BUCKHEAD PAV I N G T H E W AY FOR
FAMILY CAREGIVERS IN GEORGIA
Acting as a caregiver to an ailing family member can be overwhelming. The physical, emotional, and financial toll of being a family caregiver can be unimaginable to someone who has never experienced it. Of course, you want to provide the best care to your loved one, but it’s not always easy. You may not have the resources; you may have difficulty maintaining your career and personal relationships; you may begin to feel like you don’t have any time for yourself. It’s normal to feel this way, and you should know that the state of Georgia offers programs and resources to help. Seniorlink was the first provider approved to deliver Structured Family Caregiving in the state of Georgia. The Structured Family Caregiving Program (SFC) offers professional coaching, guidance, and financial support to family caregivers of Medicaid enrollees. Introduced in the state of Georgia in 2019, SFC is a program designed exclusively for families caring for loved ones at home ranging from a daughter caring for her dad with Alzheimer’s to a son helping his mom manage her diabetes. With over 20 years of expertise serving thousands of families across the country, Seniorlink’s reputation as a best in class provider of SFC has helped us provide resources and relief to those caregivers in need. So how can Seniorlink help provide better care for your loved one? There are many ways: • Professional Coaching: Our expert team is always available to answer your questions and provide guidance when you need it. • Guidance: You will have access to a library of tips on how you can best care for your loved one, and how you can care for yourself while you do it. • Financial Support: Caregiving creates financial struggles, especially for full-time caregivers. Through Structured Family Caregiving, you receive a modest financial stipend to cover some of the caregiving costs you incur.
Caregiving is hard. Seniorlink can help. Visit us today at, www.seniorlinkga.com or contact our local representative, Eugene Bell at ebell@seniorlink.com to see if you are eligible to receive support from the Structured Family Caregiving program.
8 NOVEMBER 2021 | REPORTER NEWSPAPERS
State legislators oppose Buckhead cityhood BY SAMMIE PURCELL A group of state legislators came together to oppose the Buckhead cityhood movement, citing education and economic impacts as major factors. “We’re here to speak today against the preposterous notion that the city of Atlanta – our capital city – should be split up,” said State Sen. Nan Orrock (D-Atlanta) at an Oct. 18 press conference at the Georgia Capitol. “Making a weaker Atlanta does not make a strong Buckhead. It does the opposite.” State Sen. Sonya Halpern (D-Atlanta), State Sen. Jennifer Jordan (D-Atlanta), and State Rep. Betsy Holland (D-Atlanta) joined Orrock at the press conference to respond to the movement to split Buckhead from the city of Atlanta. The Buckhead City Committee – the group spearheading the cityhood effort – held a press conference in September where some state senators announced they would support legislation that, if passed, would place a referendum on the November 2022 ballot allowing Buckhead residents to vote on whether to form a city. All of the senators cited crime as a major factor. Each of the four legislators who attended the October press conference represent the city of Atlanta, while none of the 12 state senators who have announced their support for the Buckhead cityhood movement represent the city. Holland said the legislators would be sending a letter to Lt. Gov. Geoff Duncan and House Speaker David Ralston to ask that they “follow the precedent” and allow local delegations to make decisions on issues of annexation. “It is unprecedented for elected representatives and senators who do not live in a jurisdiction … to be the ones trying to pass legislation to incorporate the city,” Holland said. “Leave this in the hands of the people who actually represent Atlanta.” In an emailed statement, the Buckhead City Committee stated that in an NOVEMBER 2021 poll they ran, 64% of Buckhead voters wanted to create a Buckhead City. That survey collected responses from 579 registered Buckhead voters,
according to the committee’s website. According to the committee’s feasibility study, the Buckhead area has around 100,000 residents, meaning the survey accounts for under 1% of the neighborhood’s population. Holland discussed the effect a Buckhead separation would have on the education system. Holland, who lives in the Buckhead area, said that Atlanta Public Schools would be under no obligation to continue to educate children who do not live in the city of Atlanta if Buckhead were to separate. “You rip the community of Buckhead out of the city, well now that applies to our children too,” Holland said. “If that happens, the burden to educate our children falls to Fulton County public schools, who have no infrastructure and no buildings anywhere in the community of Buckhead.” In an emailed statement, Bill White – CEO of the Buckhead City Committee – said the committee “is confident” that APS would continue to serve a Buckhead City. However, in a September statement, APS Board Chairman Jason Esteves said a Buckhead separation would be “extremely disruptive” to APS families. “We continue to analyze the potential impacts of the proposal, but believe that the best solution to crime in the City is for all of us to work together to tackle root causes,” Esteves said at that time. The four legislators opposed to cityhood are Democrats, and the 12 senators who have announced their support for the proposed “Buckhead City” are Republican. But, Orrock said she would not expect a vote on this legislation to fall down party lines and would expect legislators to do what is best for business in the city. According to a report distributed by the anti-cityhood group Committee for a United Atlanta, the net fiscal loss to Atlanta would range from $80 million to $116 million per year if Buckhead were to break off. “People down here – Republicans and Democrats – listen to the concerns when the business community brings them,” Orrock said. “I don’t expect that we will see a party-line vote.”
Buckhead City Committee opens HQ The Buckhead City Committee, the group spearheading the effort for Buckhead to form a new city, has opened a headquarters in Buckhead. The office is located at 3002 Peachtree Road NE, near the intersection of Pharr Road, according to an announcement. A launch event was planned for Oct. 31.
“We have successfully raised $1,000,000 to support our cityhood efforts and hope to raise another $500,000 by year’s end,” the group said in an email. “Our expenses include a strong lobbyist team that’s canvassing the state to ensure every congressman and senator knows our message and the facts.”
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