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Local non-profits seek advocacy in new year By SYDNEY DANGREMOND sydney@appenmedia.com NORTH FULTON COUNTY, Ga. — Rising inflation and housing costs are putting North Fulton’s most vulnerable community members at higher risk in the new year. Local nonprofits like North Fulton Community Charities and The Drake House have seen exponential growth in the number of community members requesting their services beginning in the latter half of 2021. “The biggest struggles we started seeing was due to inflation and the cost of food,” NFCC Executive Director Holly York said. “We were seeing demand increase 50%, 75%, 100% more than the year before.” North Fulton Community Charities serves individuals and families with emergency need in the community by providing food, clothing, financial assistance and life skills and workforce readiness classes. And while she has seen dramatic increases in need in the North Fulton community, York said she hasn’t seen the same reflected by the Atlanta Community Food Bank. The need is more localized to North Fulton. Atlanta Community Food Bank President and CEO Kyle Waide told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in December the nonprofit has seen a leveling off of demand in recent months which he attributed to a decrease in unemployment and the child tax credit. “We were shocked to see those
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Foundation sponsors tree Housing market still hot recycling in three areas for North Fulton cities
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say, ‘My rent went up by $700.’ ‘My rent went up by $1,000.’” She said these are people with good jobs making $18 an hour. “They can’t work any more hours to make the rental [payment],” she said. Over the past few months, NFCC has averaged serving roughly 100 new
By JEFFREY ALBERTSON newsroom@appenmedia.com ROSWELL, Ga. — Three maps cleared by the Georgia General Assembly last month during a special redistricting session will reshape elections in North Fulton County should Gov. Brian Kemp sign the legislation. Even if Kemp, a Republican, decides not to sign, the measures still become law. A flurry of litigation is expected in either scenario. For the second time in state history, Republicans control the redistricting process, which follows each census. Georgia missed adding a new Congressional seat, after the state population grew by about one million people from 2010 to 2020. U.S. Rep. Lucy McBath (D-Marietta), who represents North Fulton in the 6th Congressional District, has already announced she will seek election against an incumbent Democrat in the neighboring 7th District in Gwinnett County. The announcement followed the release of a new district map, which would extend beyond North Fulton into Forsyth and Dawson Counties. With the changes, Republicans have a strong chance of taking back the 6th District. McBath flipped a long held Republican seat in 2018.
The Barbara Duffy Center in Roswell will allow greater expansion of the North Fulton Community Charities food pantry in the main building. numbers when our numbers kept increasing,” York told the paper. Beyond an inability to afford food for their families, NFCC patrons are also being priced out of their homes, York said. “But we are seeing an exodus from the community based on rents on average going up about 16-20%,” York said. “We’ve had people come in and
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Proposed district maps may shape future elections
Fulton County evaluates new fiscal year budget
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