PERSISTENT POVERTY
Mobile Media Producer: Jan Roddy, Southern Illinois University
Technical Resource Liason: Brian Parsons, New Media Institute, UGA
Mobile Media Crew: Micah Stansell, Georgia State University
Local Issue Expert: Larry Nackerud, Professor of Social Work, UGA

"Persistent poverty" is a phrase used by the U.S. federal government and a number of regional development entities. The term refers to the idea that a county’s “percent of person’s falling below the poverty line” placed the county in the top two quartiles of poverty during the census determination in 2000, in 1990, and/or in 1980. The vast majority of counties that fall into this category are in the southeastern United States. Surprisingly, Clarke County, which serves as host to one of the countries largest universities and a number of other large employers, is one of those counties. The poverty rate in Clarke County is approximately 28%. This is extremely high given the general impression in Athens/Clarke County that everyone is doing well; certainly, that is the impression of most of the over 2,000 faculty and 30,000 students affiliated with the University of Georgia. For example, there are 11 public housing projects in Athens, which dominates the land mass and population of the county, and most faculty and students, and probably most townspeople have never even driven through a public housing project.

I would recommend that any filmmaker that selects persistent poverty as a topic visit the Web page and links of the Initiative of Poverty and the Economy sponsored by the Fanning Institute of the University of Georgia. On that page the history and dynamics of the “persistent poverty” issue are well highlighted.

The University of Georgia is the state's land grant/sea grant institution with a student enrollment of almost 33,000. It is located in Athens, Georgia, which is considered by many to be the alternative music capital of the world. The university sits directly adjacent to the Athens downtown area, and the party scene is supported in a huge way by university and even high school students. There are 72 alcohol licenses just in the small downtown area, with 287 licenses in Athens-Clarke County. Clarke County is the smallest county in the state of Georgia.

Alcohol use is a major part of many students' lives, beginning in high school and increasingly in middle school. 70% of our incoming students report that they have consumed alcohol in the year prior to their arriving on campus. According to a report from AlcoholEdu 2002, an online alcohol education class for first year students, in the first semester of college the proportion of students who abstain from using alcohol drops 50%; high risk drinkers increase almost 100%, and the number of students who "pre-party" increases from 50% at the beginning of the first semester to 60-70% at the end of the semester. The NIAAA Report from 2002 lists these statistics about college drinking nationally: 1,700 student deaths, 500,000 injuries, 600,000 assaults, and 70,000 sexual assaults are alcohol related. 2.1 million students drive under the influence of alcohol.

In Athens, the weekend drinking begins in earnest on Thursday night, and more and more Wednesday night partying is being reported. Drink specials are advertised for every night of the week and many establishments cater to underage students. On campus the mixed messages are everywhere, especially on home football game Saturdays. Most mentioned by students is the open container law which is overlooked on game days, partially because the UGA campus is state property and is exempt from the city ordinance. The second most mentioned mixed message is the loosely enforced laws downtown.

The University of Georgia tries to provide alternatives to the downtown drinking scene for students who are under the age of 21. "Dawgs After Dark" is a late-night entertainment program that is sponsored by the Department of Student Activities on the Friday nights before home football games, and other departments and student organizations either participate in Dawgs After Dark or plan similar activities throughout the year. Residence hall staff also plan events and activities, especially for the freshman residents. The Assistant Vice President for Student Life chairs a newly-developed Community/Campus Alcohol Coalition that is comprised of a variety of community constituencies, as well as UGA faculty, staff, and students. The Coalition is working now through 3 committees (Education, Enforcement, and Environment) to address the many challenges that excessive alcohol use presents for the Athens and UGA communities.

