Area Growth Accelerates the Need for Greater Blessings
As anyone living in the area will tell you, strong and steady population growth brings a mix of great benefits as well as a list of challenges, especially to those who’ve been living here for several decades.
Family farms turn into subdivisions full of nice new homes. Country roads become four lane highways. Stop signs turn into traffic lights or roundabouts. New schools are being built. More businesses are moving in. Homeowners are seeing their property values (and taxes) going up, up, up!
Two of the counties served by Lanier Fuller Center, Forsyth and Gwinnett, are considered to be part of 14 “metro Atlanta” counties. Forsyth County, for example, has been on of the fastest growing counties in the whole country over the past decade. The population grew a whopping 46% from 2010 to 2020 and now has more than 250,000 residents, and counting! Neighboring Gwinnett County continues to grow as well. Gwinnett’s population is nearing 1 million people and is now the second most populous county in Georgia, behind only Fulton County.
As the Atlanta metro continues to grow, some long-time residents find themselves being overlooked and underserved. Despite being the wealthiest county in the state, Forsyth County has plenty of families struggling to hold on. Unfortunately, approximately 4.5% of people are living below the poverty line, with many of them being homeowners on a fixed income.
Percentage of Residents Living Below Poverty Line:
- 4.5% – Forsyth County
- 9.2% – Gwinnett County
- 14.5% – Lumpkin County
- 8.8% – Dawson County
- 13.5% – Hall County
Growing pains affect some residents more than others
With so many worthy families in need of assistance with their homes, our Greater Blessing program has become our primary focus. The Great Blessing program’s purpose is to repair, restore, and make homes safe for the family. This includes roof repairs, water damage repairs, rebuilding decks or stairs, installing wheelchair ramps, and ensuring the property will pass inspection. The homeowners also agree to repay the costs of the materials over time.
To fulfill this mission we need your help! We’re always happy to have volunteers on hand to complete the necessary work, but we also require other valuable resources, such as building materials, tools and equipment, and funding.
