Helping Families Become Stable and Self-Sufficient in Walker County
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By Laura Beth Newsom
Coordinator, Walker County Family Connection
Walker County Family Connection is focused on increasing school success and decreasing childhood abuse and neglect. Our county has seen a significant increase in the need for mental health services over the past few years. Due to the lack of providers in our county, coupled with lack of transportation, vulnerable families are not receiving the care they need. Walker Family Connection is collaborating with neighboring Dade and Chattooga counties to create a task force and compile resources to help meet all our families’ needs.
We utilize Georgia KIDS COUNT data to guide our work. We know that teen births for ages 15 – 19 (per 1,000) is 25.4 in Walker County, compared to 16.5 in Georgia. Adult educational attainment for a bachelor’s degree or higher is 20.1%, compared to 34.2% in Georgia. And slightly more than 1 in 5 children, 20.1%, are living in poverty.
We don’t face these challenges in isolation. Working together with other county Collaboratives across Georgia made possible by being part of our statewide network—coupled with the resources that Georgia Family Connection Partnership provides—allows us to work each day toward helping all families become stable and self-sufficient.
I’m able to reach out to my peers across an amazing statewide network that is working toward measurably better outcomes for all our children, families, and communities—and this cross-county collaboration ultimately results in hard-working families in Walker County receiving more help and support.
Visit Walker County Family Connection’s website and Facebook page.
To find out more, contact me at 423-595-2221 or laurabethnewsom@walkerschools.org.