The REACH Initiative is focused on student-athletes who are facing a variety of challenging life experiences, many of which are prevalent in the metro-Atlanta area and can be categorized within the following areas:
Child & young adult well-being
Family well-being
Community well being
Source: United Way Atlanta
Several areas in the metro-Atlanta area are below the national average according to a recent study by the United Way of Atlanta. The United Way provides a composite score encompassing child/young-adult, family and community well-being.
To the right is a heat map of the study conducted in 2018 where red and yellow areas – mostly Atlanta and South Fulton -- were calculated to be significantly below the regional average.
Family Well-being:
•Approximately thirty-nine percent (39%) of families polled were identified to be financially unstable and around forty-four percent (44%) were faced with burdens from housing
•Regional averages for these indicators were around thirty-one percent (31%) and thirty-six percent (36%), respectively
Young Adult Well-Being
•No more than seventeen percent (17%) of students exceed an eight-grade reading level – far behind the regional average at forty-six percent (46%)
•In direct correlation, the high-school, college and career readiness for students in the Atlanta area is less than sixty percent (60%), while the regional average is around seventy-three percent (73%)
Community Well-being:
•In the 30349 zip code, the unemployment rate was tallied above the regional average of ten percent (10%) by four percentage points
•In the zip code of 30311 (Campbellton, Cascade and Greenbriar), the unemployment rate was calculated around twenty-three percent (23%)