s (GCO) take: “We now know that the early statements from the Biden Administration and the Federal Reserve that this inflation is transitory was an incorrect assessment. It looks a lot more like it’s becoming embedded into the economy,” said Erik Randolph, GCO’s director of research. “What’s both remarkable and troubling is the lack of discussion over the price level, which is the new ‘floor’ for prices in the economy. The only discussion is about bringing the inflation rate back down. This means that the federal policymakers are willing to leave the price level elevated. Leaving the price level elevated means we are leaving the economically disadvantaged further behind, exacerbating the economic divide in our nation.”