Issues

Like many large cities in the United States, Atlanta’s minority population is becoming the majority population. And, like many other large cities, Atlanta is faced with many issues.

 Homelessness

Homelessness is a large concern in the city. A staggering 11,000 homeless people can be found on the streets of Atlanta on any given night. In 1995, 40,000 people suffered a homeless experience. While the population of homeless people varies by gender, age, ethnicity, and educational and family background, the number of homeless women and children is growing; additionally, the majority of people without homes are black males.

Looking at the demographics of the city, 67% of the population is made up of ethnic minorities. Over 78% of the homeless served in Atlanta are ethnic minorities. 

There are many groups within Atlanta that assist homeless people, including government agencies, non-profit agencies, and faith-based groups. Nineteen of these agencies were surveyed.  These are their findings:

Source: Hale, Joshua T. An Introduction to the Faith-based Community's Response to Homelessness in Atlanta. http://uts.cc.utexas.edu/~jthale/homeless.htm.

While the state of Georgia has authority over housing issues, it delegates these powers to the county. Fulton County manages some shelters, Dekalb County doesn’t manage any, and Atlanta is not allowed to because it’s a city. So, what assistance is out there for the homeless in Atlanta? Groups such as the Atlanta Community Food Bank, Travelers Aid, and the Task Force for the Homeless are three large groups in Atlanta offering support to the homeless in the city.

Poverty

Poverty is another issue in Atlanta. One in four single mothers lives in poverty. According the United States Census Bureau, women without a high school diploma make an average of $17,000 a year for full-time work, which is about $500 below the poverty level for a single parent with three children. Approximately 13% of the United States population lived in poverty in 2000. The demographics show 21.3% of families and 24.4% of individuals living below poverty level in Atlanta. 

Many families receive Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, or other types of aid. According the United States Census Bureau, 27% of unmarried black mothers with children younger than 18 receive federal cash assistance, compared with 15% of unmarried white mothers with children in the same age range.

Quality Public Education
Quality education for children is always a concern for parents, educators, and communities. Since the adoption of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001, school districts across the nation have made changes to improve the quality of education that students received. Atlanta Public School students made significant gains on the Nation’s Report Card compared to their peers in other districts.

The average reading scores for eighth graders in the Atlanta Public Schools climbed significantly when compared with the nation, Georgia, and their urban peer group on the Nation's Report Card.

Report card results also show that eighth graders in Atlanta bucked national reading trends, which declined significantly between 2002 and 2003. Improving from a score of 236 in 2002 to 240 in 2003, Atlanta's eighth graders made impressive gains unmatched by their peer districts.

At grade four there was a more modest increase; students scored 195 in 2002 compared to 197 in 2003.

Atlanta's scores increased while Georgia's average scores remained unchanged.

Atlanta Public Schools (APS) was one of six big-city districts volunteering to participate in the trial urban National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). From the initial trial in 2002, Atlanta is one of the first districts to show progress in reading at grades four and eight.

The national scores are further evidence of Atlanta's upward trend in reading.

Last Updated On 04/30/2004