Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms announced the One Atlanta: Economic Mobility, Recovery and Resiliency Plan —a comprehensive plan to ensure economic and quality-of-life security for Atlanta residents and businesses. In partnership with Invest Atlanta and WorkSource Atlanta, the initiative is designed to ensure that Atlanta families and hometown businesses have the tools needed to survive the COVID-19 pandemic and thrive in a 21^st century economy.

“There was an existing need to expand access to opportunity for Atlanta families and minority owned small businesses prior to COVID-19,” said Mayor Bottoms. “The impact of this pandemic has only heightened the sense of urgency to build a resilient and equitable foundation for the Atlanta community, that will allow us to emerge from this crisis stronger than ever.”

The groundwork for the One Atlanta: Economic Mobility, Recovery and Resiliency Plan began more than one year ago, with the intent to increase economic mobility and security so that families and businesses would become more resilient when facing unexpected economic downturns.

The COVID-19 pandemic has further highlighted the frailties and challenges the Atlanta community may face in a worst-case scenario.

The plan’s overarching objectives are as follows:

• Objective 1: “Creation of Good Jobs” - Attract, retain, and support businesses from industry sectors that are producing high demand jobs in sectors where Atlanta is competitive, which are accessible to residents from disinvested neighborhoods, and aligned with workforce development efforts;

• Objective 2: “Access to Good Jobs” - Train more low-income and dislocated workers for livable wage jobs, help them progress their careers, or help them switch to a different opportunity in sectors with a large share of high demand jobs;

• Objective 3: “Small Businesses” - Expand small business programs through additional capital investment to support more startups and small businesses from disinvested neighborhoods to survive, adapt, grow and hire more employees;

• Objective 4: “Neighborhood Investment” - Attract more investment into disinvested neighborhoods through specific financial tools, which will reduce barriers and create access to economic opportunities for residents; and

• Objective 5: “Affordable Housing” - Incentivize and support the creation of more mixed-income housing, and new models of development; and help more low-income residents to become home buyer ready, purchase a home, or remain in their homes.

The plan is the culmination of significant qualitative and quantitative data collection led by a group of consultants including Enterprise Community Partners, Urban League, APD Urban and Bloomberg Associates. The data used is a collection cultivated from interviews, focus groups and town halls.

The plan was a collaborative effort between Invest Atlanta, the Atlanta City Council and the Steering Committee. Thus far, the Administration worked with Councilmembers over the course of four sessions to ensure an open and transparent process, with members of the community also playing a key role in the development of the plan.

Further details on Mayor Bottoms’ plan can be found within today’s CDHS presentation by Invest Atlanta at this link.