Atlanta City Councilmember Amir Farokhi has introduced legislation that would amend the city charter to fund participatory budgeting (PB) in Atlanta. With PB programs, residents propose capital projects for their communities, create a ballot of the best ideas, and vote on which projects to implement free of government interference. PB programs have successfully been implemented in the U.S. and globally, from Seattle and Chicago to Paris and Madrid. Farokhi hopes to get funding for his pilot as part of the fiscal year 2020 budget, which will be approved in June 2019.
The AJC reports that the King Center has sold the Martin Luther King Jr. Birth Home to the National Parks Service for nearly $2 million. The two-story Queen Anne-style home was built on Auburn Avenue in 1895 and King was born there in 1929. The home is the centerpiece of the Martin Luther King Jr. National Historic Site.
An initiative from Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms to create a career apprenticeship program for human trafficking survivors has been approved by the Atlanta City Council. The program establishes a formal partnership between the City of Atlanta and Wellspring Living’s Women’s Academy where women can receive 10 weeks of career training, followed by a 12-week paid apprenticeship. When a participating woman successfully completes the apprenticeship, she will be considered for full employment, one of the final steps towards independence from a life of trafficking. For more information, visit www.endhumantraffickingATL.org.