Local Nonprofit Breaking Down Barriers to Poverty

Georgia Center for Opportunity programs bring resources together for struggling individuals

By Karen Huppertz

With gas prices soaring and supply chain issues driving up consumer prices, it’s not hard to imagine more individuals are struggling to make ends meet. Complicate those issues with a lack of education, medical issues, trouble within the home or other barriers to success and you find some families hanging by a thread. Some find themselves homeless.

The Peachtree Corners-based Georgia Center for Opportunity (GCO) is working to break down those barriers to ensure everyone has access to a quality education, fulfilling work and a healthy family life.

“Sometimes these barriers are created by policies, sometimes by events that have occurred, other times by circumstances of birth,” stated Corey Burres, Vice President Communications for GCO. Better Work Gwinnett brings everyone together

Among their initiatives is Better Work Gwinnett, which brings together individuals seeking employment, businesses looking to hire and community-based service providers. The program, first piloted in Columbus, Ga., helps people wanting to work identify the obstacles that might be preventing them from securing a position, and helps

Businesses were telling us ‘We want to help people,’ but people are taking jobs and leaving them, and we don’t know why this is happening. We don’t understand why people are turning down raises, or why all of these things are happening.

Corey Burres

local businesses understand what they can do on their end to retain employees.

“Businesses were telling us ‘We want to help people,’ but people are taking jobs and leaving them, and we don’t know why this is happening,” Burres said. “We don’t understand why people are turning down raises, or why all of these things are happening.”

When they brought these businesses and organizations providing support together for a discussion, they found a huge disconnect. “When a business owner has a local employee that isn’t able to get to their job, instead of them just not showing up, we reach out to them to find out what is going on,” said Burres. “We find out the social issues that are happening in their life and then we can address them.”

For the employee whose car has broken down or whose bus route changed, GCO can help them find alternative transportation. For the worker who has lost childcare, they help find new resources.

“It’s really looking at the idea of unemployment as a wholistic issue, not just a work issue,” added Burres.

Web portal provides connection for employers, services and workers

Better Work Gwinnett now has a very easy to use web portal that allows businesses, support services and individuals to come together easily. Businesses post their employment needs along with job requirements, salary and opportunities for advancement.

Job seekers complete one form that allows them to apply to more than one position at a time. Employers participating in the program have committed to responding to applications within a week, and most are ready to hire immediately.

Support services are listed by categories like transportation, housing, food, health, education and legal. Individuals can search for support services by zip code and see the kind of help available within each category. For instance, if transportation is the issue, someone might see services offering bus passes, financial as-

Photos on this and opposite page from drive up and walk-in job fairs. Above, Corey Burres

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sistance to purchase a vehicle, or services helping pay for gas.

Another link lists all upcoming job fairs in addition to ones organized by GCO.

Anyone applying can also sign up to be paired with a mentor who can help them write their resume, identify the best jobs to apply for and help them improve their interview skills. Mentors also help employees identify their unique barriers to success before they become a problem and help entry level workers chart a path for advancement.

The program is entirely free. Presently, 33 local businesses are participating with a commitment to providing 160 jobs. Eight volunteers have signed on to mentor job seekers.

To reach individuals experiencing job loss, Better Work is focusing on local libraries and their support service partners to help spread the word.

“One of the things we realized is the one place you go to apply for a job if you don’t have an internet connection is the area library,” said Burres. “If you go to a public library in Gwinnett County, you’ll most likely find more information about us on your computer monitor. You can just type in ‘Better Work Gwinnett’ and see hundreds of jobs.”

Education is critical to success

Georgia Center for Opportunity believes helping people climb out of poverty is about more than a steady job. That’s why the organization also focuses on education and family relationships.

GCO advocates for policies and develops programs to ensure every child has access to a quality education.

Through their Georgia Parents Alliance program, GCO worked to educate the public and legislators about the recently failed Promise Scholarships which would have allowed children access to instruction that fits their needs. Despite widespread public support, House Bill 999, which failed to achieve enough legislative votes in April, would have provided scholarships and allowed parents to use their tax dollars on any approved education expense, such as private school tuition, tutoring, homeschool curriculum, curriculum, virtual classes, college classes, therapies for kids with special needs or technology.

Additional efforts include GCO’s College and Career Pathways Initiative that helps students stay in school to obtain their high school or college degrees.

Family relations are equally important

The organization believes strong family relationships is the third key component to building thriving communities. Elevate Workshops bring couples together to learn skills to manage stress in their relationships. Through eight 90-minute sessions, couples discuss conflict resolution, stress management and ways to connect in more effective ways. Couples completing all eight sessions can receive a gift card worth up to $160.

Additional programs focused on family relationships include: ■ Winning the Workplace Challenge — training on how to deal with home and workplace relationships. ■ Healthy @ Home — videos and expert advice on identifying and building mental wellness. ■ Healthy @ Work — resources for employees and employers to provide a stable relationship foundation.

Georgia Center for Opportunity is not state or federally funded. The nonprofit is accomplishing success through individual, foundation and corporate donations. Learn more, volunteer, donate or seek assistance at georgiaopportunity.org and betteropportunity. org/better-work-gwinnett. ■