 

HOMELESSNESS
Mobile Media Producer: Karla Berry, University of South Carolina
Technical Resource Liason: Chris Martin , New Media Institute, UGA
Mobile Media Crew: Lindsey Wagner, UGA Grad
Local Issue Expert: Evan Mills, Community Development Specialist, Athens-Clarke County Unified Government

Homelessness in Athens-Clarke County has grown steadily over the years.   Several factors can be associated with this growing problem, such as low wages in a mostly service dominated industry, lack of decent affordable housing, growing high school drop out rates, and a steady increase in teenage pregnancy rates.   In addition, homeless individuals and families experience many barriers preventing them from obtaining stable housing.   These barriers can include, mental illness, drug and/or alcohol addictions, physical health problems, lack of reliable transportation, a tenuous support system, and lack of decent living wage paying jobs.   It should be important to note that Athens-Clarke County is the 7 th poorest county out of 169 counties in the state of Georgia averaging a 28% poverty rate while the unemployment rate hovers between 2 and 3%.  

Affordable housing options for members of the homeless population are also limited by the unavailability of units in local public housing.   The Athens Housing Authority operates a 99% occupancy rate every year and keeps waiting lists that will last for more than two years.   In addition, homelessness status has been given a very low priority in the eligibility criteria for determining eligible applicants for housing units.   Section 8 vouchers for Athens-Clarke County have been on hold for approximately three years limiting affordable housing options even further.  

•  Listed below are the most recent local demographic statistics of the homeless population living in Athens-Clarke County:

2005   Annual Point-in-Time Homeless Count Summary Data
Part 1: Homeless Population		Sheltered		Unsheltered	Total
		Emergency	Transitional
Example:		75 (A)	125 (A)	105 (N)	305
1.   Homeless Individuals		53 (A)	111 (A)	114 (N)	278
2.   Homeless Families with Children		18(A)	32 (A)	1 (N)	51
2a. Persons in Homeless Families         with Children		64 (A)	92 (A)	2 (N)	158
Total (lines 1 + 2a)		117	203	117	436
Part 2: Homeless Subpopulations		Sheltered		Unsheltered	Total
1.   Chronically Homeless		63 (A)		73 (N)	136
2.   Severely Mentally Ill		74 (A)		26 (N)	100
3.   Chronic Substance Abuse		130 (A)		46 (N)	176
4.   Veterans		25 (A)		15 (N)	40
5.   Persons with HIV/AIDS		N/A		N/A	N/A
6.   Victims of Domestic Violence		39 (A)		7 (N)	46
7.   Youth (Under 18 years of age)		105 (A)		1 (N)	106

Assessment of Change in Chronic Homeless Population

Athens-Clarke County 2004/2005

Chronic Homelessness Definition:

A Chronically Homeless Person is defined as a single unaccompanied person with a disabling condition who has experience homelessness for a period of at least one year or has experienced homelessness 4 times over the past 3 years.

The February 2005 point-in-time count revealed a sharp rise in the number of chronically homeless and unsheltered homeless as indicated in the table below:

2004 Point in Time	2005 Point in Time
307 Individuals	436 Individuals
50   (17%) Chronically Homeless	136 (31%) Chronically Homeless
45 (15%) Unsheltered	117 (27%) Unsheltered

The February 2004 point-in-time count was the first in recent years to survey individuals that meet HUD's chronically homeless definition. The Athens-Clarke County Continuum of Care lacks the longitudinal data necessary to accurately infer whether the increase in the 2005 point-in-time count is due to rising numbers of homeless or better counting techniques.   The rises are most likely due to the exhaustive methods used during the February 2005 homeless count rather than an increase in homelessness in this area. Volunteers during the February 2005 homeless count were better prepared to conduct surveys efficiently and were more knowledgeable of the areas where unsheltered homeless reside. Based on agencies' records and anecdotal information from homeless outreach workers and caseworkers, this higher proportion of unsheltered homeless better represents of the overall homeless population in Athens-Clarke County, Georgia.

   Individuals Chart                                            Beds Chart

Number of Chronically Homeless Individuals			Number of permanent beds for the chronically homeless
	Point in time count			As of Jan	Net Change	End of Year Total
2004	50		2004	20	0	20
2005	136		2005	20	8	28

Although not as visible or large as the homeless situation in Atlanta or even Augusta, Athens-Clarke County does have a significant homeless problem.   We believe many in the community may not recognize this issue.   We would like to inform the public of the situation regarding homeless people in Athens, in order to raise consciousness and visibility.   Hopefully, with this new awareness Athens-Clarke County will commit to finding solutions for reducing the homeless problem.   If this task is accomplished it will better serve the community as a whole.

