$50,000 grant will aid creation of pre-arrest diversion program

The Atlanta Downtown Improvement District has made a grant of $50,000 to support the start of the Atlanta-Fulton County Pre-Arrest Diversion Initiative.

The initiative is an innovative pilot program partnering law enforcement and social service providers to divert people out of local jails and into case management and services.

“Our goal is to improve public safety and quality of life in Midtown, the Old Fourth Ward and South Downtown while providing a pathway to recovery and support for individuals struggling with mental health, substance addiction or extreme poverty,” said A.J. Robinson, President of Central Atlanta Progress and the Atlanta Downtown Improvement District.

This grant supports startup funding for the initiative, in anticipation of further financial support from local and national partners like the City of Atlanta and Fulton County government.

Pre-arrest diversion will allow an officer with probable cause to make an arrest to instead divert the case away from booking, jail and prosecution and toward highquality treatment and support. Instead of arrest, a Care Navigator will come directly to the scene to determine the services the person needs.

A wide-ranging panel of local experts from law enforcement, social services agencies, courts and the business community designed the program to address residents with deep social problems and a high rate of recidivism –people repeatedly and expensively filling the city jail after arrests for quality-of-life crimes like public urination or disorderly conduct.

Initiative leaders expect the pilot to begin diversion this summer, with a goal of diverting 100 people from arrest in the first year. Success will mean an opportunity to expand the program to other Atlanta neighborhoods.

AIDS Memorial Quilt to move Downtown

The NAMES Project has announced it will move its headquarters and the AIDS Memorial Quilt from Midtown to a 2,500-square-foot storefront in Downtown this June.

The new location will serve as a visitor and education center, while the bulk of the 54ton quilt will be stored in a warehouse space in Tucker.

The new Downtown space, located at 117 Luckie Street, will double The NAMES Project’s space for on-site programming, including panel-making workshops, HIV prevention education, artistic programs and for visitors to learn more about the 30-year history of The Quilt. The new location will be home to The AIDS Quilt Touch, a digital browser that enables exploration of The Quilt in its entirety on a tabletop digital browser and online via two interactive kiosks also located on-site.

The Quilt began in 1987 when a small group of strangers gathered in a San Francisco storefront to create a memorial for those who had died of the growing AIDS epidemic. They sewed panels in remembrance, in hopes that one day there would be a cure.

The Quilt is composed of 54 tons of 12-foot by 12-foot quilt blocks. The organization ships more than 3,000 sections – or 25 tons – around the world for displays each year. Over the past 30 years, The Quilt has been seen by more than 22 million people around the world, and has raised more than $5 million for direct services for people with HIV/AIDS. The Quilt was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize in 1989, and remains the largest ongoing community art project in the world.

Health Briefs

The BeltLine Partnership has resumed its Free Fitness Class Series for 2017. Free fitness classes, sponsored by Kaiser Permanente, are conducted throughout the week at parks and other locations along the Atlanta BeltLine. Free class offerings include yoga, aerobics, running/ walking/hiking, road and mountain cycling, boot camp-style workouts and skateboarding. Unique fitness classes like Hiking with Dogs, Caribbean-style workouts, and Sunset and Sunrise Hikes are also available. For more information, visit beltline.org/fitsignup or beltline.org/events.

The Atlanta Center for Precision Contact Lenses is now open in Buckhead and is the only facility in the city to fit, design and supply specialized contact lenses for local and regional patients. Dr. Gavin Cohen, owner and optometrist at Optique at West Paces, developed the facility for patients with extreme astigmatism, eyes that require nontraditional contact shapes and patients who are unable to wear traditional contact lenses. For more information, visit optiqueatwestpaces.com/precision-contact-lenses/.

Atlanta-based athlete hydration drink Biolyte has been picked up for distribution by Atlanta Kroger stores, as well as on Amazon Prime. Atlanta native Dr. Luther C. Rollins created the drink, which has its foundation in the same kind of IV solution given to those suffering from dehydration. For more information, visit drinkbiolyte.com.

The 2017 Susan G. Komen Greater Atlanta Race for the Cure will be held May 13 from 8 a.m. to noon at Lenox Square in Buckhead. Adult registration is $40 and youth registration is $25. The 5K run/walk and 1 mile walk down Peachtree Street fundraises to provide life-saving breast health services to women in Metro Atlanta. For more information, visit info-komen.org.

MORNINGSIDE 1724 N Pelham Drive, $1,275,000 5BR/4fb. FMLS: 5823563

Boynton & Myrick 404-323-2012

MORNINGSIDE 1698 Johnson Road NE, $1,049,000 5BR/3fb/1hb. FMLS: 5822784 Boynton & Myrick 404-323-2012

EDMUND PARK MORNINGSIDE 1502 Markan Drive, $859,000 5BR/4fb/1hb. FMLS: 5802025 Boynton & Myrick 404-323-2012

MORNINGSIDE 1120 Reeder Circle, $899,000

ATLANTA NORTH 770-622-3081

EAST COBB 770-977-9500

ATLANTA PERIMETER 770-394-2131

770-893-2400

HIAWASSEE 706-632-7211

BUCKHEAD 404-233-4142

BUCKHEAD CHASTAIN 404-233-1492

BUCKHEAD NORTH 404-814-9000

BUCKHEAD NORTHWEST 404-261-2700

COBB MARIETTA 770-422-6005 BLUE RIDGE 706-632-7211

INTOWN 404-897-5558

LUXURY LAKE & MOUNTAIN 706-212-0228

NORTH FULTON 678-461-8700

PEACHTREE CITY 770-632-8526

SANDY SPRINGS 404-250-9900 FORSYTH/LAKE LANIER 770-497-2000

Pet Pick

Daydream is our shelter life coach. She’s always happy, lives in the moment and loves everyone she meets. Simple things, like when we open her kennel and let her out, make her feel wonderful. All Daydream wants is a second chance with a person who will love her and take care of her. In return, she will watch over you and love you to pieces. Daydream needs a home without other pets or children. She is very shy and would do best with a confident owner who is willing to work on training with her. For more information about adopting Daydream, contact PAWS Atlanta at pawsatlanta.org or visit the shelter at 5287 Covington Highway in Decatur.

Pet Briefs

Doggies on the Catwalk returns this year for its biggest show to date, with a crowdpleasing runway lineup that will include Atlanta’s most adorable pups, local personalities and coveted luxury brands – all coming together for an unforgettable evening of fashion, fun and philanthropy. The event, which will be emceed by Monica Pearson, will be held on Saturday, May 6, at 7 p.m. at the Center Plaza at The Shops Buckhead Atlanta. Tickets start at $50 for general admission and can be purchased at fashionado.net/doggiesonthecatwalk.

What started as a 9-year-old’s budding interest in running turned into seven years of organizing 5K runs for the Atlanta Humane Society. Now, Atlanta teen Haley Hooper is being honored as a Pawsitive Impact kid by lifestyle website Crayons and Collars, the Petco Foundation and World’s Best Cat Litter. After learning that most 5K races benefit a charity, she immediately decided to donate run proceeds to Atlanta Humane Society. For the next seven years, she organized the Kingswood Fun Run, raising more and more money for AHS. To date, she’s raised $42,000 for the organization.