Casey Atlanta Civic Site: Residents as Champions of Change
Stephanie Flowers first became aware of the Atlanta Civic Site when the apartment complex she lived in with her mother was about to be demolished to make way for the mixed-income Heritage Station Apartments. Pittsburgh Community Improvement Association (PCIA) leaders recognized Flowers as a leader and invited her to help coordinate the resident relocation process. They worked together to ensure that relocating residents were kept informed of the relocation process and received Section 8 vouchers.
A Neighborhood Leader and Activist
Flowers has been an active leader in the community since that time. She serves as Secretary of PCIA’s Board of Directors. She was a participant in the Neighborhood Data Advisory Group when it produced the
Neighborhoods Count Data Book. And, following the birth of her son, Marcus, in 2006, she became involved in the Parents As Teachers Program offered by the Education Achievement team.
“This was my first child,” she explains, “so I didn’t know a lot. [The Parent Educator] told me that parents are their child’s first teacher and how everyday activities and the simplest item in your environment can be used to help your child learn.”
As she learned more about the importance of early education, Flowers got involved in the Consumer Advocacy Group (CAG) and the Customer Satisfaction Network (CSN). “I have been living here for many years and I have seen what poor services we receive,” she explains. “When the Consumer Advocacy Group framework was introduced to me, I realized this was a way to begin working to bring quality services into our communities.”
Securing Early Learning Options
The first two target service areas identified by CSN were early learning and education, and nutritional services and grocery stores. Flowers knew the stress placed on parents when they had to leave their children in a situation that they did not believe to be high quality. When Marcus was born, she visited several area childcare centers but did not find one where she felt comfortable leaving him. So, for his first three years, Marcus stayed with Flowers’s mother during the day. As a part of CAG, Flowers helped to research Georgia state standards for early leaning and accreditation in order to help residents identify quality options in and around NPU-V.
By the time Marcus turned three, Sheltering Arms had opened the Early Learning and Literacy Resource Center (ELLRC) and Flowers enrolled him there.“The ELLRC is an asset to this community,” she says. “There was no tugging at my heart that I was leaving him at the wrong place….When I saw Sheltering Arms, I knew this was quality!”
Flowers has been very happy with Marcus’ development, growth and education achievement since he enrolled. “I have seen a real change in his social skills,” she explains. “I have seen him become more focused and engaged in learning and he enjoys reading. His learning has really amazed me.”
Saving for Retirement and Education
While Marcus is preparing for success in school, Flowers is working with The Center for Working Families, Inc. to ensure that she can provide Marcus and her family with a stable and secure life. Since 2003, Flowers has been employed by Emory University’s Emory Medical Care Foundation. TCWFI is helping her convert her earnings into stable savings for retirement and education. “It is a wonderful program. It really opened my eyes on how to budget and think about basic things like life insurance,” she explains.
Committed to Neighborhood Improvements
Flowers has called Pittsburgh home for more than 20 years and now owns a home in the neighborhood. She has seen the community go through many changes. She witnessed the devastation wrought by the foreclosure crisis as many homes around her became vacant and dilapidated. She is heartened to see the work of the Partnership for the Preservation of Pittsburgh. “I have had times when I felt like all I could see were the vacant properties,” she laments. “I wonder sometimes if it will ever stop, if I will ever be able to see families in these homes and not trash and debris around boarded up homes…I love this place and I want to do something about it…I want to see a better NPU-V – not just Pittsburgh. I want to work with residents to be champions of change!”