Here are some additional facts about the homeless in Athens that you may not know:
Every year we do an annual point-in-time homeless count to ascertain how many people are homeless at any given time throughout the year.   This year we conducted the count on January 26th , 2005.

• In the 2005 annual point-in-time homeless count there were 436 homeless individuals in Athens.
• 158 of these were persons in homeless families with children.   That number is about 36% of the total homeless population.
• 106 homeless individuals were under the age of 18.
• Children and families are the fastest growing portion of the homeless population nationwide.
• There were 117(27%) unsheltered homeless individuals identified during this count.
• 136 (31%) of the total homeless population were considered chronically homeless. These are the homeless individuals who are most likely to reside in the streets rather than shelters.   They typically suffer from a mental illness or chronic substance abuse.   Some are veterans.

To put things in perspective, in 2002 our annual point-in-time homeless count revealed 233 homeless individuals and families.   We have experienced an increase of approximately 87% in our local homeless population from 2002 to 2005.   At the same time we have been faced with diminishing resources needed to provide vital services to those homeless in need.   Our local shelter bed capacity has not changed and local agencies are currently struggling to continue to keep their doors open.   In short, while the need is steadily increasing, our ability to address this need is steadily decreasing.

 

ETHNIC DIVIDES
Mobile Media Producer: Micah Stansell, Georgia State University
Technical Resource Liason: Kevin Planovsky , New Media Institute, UGA
Mobile Media Crew: Nicole Batten , UGA Grad
Local Issue Expert: Emuel Aldridge, Citizens for Healthy Neighborhoods

For many years the most obvious ethnic fault line in Athens and elsewhere in Georgia has been the historical black/white division between African-Americans and Euro-Americans. Over the past fifteen years, the ethnic picture has become ( literally) less black and white as hundreds of thousands of new immigrants from Mexico and other Latin American countries have migrated into communities throughout the state. According to census figures (often accused of undercounting Hispanics), the Hispanic segment of the poplulation in Athens/Clarke County has quintupled from 1.7% of the total in 1990 to 8.5% in 2004.

In my own experience, most of these new residents are from the lower socioeconomic echelons of their own countries. When they first arrive they typically do not speak English, have little education or financial resources, and often are here illegally. The major resources they do bring with them are a strong work ethic and strong family ties. Unsurprisingly, the relatively sudden arrival of thousands of immigrants of dubious legal status who speak and appear differently from the more long-term residents has generated a certain amount of social friction. One evidence of this friction that is currently receiving a lot of publicity in Georgia comes from the efforts of state legislators to limit the access of illegal immigrants to higher education as well as other social benefits that legal residents take for granted.

A less publicized source of friction is that immigrants take jobs and occupy housing that were held by other members of the community; in particular they often compete for employment with members of the African-American community. A prime example of local industry that has shifted from African-American to Hispanic employment, that that I can speak to anecdotally from my own experience, is the poultry industry. In the early 1990's I helped several Hispanic acquaintances get jobs at a local poultry processing plant that has approximately 1,000 employees. When I visited the plant with them, most of the other workers were African-American with a smattering of Caucasians. A visit to the same poultry plant today would show that Hispanics have very much become the majority employees. A similar pattern can be seen in low-income housing where Hispanic residents have increasingly moved into trailer parks and low-cost apartment complexes that were once largely filled by African-American residents.

