We can do more for senior housing
As a Decatur resident, social work graduate student and recent housing intern for older adults in DeKalb County, I was encouraged to see new senior housing efforts. But my experience tells me these projects are only a conservative beginning to a much larger issue.
Many low-income seniors rely solely on Social Security and don’t meet the 2½ times rent minimums required by most properties. They’re being priced out. Most have no family safety net, and waiting lists can be years long.
Programs like DeKalb’s Integrated Community Care Initiative help, but they aren’t reaching the most vulnerable members of our community, especially with federal housing funds cut by over $80 million.
We must expand rent subsidies, adjust income requirements and prioritize truly affordable units. Our seniors deserve to age in place with dignity, not fear eviction and housing instability.
KAYLA WATTS, DECATUR
GRADUATE STUDENT OF SOCIAL WORK, UNIVERSITY OF GEORGIA
Kemp must address health care crisis
I’m urgently calling on Gov. Kemp to address alarming deficiencies in Georgia’s health care.
There’s limited specialized care and a lack of health care professionals, especially in rural areas, creating significant barriers to medical attention. Poor health care impacts both individual well-being and economic vitality.
I urge the administration to prioritize investing in rural hospitals, strengthening the workforce, leveraging technology, and addressing health disparities, emphasizing that a healthy Georgia is a prosperous Georgia.
BROWN JONES, ATLANTA
Locking up firearms protects kids
In the name of protection, we have banned cellphones in schools, restricted children’s access to pornography and limited gender-affirming care. But when it comes to protecting them from what is most likely to kill them — guns — we fail to act.
We require car seats and fences around pools, which is why car crashes and drownings are no longer the leading causes of childhood death.
Research shows that Child Access Prevention laws — which hold adults accountable for leaving guns unsecured where children can access them — can reduce youth gun deaths by up to 54%.
I am a responsible gun owner and believe it is time for Georgia to follow the lead of 26 other states and pass strong Child Access Prevention legislation. Locking up firearms in homes with children should be the norm. It is a small ask when the lives of the children you love are at stake.
CLAUDIA FRUIN, ATLANTA
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