TAP helps develop simplified procedures for benefits
applications
Jane Smith, program director for The Atlanta Project (TAP), has begun
providing
to Emory Report ongoing updates of major TAP activities. This
article is
the first of those updates.
Access to services
The Georgia Common Access Pilot Program, developed in response to needs
expressed by TAP communities, replaces 64 pages of federal assistance
forms
with one eight-page application form. People in need now have easier
access to
Aid to Families With Dependent Children (AFDC), food stamps, Medicaid,
housing
assistance, Supplemental Security Income (SSI), and Women and Infant
Children
(WIC) benefits. The pilot study revealed a savings in employee time of
$11.52
per application, or $1.15 million saved for every 100,000 applications in
the
state. Georgia Common Access has received Vice President Al Gore's Hammer
Award.
Health
In conjunction with Prevent Blindness Georgia, TAP has piloted a free
glaucoma
screening program in the West Fulton Cluster that targets
African-Americans
older than 30. Research indicates that African Americans face a much
greater
risk of going blind from glaucoma than whites. The pilot program will be
expanded to other clusters in the near future.
Housing
If knowledge is power, then some TAP homeowners are back in power thanks
to an
educational initiative by the Fulton Cluster. As a result of a recent
decision
by the city of Atlanta and Fulton County, liens placed on homes because
of tax
payment delinquency have been sold to a private investment company, and
some
homeowners could be facing foreclosure. Working with the county tax
commissioner's office, TAP's Fulton County clusters have alerted property
owners to the problem. A May 30 community forum gave residents the
opportunity
to have their questions answered by city officials and representatives of
the
tax assessor's office. Residents have requested additional community
meetings
on property tax matters.
Children and youth
Almost 100 young athletes from TAP's 20 clusters experienced
"Olympic-style"
competition during the June 2-3 Georgia Games at Clark Atlanta University
and
other venues in south Atlanta. The young people are participants in a
special
Eighth District meet established for TAP communities by the Georgia Games
amateur athletic organization. Inaugural events for the Eighth District
meet
included field hockey, fencing, judo, swimming, track and field,
basketball and
archery. Winners will advance to the Georgia Games championships July
20-24 at
the Georgia Dome.
Community grants
TAP clusters are finding the new Metropolitan Atlanta Community
Foundation fund
to be an important resource in their collaborative efforts with other
organizations. The process of accessing the "resource pool" has been
almost as
important as the initiatives themselves. Cluster staffs, volunteers and
partner
organizations are identifying specific neighborhood needs and developing
concrete proposals for the implementation of their programs. To date, 54
grants
totaling $291,792 have been awarded in all 20 clusters.