I have had conversations with both African-Americans and Hispanics who provided accounts of discrimination coming from both groups that seems to stem at least partially from these shifts in employment and housing. On more than one occasion, Hispanic employees of poultry plants have told me about African-American supervisors or employees that have made derogatory comments to them or somehow discriminated against them. For example, I spoke recently with a Hispanic woman was particularly upset with her supervisor whom she accused of being overbearing to her and other Hispanic employees while showing favoritism to African-American employees. Unfortunately, some members of the Hispanic community are also capable of discriminating against African-Americans. Approximately two years ago, members of a Central American family I know of were accused of insulting their African-American neighbors by making derogatory statements. The African-Americans were understandably incensed at the irony of being told to "go back to Africa" by someone who had been in this country for only a few years.

AIDS
Mobile Media Producer: Conrad Gleber, Florida State University
Technical Resource Liason: Stephen Redeker , New Media Institute, UGA
Mobile Media Crew: Gail Rubini, Florida State University
Local Issue Expert: Art Ordoqui, AIDS Athens

HIV/AIDS is a disease that affects all people in our world.   Over 1 million people in the US are infected with this disease and the CDC estimates that 25% of those infected with the virus are unaware of their status.   According to recent reports, minority populations (65% of those living with AIDS) and youth (1/2 of new cases between 13-19 yo are girls) are being hardest hit by this disease.   The south has the greatest number of AIDS cases compared to other regions, with Georgia ranking 8 th in total number of cases.

Here in Athens and northeast Georgia, we are not immune.   An estimated 760 people have been diagnosed with AIDS since 1983.   AIDS Athens and Specialty Care Clinic are partnering with the health departments and other organizations to help combat the spread of this disease.   Through primary care, case management, and other support services we are able to serve the needs of those infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. AIDS Athens also works to educate the community regarding HIV/AIDS, the stigmas and myths still associated with the disease, educate people on how they can protect themselves by making safer choices, and the importance of HIV testing- since testing is the only way to know if your are infected or not.  

 

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Mobile Media Producer: Michael Oliveri, University of Georgia
Technical Resource Liason: Michael Lentz, New Media Institute, UGA
Mobile Media Crew: Don Barth, University of South Carolina
Local Issue Expert: Alice Kinman, Athens-Clarke County Commissioner, District 4

If you live, work, or (most especially) are an elected official in Athens-Clarke County, you know that this town is not like any other.   Among its many peculiarities, A-CC has one of the lowest unemployment rates along with one of the highest poverty rates in Georgia.   At the same time, we are home to the University of Georgia, a massive, 33,000-student institution that funnels a transient, yet largely rich, population into our town every year.

The high poverty/low unemployment rates mean that we have an unusually high number of "working poor" citizens.   These people work at low-paying jobs, and reliable, affordable transportation is one of their biggest obstacles in making it through a work- week.   At the same time, the massive student population (about 80% of whom must live off-campus because of the lack of dormitory space) means that we have a proportionally massive number of cars on the road on any given day.   The challenges we face in providing for these two populations, while maintaining a reasonably functioning transportation system for everyone else, are legion.

Both A-CC and UGA run bus systems that are extremely efficient during the times they run.   Both shut down at night and (mostly) on the weekends.   There is a good relationship between the two systems; UGA pays a discounted rate each time one of its students or employees ride the A-CC system (meaning that students and employees ride for "free").   On the other hand, the A-CC system runs more frequent buses on routes that serve a lot of students and employees than they do on their other routes.  

For several years now A-CC citizens have been promoting infrastructure improvements to encourage bike-riding and walking.   Through our Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax (SPLOST) referendums, voters in A-CC have consistently supported local money being spent on building bike lanes and installing sidewalks throughout the county.   This process is slow, and it seems impossible for alternative transportation infrastructure to keep pace with the increasing demand for auto-centric means of travel.   Federal and state money is readily available for roads, while sidewalks and bike facilities usually end up being funded entirely by local funds.

This last fact has resulted in something of an alt/trans backlash in A-CC.   With sharply rising property values that result in sharply rising property taxes, many citizens are questioning the value of buses, bike lanes, and sidewalks.   Since the large majority of middle-class, voting Athenians never go anywhere without their cars, they are beginning to wonder if it makes sense to spend millions and millions of dollars on infrastructure that encourages people to get out of their cars.