(BPRW) DESPITE SOME IMPROVEMENTS SINCE 2019, RACIAL DISPARITIES AND INEQUITIES PERSIST IN ATLANTA | Press Releases

(BPRW) DESPITE SOME IMPROVEMENTS SINCE 2019, RACIAL DISPARITIES AND INEQUITIES PERSIST IN ATLANTA

The Annie E. Casey Foundation’s 2024 Changing the Odds report shows that Black residents lack access to the opportunities needed to fully contribute to and benefit from Atlanta’s growing economy.

(Black PR wire) ATLANTA – Black Atlanta residents – including young people – still face persistent barriers in their communities, in their schools, and in their access to economic opportunities. That’s according to the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s new report, Changing the Odds.: Comprehensive solutions for Atlanta’s future. Since 2015, the Changing the Odds report series has tracked neighborhood, education, and economic data by race to assess disparities and highlight solutions for policymakers, businesses, and community leaders . Despite improvements in some areas since the last report in 2019, Atlantans still face persistent racial disparities. The authors say leaders must prioritize equitable redevelopment and address persistent housing and wealth inequities to prevent residents of color from being displaced and fully benefit from Atlanta’s continued growth.

“Instead of simply calling out disparities, Changing the Odds highlights promising policies, programs and practices that address barriers to opportunity,” said Tomi Hiers, vice president of the Center for Civic Sites and Community Change. from the Annie E. Casey Foundation. “Working together, we see that these solutions produce the best results for Atlanta residents.”

The Casey Foundation has tracked Atlanta’s economic growth and racial disparities over the past decade. This year’s report follows seismic changes brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic and protests for racial justice. It tracks previous and new data indicators to examine racial disparities over the past decade and their implications for Atlantans.

Although progress has been made, disparities continue to hinder the ability of too many Atlantans to lead quality lives. Crippling housing costs, long-standing savings and income disparities, and lack of access to financing and banking pose significant barriers for Black families, who are more likely to lack access three months of savings to make ends meet than white residents.

Key takeaways from this year’s report include:

• Atlanta Public Schools (APS) has seen remarkable progress in high school graduation rates, with an all-time high of 87% in 2023 and narrowing gaps for Black and Latino students.
• Black students have far less access to advanced placements and other advanced courses that would prepare them for college courses.
• Affordable housing in the city remains scarce. In 2021 alone, Atlanta lost more than 105,000 housing units to meet existing demand.
• Disparities in income, savings and outstanding debt in Atlanta have produced the second lowest economic mobility numbers in the country.
• Children who live in low-poverty areas have better economic, health, and social outcomes than those who live in high-poverty areas. More than half of Atlanta’s children live in low-poverty areas, and the percentage of black children living in low-poverty areas has increased significantly since 2012.

The Annie E. Casey Foundation released the first Changing the Odds report in 2015 to identify racial disparities in Atlanta and enable leaders to better understand the landscape, identify enduring and growing disparities, and learn about and support efforts leading to progress and results.

This year, Changing the Odds calls on leaders to invest in policies and practices that:

• provide equitable development and more affordable housing opportunities for residents;
• integrating community solutions to community challenges;
• enable more children to access the quality preschool education and rigorous courses they need for their development and future;
• funding community providers to provide resources to entrepreneurs of color as they launch and grow their businesses; And
• promoting the financial stability of low-income families through state tax credits and income supplements such as the Child Tax Credit and the Earned Income Tax Credit.

“Atlanta has a vibrant economy and continues to be an attractive city, but the data shows us that too many Atlantans are being left behind,” said Kweku Forstall, director of the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Atlanta Civic Site. . “Too often we ask people to beat the odds, when in reality the odds are against them. We must come together to change the odds so that all Atlantans have access to the resources they need to live full lives and reach their full potential.

Nearly 300 community leaders and members of business, government and education recently gathered at the Loudermilk Conference Center in Atlanta to discuss the report.

2024 changes the odds: Comprehensive solutions for Atlanta’s future The report is available at aecf.org.

ABOUT THE ANNIE E. CASEY FOUNDATION

The Annie E. Casey Foundation is creating a brighter future for the nation’s youth by developing solutions to strengthen families, provide pathways to economic opportunity, and transform struggling communities into safer, healthier places to live, work and to grow. For more information, visit aecf.org. Changing the Odds® is a registered trademark of the Annie E. Casey Foundation.