Vice President Biden Tours East Lake Early Learning Academy

ATLANTA, March 4, 2014 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Purpose Built Communities, a non-profit consulting firm working to end urban poverty, welcomed Vice President Joe Biden this morning to Atlanta's East Lake community. The visit was co-hosted by the East Lake Foundation whose work has transformed this neighborhood and is the premiere example of how the Purpose Built model can revitalize an entire community.

Vice President Biden visited the East Lake Early Learning Academy at the East Lake Family YMCA, while also speaking with Purpose Built's senior leadership about the community revitalization efforts in the East Lake neighborhood and across the United States. The East Lake Early Learning Academy serves children from birth to three years old, preparing them for pre-kindergarten with the social, emotional and literacy development skills needed to learn at high levels. High quality early learning is a core part of the cradle-to-college education pipeline of the Purpose Built Communities model for neighborhood revitalization.

"I was honored to meet with Vice President Biden this morning. We explained Purpose Built Communities' holistic approach to community revitalization and our work with local leaders nationwide," said Carol Naughton, senior vice-president, Purpose Built Communities. "Our model includes mixed-income housing, cradle-to-college education and community wellness. This has proven to be successful here at East Lake and our goal is to support more communities across the United States as they implement the model."  

The successful revitalization of the East Lake neighborhood began in 1995 and has shown consistent and remarkable improvement due to the dedication of community leaders and residents alike to transform their neighborhood. Today the results are striking:

• Education: Almost 99 percent of fifth graders now meet or exceed state reading and language arts standards, and 100 percent meet or exceed math standards. The neighborhood elementary school that originally ranked last out of 69 elementary schools in the city is now the top-performing elementary school, while the middle school is the third highest performing middle-school in the Atlanta Public Schools system
• Employment: Five times more adults work or are in job training in the community than in 1995
• Surrounding neighborhood: After experiencing nothing but disinvestment for decades, the revitalization attracted some $200 million in additional commercial investment including new grocery stores, banks, new and more varied housing options, neighborhood retail and restaurants
• Safety: There has been a 73 percent reduction in total crime, 90 percent reduction in violent crime and the crime rate in East Lake is now 50 percent lower than the overall city crime rate

"The East Lake Early Learning Academy at the East Lake Family YMCA is a critical partner in the East Lake Foundation's cradle-to-college education pipeline. It provides our youngest learners the tools and resources to start ahead and not behind in their effort to be productive and engaged citizens in the future," said Daniel Shoy Jr., president, East Lake Foundation. "Vice President Biden's visit helps bring a national spotlight to the East Lake Foundation and Purpose Built Communities' efforts to expand opportunity and access for children in communities across the country."

In addition to its work with East Lake, Purpose Built has partnered with leaders in communities across the country in the effort to transform neighborhoods and stop the cycle of intergenerational poverty. Offering its expertise and guidance, without cost, to leaders in cities including Birmingham, Ala., Charlotte, N.C., Indianapolis, Ind., New Orleans, La., Omaha, Neb., Rome Ga., and Spartanburg, N.C., Purpose Built is helping struggling communities implement a proven model for success that can provide an end to poverty, substandard education, unemployment, health disparities and other challenges that threaten urban America.

To learn more about Purpose Built Communities please visit http://purposebuiltcommunities.org/.
To learn more about the East Lake Foundation please visit http://eastlakefoundation.org/.

About Purpose Built Communities
Purpose Built Communities (www.purposebuiltcommunities.org) is a nonprofit consulting organization that helps local leaders implement a model of holistic community revitalization that will create opportunities for low-income families to break the cycle of poverty while building healthy, sustainable neighborhoods where everyone can thrive. Purpose Built was formed in 2009 to replicate the holistic model of community revitalization that transformed one of Atlanta's most dangerous, poverty-stricken neighborhoods into a safe, healthy, sustainable mixed-income community that is a national model. Purpose Built is working with leaders in seven additional communities to break the cycle of poverty, and in discussions with leaders in more than 20 more cities nationwide.

About the East Lake Foundation
Founded in 1995 on the belief that everyone deserves a chance to succeed, the East Lake Foundation (www.eastlakefoundation.org) collaborates with public and private organizations to provide tools that enable Atlanta's East Lake residents to build a better future through cradle-to-college education at Charles R. Drew Charter School and its early learning partners, mixed-income housing at The Villages of East Lake and community wellness through programs including The First Tee® of East Lake, the East Lake Community Learning Garden and Urban Farm and a partnership with the East Lake YMCA. This approach to building a strong community not only helps break the cycle of poverty, but creates a place where people of all ages and incomes choose to live. The experience in East Lake has launched a national movement of neighborhood revitalization through Purpose Built Communities

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SOURCE Purpose Built Communities