Annual Report FY 2021

Leadership Message – July 1, 2020 to June 30, 2021

Georgia’s most vulnerable children and families navigated unprecedented challenges during the twelve months of FY 2020-2021. Many schools closed, often with limited access to virtual learning. Many parents lost their jobs as evictions continued outside of the Atlanta metro area despite a federal moratorium. And physical and mental health challenges increased with often limited access to treatment. Though government assistance was increasingly available, access to it was (and remains) difficult for so many of the families who need it most.

Georgia Appleseed strives to amplify the voices of these families. After hearing from families afraid of losing their homes, we worked to design and improve eviction prevention programs that protected thousands of Georgians from homelessness. When foster parents raised concerns about the lack of educational supports for their children, we fought for and achieved new protections for children in foster care entering new schools.

When teachers, parents, and children reported to us that mental healthcare was out of reach for many students, we expanded our efforts to increase access to behavioral services in schools. When parents of color told us that they needed more information about discipline in their schools, we successfully advocated for a new law that requires local schools to provide that data. And we continued to facilitate community conversations that foster police accountability inside and outside of schools. These conversations led to up-to-date community-driven policy to protect communities of color and children from unnecessary or harmful policing. And as always, our lawyers represented individual children in school discipline cases, fighting for their rights and access to needed supports.

Georgia Appleseed will continue to listen to children and families and let their voices lead our efforts. We hope that the information in this annual report will inspire you to join and support us.

Together, we will build a better future for all of Georgia’s children.