| THE NEED...OVER 20,000 INTAKES A YEAR |
The Need
Located in the heart of poverty, hopelessness, and violence, Jars of Clay is surrounded by gang members who actively recruit young children into lives of violence and drugs. Poverty and addictions have sent many to live on the streets. Each night in Atlanta, over 14,000 people sleep on the sidewalks. Today in Atlanta, one of six families is living below the poverty line. The average family income for the poor has declined 27% since 1967.
These individuals are in desperate need of housing, food, and clothing. Community resources are stretched to the breaking point, caseloads with the Department of Family and Children’s Services are overwhelming and if you call the Atlanta shelters you will not find an opening; most shelters have six-month waiting lists.
The children are the most negatively affected. Nationally, 50% of Caucasian children and 80% of African-American children live in single-parent homes for at least part of their childhood. These children are five times more likely to live below the poverty line than children who live with both parents.
In Atlanta, the rate of poverty among children is almost 53% higher than the poverty rate among the city’s population as a whole. Most of these children will experience lives of gangs, drugs, crime and illicit sex.
Cities around the country and across the world mirror the situation in Atlanta. The world will soon have more than 300 cities with populations over one million. Cities will continue to see an increase in crime, drugs and poverty. The problems of the inner city will increasingly affect all Americans.
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