Background
Columbus, Georgia, is considered a region with a good reputation and continued economic growth, which contributes to the decent quality of life in the area for more than 300,000 residents. The community is conducive to opening and growing a business and raising a family. Located along the shores of the Chattahoochee River and bordering with Alabama, Columbus has been a popular spot for fans of outdoor activities as it offers the longest urban whitewater course in the world. The city is a destination for tourists who come to visit museums, such as the National Infantry Museum, dedicated to the US Army’s Infantry Branch. All of the characteristics of the city allow social workers to identify the pressing issues that require addressing. Understanding a community’s background and context is essential for social workers whose aim is to facilitate the promotion of a population’s well-being. Social workers will use various social, economic, and quality-of-life indicators of a community being assessed to identify high-priority issues and develop solutions to them. Because there is a strong connection between public health issues and social determinants, it is crucial for social workers to have detailed knowledge about community characteristics.
Environment/Community Overview
The community overview entails considerations of its population, racial makeup, levels of income, and other indicators that will allow having an understanding of the main issues. Based on 2022 data, the population of Columbus is 210,330 and is growing at the rate of 0.82% per year (World Population Review, 2022). Since the previous census in 2020, the population of the community has increased from 206,922 (World Population Review, 2022). Notably, the average income of a household in Columbus is $65,942, while the poverty rate is 20.04%, which is higher compared to the US-wide average poverty rate of 11.4% (World Population Review, 2022; Poverty USA, 2020). In several recent years, the median cost of renting accommodation is $925 a month, while the average value of a household is $142,900 (World Population Review, 2022). Considering the mentioned statistics, the housing market in Columbus has been unable to maintain momentum primarily because of the significant unemployment rate.
As to the demographics of the community in Columbus, Georgia, Black or African American citizens represent the largest segment of the population (46.46%), while White citizens represent the second-largest group (42.47%) (World Population Review, 2022). Other parts of the racial makeup of the community include Mixed-raced individuals (5.28%), Asians (2.48%), other races (2.85%), Native Americans (0.31%), and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islanders (0.15%) (World Population Review, 2022).
The central areas of the city remain the main employment locations, while the areas located farther from the center are mainly rural. Due to the moderate climate, Columbus is conducive to year-round use of the available recreational facilities that tend to be curtailed in other cities. Several suburban and rural areas of Columbus have been noted as great locations to raise a family. For example, Smith Station is a suburb of Columbus that offers residents a mix of suburban and rural characteristics, with most of the dwellers owning their homes (Niche, 2022). Such areas available near Columbus make the city reasonably family-friendly and conducive to good quality of life.
Identified Needs
The two selected issues that need addressing include crime and homelessness and crime. In terms of homelessness, its rate in Columbus, Georgia, has increased by 2% between 2021 and 2022 (Maddox, 2022). Since 2016, the increase in the rate of homelessness has been noted at 4% to 5%, with the pandemic being cited as one of the main factors in the increase (Maddox, 2022). The steadily rising rates of the population being without shelter are most likely to be connected to the higher than country average rates of unemployment. When citizens do not have a stable source of income, they are less likely to afford permanent housing. Homelessness in Columbus is a problem because it leads not only to the decreased life quality of residents but also to state-wide costs. Importantly, it is less expensive to provide housing services for individuals without shelter than it is to provide emergency response services; besides, it is far more humane.
Crime is a pressing issue in the city – with a rate of 39 crimes per 1,000 residents, Columbus has one of the highest crime rates in the United States compared to all communities of all sizes (Neighborhood Scout, 2022). An individual’s chance of becoming a victim of property or violent crime is one in twenty-six (Neighborhood Scout, 2022). Within Georgia, more than 86% of communities have a lower crime rate compared to Columbus (Neighborhood Scout, 2022). In the city, the rate of violent crime is one of the highest across the nation, with such crimes as rape, murder, non-negligent manslaughter, armed robbery, as well as aggravated assault being committed regularly. For such crimes, the chance of becoming a victim is one in one hundred thirty-four. As to property crimes, the possibility of becoming a victim is one in thirty-two (Neighborhood Scout, 2022). Finally, Columbus has one of the highest rates of motor vehicle theft.
Identified Resources
To address the issue of homelessness in Columbus, Georgia, citizens have access to several resources, which include shelters, clothing and food assistance, social service organizations, housing assistance programs, and others. For example, shelter and housing services are available through Ideal Living Services, Llc, Damascus Way Home for Women & Children, Trinity House of Columbus, the Stewart Community Home, Hope Harbor (for women and children), House of Mercy, House of T.i.m.e (for women), and many others. The advantage of Columbus in terms of resources for the homeless lies in a relatively high number of housing where citizens can find shelter, both temporarily and on a longer-term basis, ranging from day shelters to permanent affordable housing. However, the disadvantage is that more homeless people stay in emergency housing because the number of transitional or permanent housing is limited.
The services available for addressing the increased number of violent can other crimes in the area are not well-defined, which creates issues in implementation. The law enforcement has recently announced a plan to resolve the crisis by increasing trust between community members and the police, particularly in gang-affiliated neighborhoods (Centofanti, 2021). One of the recent programs is “Cure Violence,” which is aimed at juveniles attending Muscogee County schools. The disadvantage of the resources available is that they are not enough for curbing violent and property crimes in the city and have rather theoretical than practical applications. Therefore, while there is widespread awareness of the fact that violent crimes are one of the most detrimental issues in the Columbus community, there are not enough consolidated local and state government efforts.
Where Social Workers Work
Homeless Resource Network is a social service setting where the social workers of Columbus are employed. Formerly known as the Metropolitan Columbus Task Force for the Homeless, Inc., the organization continues addressing homelessness as a non-profit 501(c)(3) entity partnering with service providers, allies from the community, and people experiencing homelessness. Those involved with the organization are encouraged to take the role of advocates; notably, they will speak on the behalf of the underserved individuals to facilitate systematic change necessary to end homelessness. Among the available settings for social workers, the Homeless Resource Network is the place to consider for future involvement as a professional.
In addition to the mentioned organization, many social workers in the Columbus region work for the state of Georgia, taking such positions as Licensed Social Worker, PSR Facilitator, Hospital or Hospice Social Worker, and many others. In the Office for Crime Prevention in Columbus, Georgia, social workers can apply to join the office. Its mission is to be “the central location in mobilizing the efforts and ideas to make Columbus, Georgia “the Safest City in America”” (Office of Crime Prevention, no date). According to the website of the organization, crime prevention encompasses such areas as community policing, education, employment, drug and alcohol intervention, as well as recreation. Social workers may find great value when working for the office because they can become good advocates for individuals who are more prone to engage in crime and redirect efforts at intervention and prevention. Besides, because crime is closely linked to lower income and unemployment of individuals, social workers at the office could engage in programs for Columbus citizens to find more opportunities for employment.
References
Centofanti, C. (2021). Columbus city leaders address recent increase of violent crimes.WTVM. Web.
Maddox, T. (2022). Survey shows homelessness increased in Muscogee County for first time since 2016.WTVM. Web.
Neighborhood Scout. (2022). Columbus, GA crime rates. Web.
Niche. (2022). Columbus. Smiths Station. Web.
Office of Crime Prevention. (no date). About Office. Web.
Poverty USA. (2020). The population of Poverty USA. Web.
World Population Review. (2022). Columbus, Georgia population 2022. Web.