K-12 Education Melissa Johnson Reports Improved Adult Education Support Critical to Georgia’s Bottom Line August 6, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia’s economic well-being is threatened by the high numbers of adults without a high school diploma or a General Equivalency Development credential (GED®). Nearly 866,000 Georgians ages 18 to 64 do not have a high school diploma or GED. Georgia’s adult education programs served only about 60,600 adults in 2014. Georgia’s leaders recognize that its […] Read more » Economic Security Education Melissa Johnson Safety Net
Blog Wesley Tharpe Pro-Work Tax Credits Give Georgia Fathers a Hand June 19, 2015 / January 16, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Countless Georgians will celebrate the role that fathers play in their families this Sunday, on Father’s Day. They’ll reflect on all the hard-work, sacrifice, trials, tribulations and joy found along the path to successful fatherhood. It’s highly unlikely many families will talk much about their tax bills, but given something that’s going on in Congress […] Read more » Economic Security EITC Safety Net State Taxes Wesley Tharpe
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Rising Child Poverty Places More Demand on Summer Feeding Programs June 17, 2015 / January 16, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on Rising Child Poverty Places More Demand on Summer Feeding Programs Georgia summer nutrition programs served about 18,000 more children in July 2014 than in July 2013. That’s the good news. The bad news is that these programs still served less than one in six needy children in 2014, according to a recent report by the Food Research and Action Center. Georgia’s summer nutrition programs still […] Read more » Economic Security Melissa Johnson Safety Net
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Summer Brings Child Hunger Challenges May 26, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson It’s that time of year again. The school year is ending and Georgia children are leaving classrooms for summer break. For more than 1 million Georgia children who qualify for free- or reduced-price lunches, summer break also brings anxiety. Fewer than one in seven Georgia children who rely on subsidized school lunches receive free summer […] Read more » Economic Security Melissa Johnson Safety Net
Blog Wesley Tharpe Georgia Moms Earn It May 7, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe Working moms are the bedrock of so many Georgia families. Between raising kids, contributing to their communities and holding down one or more jobs, moms put in a lot more than a full day’s work. That’s one of the many reasons we’ll especially celebrate them this Sunday, on Mother’s Day. It’s also why the federal […] Read more » Economic Security Safety Net State Taxes Wesley Tharpe
Wesley Tharpe Worker Justice Low Pay Holds Georgia Back April 29, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Wesley Tharpe | 3 Comments on Low Pay Holds Georgia Back As published in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution April 29, 2015 Kills jobs. Bad for business. Hurts the economy. Minimum wage detractors have pushed those arguments for decades and they’re common parlance among some legislators and lobbyists. But those claims are no truer than they were 50 years ago and ignore the economic potential higher wages could […] Read more » Atlanta Journal-Constitution Economic Security Op-Ed Safety Net Wesley Tharpe
Author Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Georgia’s 2016 Human Services Budget Reflects GBPI Influence April 21, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson Georgia lawmakers took steps in the just-ended legislative session to improve the lives of some of the state’s most vulnerable people. Lawmakers allotted $900,000 more in the 2016 state budget to help Georgians with disabilities prepare for jobs and added more than $25 million to better protect children. Also significant is something left undone. Lawmakers […] Read more » Economic Security Melissa Johnson Safety Net
Blog Cash and Safety Net Increasing Access to Child Care Helps Georgia’s Women, State Economy March 23, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by GBPI Admin Guest blogger Kelly Dolan is executive director of the Atlanta Women’s Foundation At the Atlanta Women’s Foundation, we know that advocacy is one of the most effective ways to combat the sort of interrelated root causes of social problems and systemic factors that are detailed in our Breaking the Cycle of Generational Poverty in Metro […] Read more » Economic Security Melissa Johnson Safety Net
Blog Cash and Safety Net Melissa Johnson Threats to Child Care Affordability Undermine Georgia’s Workforce March 5, 2015 / January 17, 2020 by Melissa Johnson An income tax shift proposal released last week proposes to eliminate Georgia’s credit for child and dependent care, the state’s second largest income tax credit. Many low-income parents trying to raise young children in Georgia struggle to afford the high cost of quality child care even under today’s tax rules. A new Georgia Budget and Policy […] Read more » child care Economic Security Safety Net
Blog Melissa Johnson Remembering Broad Vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. January 15, 2015 / January 15, 2020 by Melissa Johnson | 1 Comment on Remembering Broad Vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Watching the critically-acclaimed film, “Selma,” last weekend provided a stark reminder of how much progress this country has made toward fulfilling the vision of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement. It was also a reminder of how far we have yet to go, especially in the state of King’s birth. An […] Read more » economic mobility economic opportunity Economic Security Melissa Johnson Safety Net
