Focused Community Strategies
FCS Team

FCS Team

FCS Team

FCS Team

What We Learned About Our Neighborhood

Every couple of years, we facilitate a survey of our community using the Flourishing Neighborhood Index tool. It’s an opportunity to listen to residents and hear where they are experiencing the best of the neighborhood and where there are opportunities for growth. 

Our community is Historic South Atlanta, and we had 188 respondents complete the survey in the summer of 2021. Over 50% have lived here 10+ years, and 51% fall below the poverty line. More than half are women, and the average family size is 1-3 persons. When we hosted the FNI, we made a commitment to share the results with the community once we had received and analyzed the data. We recently hosted a meeting to share with the community what we learned through the FNI survey.

Our Community’s Top Strength

The FNI measures numerous factors that combine to create a flourishing neighborhood. It’s always interesting to see what residents identify as the greatest strength of where they live. In the case of Historic South Atlanta, the top mark was “Sense of Place.” We learned that community members feel a connection to their neighborhood. It “feels like home.” They find value in the place where they live and do not view their house as simply real estate. It’s encouraging to know that, regardless of the challenges our community may face, neighbors feel connected and committed to this place.  

Inspiring the Community for Growth

Through the survey data, we identified four areas where the community saw growth opportunities: 

  1. Housing – Our neighborhood saw house prices increase an average of $125,000 in one year. With increasing development nearby and rising taxes, residents wondered if they will be able to stay long term.

  2. Leadership – The pandemic took community meetings online and canceled numerous local events. The duration meant leadership had changed, and many residents felt disconnected from these new leaders. 

  3. Local Commerce – Residents identified a lack of local commerce options and questioned the fairness of pricing at some of the retail and other options that do exist. 

  4. Education – This area was on both our strengths and opportunities list. The survey revealed that while our schools are currently labeled as poor or failing, residents had good experiences with the schools. They felt connected to leadership and had access to valuable programming. There is still recognition that our schools have the opportunity to grow and better serve our neighborhood kids. 

At our community meeting, these areas for growth became a jumping-off point for creativity, inspiration, and collaboration. Neighborhood Engagement Director Pamela Stringfield encouraged attendees, saying, “Your gifts are critical for us to move forward together.” She reminded them that the strong sense of place meant we were all talking about a community we love. She directed residents to consider the question, In light of the data, what would we want to do next? She asked everyone to identify what particular opportunity connected with them and to share how they might lean in and get involved. 

Data can be more than simply a reporting tool. It can be an encouraging way to see where your neighborhood is thriving. It can also serve as inspiration to ignite people to leverage their talents and gifts for the collective flourishing of their community. 

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