Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens delivered his 2024 “State of the City Address.” During his speech, held at the Woodrow Arts Center, Dickens provided insight on Atlanta’s achievements, the issues that most be solved, and the future outlook.
He began his speech by giving stats on Atlanta’s achievements and the metro area being named as the
“All of these things are a testament to our city’s forward momentum,” Dickens said. “Momentum built on choosing what’s best for our Atlanta. We’ve made tremendous strides in public safety with major crimes against people down by over 15% and homicides down by 21% in 2023.”
Dickens also discussed the issue of affordable housing as prices continue to rise to historic numbers.
“The foundation of this change starts with housing,” he said. “If you know me, affordable housing, my love language. We break ground and cut a ribbon on affordable housing developments, sometimes three times in a single week. The folks who need affordable housing are your teachers, your police, and firefighters, your barista that pours our coffee, and our senior citizens. These are neighbors who simply can’t afford a $400,000 home. When it comes to affordable housing, our commitment in Atlanta has never been stronger. And with the help of public, private and nonprofit partners, we’re well on our way to accomplishing our goal with over 9,000 units of housing already built, funded, or currently under development throughout the city of Atlanta.”
While 2023 served as the “year of the youth,” Dickens wants to continue that effort.
“More than 5,000 young people between the ages of 14 and 24 have gain valuable work experience and life skills during our summer youth employment program,” Dickens said. “On average, participants earn more than $17 per hour for an internship and apprenticeship. Last year, we raised $4 million in scholarships. We also invested $1.5 million in 32 youth organizations…
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