Spring 2008 issue of Terry Magazine - (Page 41)

Prosperous Athens (for a complete progress report, Everywhere Jones goes, whether it’s church, a graduation ceremony, or just a lunchtime stroll to grab a to talk to him about OneAthens. “It’s go to www.prosperousathens.org/initiatives/founda- sandwich, people want says Jones, who thinks the experiencedefinitely got people talking about poverty, which is a good sign,” has made him a more effective jurist. tion/index.html). Some of the 11 strategies are further along than others, and they have comprehensive housing centers that people can go to if they cover a wide range of poverty-related issues: work force training, hous- need apartments, if they want to be a home owner, if they need ing, health care, family enrichment, early childhood programs, teen foreclosure counseling.” pregnancy, transportation, as well as human and economic development If it sounded like Heard and Rodgers were arguing over turf, and the establishment of the OneAthens Community Foundation. Delene Porter says their discussion was more indicative of the frusFor the most part, community members who attended the tration everyone involved feels over not being able to offer more January meeting seemed comfortable with this progress report, and better housing assistance to people in desperate need of it. which was delivered by Jones and the OneAthens team via Power “Duplication isn’t a problem,” says Porter, whose position as Point. But toward the end of the 90-minute meeting there was a director of the OneAthens Community Foundation (which is one lengthy discussion about the housing committee’s contention that of the 11 strategies) has just recently become official. “Some of the the community needs a comprehensive center to provide central- local affordable housing developers, like EADC, also provide finanized housing, financial, and credit counseling information. That cial literacy training. This partnership of services is good, but there discussion prompted Winston Heard, executive director of the East are more people in need than can be helped by current agencies.” Athens Development Corp., to raise the type of question — some Rodgers went on to say that, because of the lack of a comprewould say, complaint — that has been raised about PPA/OneAthens hensive housing center, someone new to Athens might not be aware since its inception: of the EADC’s existence or the help its staff can provide. Plus, the Is it starting over in the fight against poverty — and/or duplicat- EADC only deals with one segment of the county. ing the efforts of existing institutions and organizations, public and “None of our [OneAthens housing team] work said, ‘We’re private? going to take the counseling services from over here and put them “Is there a demonstrated need . . . that we need another organi- over there,’” said Rodgers. “Our whole focus was to create somezation to provide housing counseling?” said Heard, whose private, thing positive, something simple, to get the word out, to advertise non-profit organization was established in 1993 with a mission that that now there is a source for those people that need housing assisincludes housing counseling, rehabilitation, and down payment tance to go to one spot.” assistance. “And, if so, what is that based on? If there’s some inforJones could have intervened in the Heard-Rodgers debate, but mation that organizations providing these services aren’t perform- one of his mantras as chair of OneAthens is “let the public speak,” ing, we need to know about it.” and, in his mind, the more they speak, the louder the anti-poverty Tom Rodgers, a retired UGA administrator who chairs the message becomes. As far as he’s concerned, poverty in Athens has OneAthens housing committee, responded to Heard’s question flown under the radar far too long. with a complaint of his own — that Athens-Clarke County has never “When UGA President Michael Adams and I did an interview commissioned a comprehensive assessment of housing supply and about the OneAthens initiatives with CNN,” Jones recalls, “the demand or of the need for housing and financial counseling. Service reporter — who went to UGA — said she knew we had a lot of providers know the needs exist, but have only anecdotal evidence. public housing in Athens, but that she had no idea how bad our “We don’t have a demonstrated need that anybody needs to buy poverty problem is. “Poverty is part of our situation,” Jones replied. a house in Clarke County,” said Rodgers. “We don’t have a dem- “There’s more here than tailgating.” onstrated need that we have enough affordable housing. What we The debate over the comprehensive housing center is but one do know is that there are communities throughout the country that facet of the complicated housing problems that the OneAthens team Terry College of BuSineSS jasoN thrasher Spring 2008 • 41 http://www.prosperousathens.org/initiatives/foundation/index.html http://www.prosperousathens.org/initiatives/foundation/index.html

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Terry School of Business - Spring 2008

Terry School of Business - Spring 2008 Contents Quick Bites Research & Innovation Gatherings Best CEO in America An Unlikely Rock Star Fire & Flavor Beyond the Bench Terry Memo Economic Scorekeeper Class Notes

Terry School of Business - Spring 2008

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