Georgia Healthy Housing Coalition Advocacy Plan | |
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For the families of Georgia's 480,000 children in poverty, Georgia can be a tough place to call home. Affordable and safe housing is hard to find. Available rental housing is often in poor condition and unsafe. Families and communities across the state tell Georgia Appleseed that they are desperate for safe housing.
In 2022, the AJC reported on over 272 chronically dangerous apartment complexes in Atlanta alone, confirming Georgia Appleseed’s findings across the state. These complexes house tens of thousands of children. Dangerous housing makes kids sick and creates barriers to success at school. Poor housing conditions can even break families apart—Georgia DFCS removes thousands of children from their homes each year because of a lack of safe housing.
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Our year-end campaign,
Home for the Holidays, is underway.
Donate today
to support our healthy housing work.
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Georgia Appleseed’s Georgia Healthy Housing Coalition (GHHC) is building a Georgia where every child lives in a healthy home. Since its founding by Georgia Appleseed in 2018, the GHHC has successfully advocated for reforms to Georgia housing safety laws. In November, the 80+ organizational members of the coalition adopted a new multi-year advocacy plan that prioritizes pragmatic reforms that elevate children’s safety over corporate profit and outfit local governments to protect their citizens from out-of-state landlords who violate safety standards. | | |
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Left to right: Board members Mary Benton and Amy Steigerwalt, Judge Turner, Justice Bethel, Judge Miller, Judge Heath, Executive Director Michael Waller, and board member Jessica McKinney. | |
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Georgia sends tens of thousands of children to juvenile court each year for alleged delinquency (35,870 in 2019, the last year for which we have data.) Involvement in the justice system as a juvenile dramatically increases the risk of criminal justice system involvement as an adult. Georgia Appleseed works with communities to implement proven Georgia-created strategies that keep kids out of system and on the road to success.
These strategies were topics at our 4th annual Justice Conversations, Kids and the Courts, hosted by Alston & Bird. This year's conversation included Justice Charlie Bethel of the Supreme Court of Georgia, Presiding Judge Yvette Miller of the Court of Appeals of Georgia, Judge Renata Turner of the Fulton County Juvenile Court and Judge Amanda Heath of the Superior Court, August Judicial Circuit. The judges discussed early intervention strategies, school-justice partnerships, and the varied roles of Georgia courts in child welfare. Georgia Appleseed board members Jessica McKinney and Amy Steigerwalt introduced and moderated the panel.
Contact Liz McDaniel at lmcdaniel@gaappleseed.org for a recording of this event or to learn about future Justice Conversations.
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Rosalie Monroy Wolfe Joins the GAA Team | | |
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The Summit: Georgia's Child Welfare Conference brings child welfare specialists from across disciplines and functions - including schools, the courts, and government agencies - to share best practices.
This year, staff Caren Cloud and Becky Hudock, along with DFCS's Dr. Josette Franklin, educated child welfare specialists about advocacy in school disciplinary tribunals for children in foster care.
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April 20, 2023 - Roaring for Justice
Save the Date for our 18th annual fundraiser, Roaring For Justice, next April 20 at Zoo Atlanta! Join us for specialty cocktails and an open bar, hors d’oeuvres, musical entertainment, and an opportunity to celebrate and further our advocacy for Georgia’s children.
Sponsorship opportunities are available at various levels. Get in early to maximize your sponsorship and to ensure Georgia Appleseed has the support to continue expanding our impact for Georgia's children and families. Visit www.RoaringForJustice.org for more information.
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Georgia Appleseed advances justice for Georgia's underrepresented children to keep them in school, in healthy homes, and out of the justice system
Help us finish the year strong! Join us by making a donation and/or becoming a pro bono partner.
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Connecting with you helps us build our community of advocates and amplify our mission to advance justice for children across Georgia. Follow our social media sites to stay up to date with resources, celebrations and announcements. View our video library on YouTube, be one of the first to follow our new Instagram account, and join us on LinkedIn, FaceBook and Twitter. | |
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