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Paul Moore wins City Council seat
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JULIA GROCHOWSKI/Herald
More than 200 community leaders and elected officials met at Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church in Johns Creek Nov. 7 for the North Fulton Poverty Task Force Community Summit.
Community Summit provides glimpse of poverty By JULIA GROCHOWSKI julia@appenmediagroup.com NORTH FULTON, Ga. — Poverty may seem like a faraway issue for those in the prosperous and growing suburbs of North Fulton, but it’s closer than residents may think. The North Fulton Poverty Task Force, dedicated to tackling local problems of financial vulnerability, held its first-ever Community Summit Nov. 7 at Mt. Pisgah United Methodist Church to shine a light on the issue. More than 200 community members and civic leaders attended, including local and state elected officials. Attendees listened to speakers and group panels about financial vulnerability and
poverty in North Fulton and broke out into groups to discuss issues like affordable housing, transportation, child wellbeing, and income and workforce development. “North Fulton and poverty — the two didn’t seem to go hand-in-hand,” said WAGA-TV News Anchor Lori Geary, who emceed the summit. “When I think of North Fulton, I think of prosperity… The numbers really paint a picture.” North Fulton Poverty Task Force Chair Jack Murphy pointed to an MIT nationwide cost-of-living survey to demonstrate the high numbers in North Fulton. In order for a family of four to be financially stable in North Fulton, Murphy said, they would need to make $80,000-$90,000 a year. That price point doesn’t match up
with the fact that rent prices have increased by nearly 48 percent in Metro Atlanta since 2011 while wage growth has been nearly stagnant, he said. This condition has contributed to a growing population of financially vulnerable individuals, Murphy said. But what most shocked him, he said, is learning that that almost 6,600 people in North Fulton don’t have access to some sort of vehicle, a necessity for many who work in the area. The Task Force is facing these issues with the goal to create a community where all residents, including the financially vulnerable, can be thriving and
See POVERTY, Page 6
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