The Issue
The South Atlanta / Lakewood communities currently face a crisis of catastrophic proportions. These connecting neighborhoods encompass a low-income community comprised of 30,000 residents, 85% African American, on 800 acres, in approximately 6,300 apartment units and residential housing.
Located in the heart of poverty, hopelessness, and violence, South Atlanta / Lakewood is surrounded by:
• Gang members who actively recruit young children into lives of violence and drugs
• Poverty and addictions that cause many to live on the streets
• 7,000+ people sleep on the sidewalks in the surrounding Atlanta area
• 1 in 6 families live below the poverty line. On average, family income for the poor has declined 48% since 1967
• 41% of the families involved with foster care system are black, lack legal representation, and often make their first contact with a attorney in the courtroom with no time for preparation.
• Approximately 80% of Atlanta’s metro area inmates come from two primary zip codes: 30315 and 30318 (which includes South Atlanta/Lakewood)
