AHA: Breaking the Cycle

The Atlanta Housing Authority continues to lead in creating healthy mixed-income communities.  Its next step in deconcentrating poverty is the Quality Of Life Initiative, an opportunity for more than five thousand families living in detrimental conditions to escape concentrated poverty.  Renee Glover, president of the atlanta housing authority, explains.

 

"What we're today is looking at the whole question of can we provide the affordability without concentrating families in these bad situations.  What we saw happening to the families was terrible.  We saw families rather than being in a situation where they could get on their feet and move on to accomplish their version of the American Dream they were literally caught for generation after generation."

 

Responsible relocation coordinated with Atlanta Public Schools and other stakeholders will provide families with tools to make informed choices about AHA high-rise communities, private mixed-income rental communities or Housing Choice vouchers.

 

"If the families were thriving, this whole relocation challenge wouldn't be such a big issue.  How do we work with the families to integrate them into the mainstream?  How do you get your utilities turned on, how do you connect to the school system, how do you connect with the social service environment?  How do you do things to be successful?"

 

Intensive human service case management will support families pre and post relocation, promote successful transition to new communities, increase self-sufficiency and assist in achieving personal goals.

 

"Changing the policy is all about raising the standards but also raising the expectations."