How Much Should Sandy Springs Help the Poor?

Poor is not a word that’s usually connected to Sandy Springs, yet Tamara Carrera, executive director of the Community Action Center, works with people in need everyday.

“We’re seeing about 500 families a month,” said Carrera. “Some need food. You don’t [ask] for food unless you’re hungry. You come here because you really need it.”

The Community Action Center has received at least $75,000 from the City of Sandy Springs annually. The CAC received $85,000 in 2010 and $100,000 in ’08 and ’09. The amount of future donations was debated in the work session of last week’s City Council meeting.  

Currently the city has allotted $120,000 for non-profit donations. Councilmember Karen McEnerny wants to see the funds directed to the arts and environment instead of aid to the poor.

“We are no longer able to provide the Community Action Center with their annual stipend of $75,000 that they have come to rely on,” McEnerny said. “They are a great organization but we need to spread it around.”

McEnery’s stance was starkly different from Mayor Eva Galambos and other Council members. 

“We’ve got people that are hungry in the streets and you’d rather give money to the arts?” Said Tibby DeJulio.

Setting the Non-Profit Policy

Galambos and Council members each prioritized categories for different types of non-profits by percentages. The categories were: Aid to the poor, arts, environment, education and miscellaneous.

Aid to the poor was the top priority for most. Galambos and  Dianne Fries ranked it 70 percent; John Paulson – 65 percent; Tibby DeJulio – 50 percent; Gabriel Sterling – 35 percent. [Sterling would ultimately like the decision on non-profits to be discussed by the Council each year.]

Chip Collins ranked each category evenly at 25 percent. McEnery categorized aid to the poor at zero percent, selecting environment as the top priority at 75 percent; and arts at 25 percent.

Their process would result in the CAC receiving a $54,000 donation. The City of Sandy Springs helps the non-profit with about 25 households per month, according to Carrera.

Getting by

The CAC also receives one third of its donations from individuals, and one third from local churches, the executive director said.

Galambos believes the city has a moral obligation to help the Community Action Center. “It is the organization that serves the greatest number of homeless people,” she said.

“Give them the money yourself if you want to even it out,” McEnerny replied.

Given the current economy, people in need can have a variety of stories that led to their circumstances.

Carrera told Patch of a family, in which, the husband lost his $50,000 per year corporate job.  He is now working part time in retail earning $9 per hour. 

“They have barely enough to pay utlitiies. And the wife is working also. They have kids and it’s really difficult.  That’s a middle class family that is struggling to pay the mortgage,” Carrera said.

There are other families also struggling to survive by working several part-time jobs – painting and doing odds and ends for people. 

“There is a lot of creativity with our families,” Carrera added. “A lot of people think that people who come here are just taking advantage of stuff. What I find are hard working people desperately trying to make a differences in their [own] lives.”

The non-profit policy will likely be discussed during the next City Council meeting on Oct. 18. Dianne Fries suggested members vote, at that meeting, on whether to donate at least $75,000 to the CAC and see where each member stands. 

"Maybe we increase the pot from $120,000 to some number so that we can spread it around,” McEnerny added.