Although Nashville , carrying the history of country music, clearly has a personality of its own, there are many similarities with other cities when it comes to poverty. Nashville shares comparable demographics with Savannah , Georgia and Indianapolis, Indiana, which unfortunately means similar poverty issues.
For being the “Little Easy,” Savannah has a large percentage of residents in poverty; a little more than 20%. City government, business and community leaders, and the residents themselves have established a plan to fight poverty head on. The plan addresses general problems with poverty; the rate of poverty is not declining, poverty is disproportionate by race, wages and educational attainment are low, and a growing gap between the rich and the poor. There are five main areas of focus, each with sub-goals and programs.
The first focus area is the development of an educated and skilled workforce and will be carried out by establishing training programs that match employers' skill needs, publishing a periodical about workforce trends and options, and improve school-to-work readiness. The plan also calls for the implementation of basic skills and literacy programs to help evolve the workforce. The next area of focus is improving the access to jobs via encouraging employers to provide transportation options for employees, examining tax incentives for relocating employers, creation of a ‘community cars' pooling system, and an evaluation of public transportation systems. Thirdly, we see Savannah prioritizing the need to support working families by expanding access to dependent care resources. Working families will be assisted by preventative care programs and the encouraged establishment of child care centers near workplaces.
In an effort to help families build assets, Savannah 's poverty reduction plan attempts to increase home ownership and financial literacy. The last main focus of the initiative is the goal of building quality neighborhoods by creating affordable housing and improving maintenance skills of residents.
While this plan is broad and still in the planning stages, it addresses foundational problems that allow poverty to exist as it does. This Savannah task-force is currently developing accountability systems to guarantee the results are as desired.
As a part of Savannah 's STEP UP anti-poverty effort, the city hosts poverty simulations for citizens and community leaders to model the life of someone living in or nearing poverty. Participants are assigned a role, job, and must perform normal duties like paying for utilities and food. The simulation, part of a kit created by the Missouri Association for Community Action, brings attention to a problem that many more fortunate Savannah residents do not address on a daily basis. Indianapolis , another city of comparable size, has also developed a comprehensive plan to decrease the poverty rates and improve the quality of life in this state capitol. With a focus on ending homelessness, neighborhood revitalization, urban commercial development, and family asset building, Mayor Bart Peterson presents these anti-poverty initiatives as part of the health kick for their living city. This idea of a city having personality and being an organism corresponds to a nation wide effort to bring poverty reducing programs to life. Central inclusion of the populations most greatly affected by poverty breathes verve into eliminating community problems. As for Nashville , we can look to these models for ideas for our own comprehensive plan against poverty. Savannah 's STEP UP Against Poverty Plan can be accessed through the official city website:City of Savannah.
More information about anti-poverty efforts in Indianapolis can be found at Indianapolis city government. |
