Study Shows Areas of Persistent Poverty in the Southeast
By Dawn Eaker
Poverty Initiative Project Coordinator
Carl Vinson Institute of Government
eaker@cviog.uga.edu

The Carl Vinson Institute of Government at the University of Georgia, in partnership with the Georgia Rural Development Council, has released a report endorsing the creation of a federal commission to help residents engulfed in persistent poverty in the Southeast.

The report entitled It's a Matter of Wealth: Dismantling Persistent Poverty in the Southeastern United States calls for federal initiatives to address issues of human resource development, economic development, and infrastructure needs in the region. For a copy of the report, visit www.cviog.uga.edu/poverty/.

The study highlights the unique demographic characteristics of the region and illustrates the overrepresentation of counties that are among the worst in the U.S. on factors related to poverty, including child and elder poverty, low education levels, health conditions, housing conditions, unemployment, and per capita income.

Economic analyses of the study reveal that the region - which includes 242 counties in areas of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Virginia - is worse off economically than counties in the Appalachian Regional Commission or Delta Regional Authority. Ninety-one persistent poverty counties have been identified in Georgia.

The Carl Vinson Institute of Government and the Georgia Rural Development Council worked with other University of Georgia units, governmental agencies, representatives from the private sector, and several universities in the south to examine persistent poverty in two contiguous regions not supported by existing federal initiatives. Tuskegee University, an 1890 historically black land grant institution, also participated and enlisted input from community representatives who either had experienced persistent poverty or had worked for generations to alleviate poverty in the region. The second phase of the study, which includes areas of Arkansas, Louisiana, and Texas, is currently underway.

The study originated from Senator Zell Miller's securing federal funds in fall 2001 for the Carl Vinson Institute of Government to:

• Determine whether a region of persistent poverty exists in areas of the historic cotton-growing region of the Southeast.
  
  
• Determine the need for a federal initiative in the study area, and if warranted, develop a plan for an appropriate federal structure.

Macon businessman Benjamin W. Griffith III, president of Southern Pine Plantations, matched the funds with a private gift.

For more information about the study, including monthly updates, visit www.cviog.uga.edu/poverty or contact Joe Whorton at (706) 546-9292 or Dawn Eaker at (706) 542-2736.

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CYCC Grant Information Online Jan. 1

The Children and Youth Coordinating Council will offer access to its Request for Proposals and Grant Application Kit online at www.cycc.state.ga.us effective Jan. 1. Applicants can download the documents and complete the necessary paperwork online.

If applicants do not have access to the Internet, they can mail a request on letterhead to the Children and Youth Coordinating Council, 10 Park Place South, S.E., Suite 410, Atlanta, Ga. 30303-2928 or fax a request on letterhead to (404) 651-9354. Attendance at a grant writing workshop is optional but strongly recommended for applicants applying for CYCC funds for the first time.

The application deadline for the 2003 spring grant cycle is March 10. CYCC will issue grant awards in two program categories for new projects:

• Juvenile Justice ($650,000) - community-based treatment programs serving juvenile offenders and primary prevention programs serving high-risk youth likely to engage in delinquent activity. Programs may also serve a combination of juvenile offenders and non-offenders. Suggested activities include after-school enrichment and education; mediation and violence prevention; diversion programs for juvenile offenders; and programs serving female youth. Funding for residential shelter programs serving juvenile offenders in lieu of detention are limited to emergency shelters with bed spaces dedicated to delinquent youth. Eligible applicants include state government, local governments, school systems, and nonprofit agencies that have a 501(c)(3) status and have been in existence for a minimum of 12 months.
  
  
• Abstinence Education ($1,200,000) - abstinence education programs targeting youth ages 10 - 19. Applicants are required to provide a 40% match and utilize curricula advocating premarital abstinence. Programs are strongly encouraged to provide youth development activities such as mentoring, counseling, tutoring, character education and/or parental involvement. Eligible applications include local government agencies, school systems, and faith-based organizations with 501(c)(3) status or group exemption; and nonprofit agencies with 501(c)(3) status that have been in existence for a minimum of 12 months. Organizations may not teach or promote religion.

For more information, including workshop dates and locations, visit www.cycc.state.ga.us or call (404) 656-1725. Pre-registration is not required. Onsite registration will take place 30 minutes prior to each workshop. There is no cost to attend.

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Grants Available for Character Education, Violence Prevention Program

The Georgia Children's Trust Fund Commission is offering grants to schools to help them adopt the Second Step Violence Prevention/Character Education Program. Grants cover three-fourths of the cost of the curriculum and 100 percent of training costs.

Second Step was developed by The Committee for Children, a nonprofit organization. The program requires minimal teacher preparation. Lessons include objectives, handouts, role play scenarios, and discussion questions, yet there is flexibility to adapt the program to a school's unique needs.

The U.S. Department of Education's 2001 Expert Panel on Safe, Disciplined, and Drug-Free Schools has given its top "Exemplary" rating to Second Step for program quality and educational effectiveness. The Georgia Humanities Council has recognized Second Step as an exemplary character education program. Nationally, Character Education Partnership/Schools of Character Awards have been given to schools for school-wide use of Second Step.

The application deadline is Feb. 1, 2003. For more information about the grant, call Carole Steele at (404) 206-6037. For more information about Second Step, contact Committee for Children, Client Support Services, at (800) 634-4449 or e-mail info@chchildren.org. You can also visit www.cfchildren.org.

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