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| Charlotte can and should do a better job to support the most vulnerable communities, the authors Tchernavia Montgomery and Jennifer Roberts write. |
Recently, questions have arisen about the data used in the famous Harvard / Chetti study. In 2014, Charlotte was ranked 50th out of 50 cities.
Some think that the numbers may not have been accurate. Perhaps upward mobility isn’t too bad here.
truly? Are you rearranging the Titanic deck chairs?
Anyone who has been involved in health and welfare services in Mecklenberg County, life in our area is an hourly worker, an unskilled worker, a colored person, a person with a chronic illness, previously imprisoned. I am well aware that it is a challenge for the individual who was and the recent immigrants. Whether we are in 50th or 46th place, we should not change our commitment to improvement.
As Executive Director of Caring, I am familiar with this. My knowledge of those who are struggling is deep. What are we still doing wrong?
Like the Titanic, our safety nets and care systems are built for some, but not all. Like that ship, illness and death are not fair throughout the class – poor people experience a much worse fate.
As the first colored person to lead an organization with a history of about 70 years, I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to gain upward mobility as I celebrate my first anniversary. Twenty years ago, I went through these same doors as a patient, not as a leader. I lost my job and didn’t have health insurance, but the medical care I received was far more valuable than the charity I paid.
I am treated with dignity and respect, yet before the “social determinants of health” are generally understood, staff members take my socio-economic challenges and the sacrifices that the unemployed have made to my life. I was aware. As a single parent without a local support system, their intervention in me was timely and important.
Safety net programs are essential for vulnerable families. Today, Caring serves approximately 8,000 uninsured or uninsured individuals in our community, and COVID presents its own challenges.
As a former recipient of government qualification programs, home visit services, and public housing, I show examples of how safetynet programs work and work when services are properly coordinated and targeted. is. I personally have the inspiration to become a social worker today as a result of the services I received through my maternal and child health and teenage parent support programs.
This program taught me about my child’s health, like the Caring Nurse Family Partnership, but it also provided the social and emotional support I needed to be an effective parent. .. Impressive at the age of 15, I felt empowered by these overall enhancements, strengthening my sense of self and igniting the first flames that catapult my journey to myself today. ..
The forced resilience used to survive adversity is a symptom of a broken system, but it is necessary for the poor. Improving support system integration is equivalent to increasing access. We were fortunate to find the Care Ring, but how do we ensure that everyone can find the support network they need?
In our community, donations from individuals and businesses (time, talent, treasure, etc.) are not just investments in organizations, but investments in families. Families benefit from a healthier and happier life across generations.
Charlotte is a community of wealth, rich in spirit and intent as well as dollars. The continued strengthening of safety net systems is essential to the ability of all to improve economic mobility. Increasing funding opportunities, creating focused capacity building initiatives, and protecting the dedicated workforce are all means to achieve this goal.
We can focus our overall strengths on developing an integrated plan for success that is measurable and validated by those who work every day. As Executive Director of Caring, I first admit that service providers do not have all the answers. But we approach by leaning forward and deliberately building trust with those who serve. I am not a leader today because I am educated. I am today’s leader thanks to my experience.
As our community sets sail for a healthier and more equitable voyage to tomorrow, will we simply relocate the chairs of the ship with some seats, or everyone? Ask if you promise to build a new ship with a place for.
Jennifer Roberts is a former Mayor of Charlotte and a former Mecklenburg County Commissioner. Tchernavia Montgomery is Executive Director of Care Ring, a non-profit organization that provides medical services to uninsured and uninsured.
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