The neighborhoods served by TCWFI include Adair Park, Capitol Homes, Mechanicsville, Peoplestown, Pittsburgh, and Summerhill. According to the 2000 US Census, these neighborhoods are home to 15,685 residents of whom the large majority is African American. The neighborhoods include some of Atlanta’s oldest residential areas with rich histories. Since the 1950s, however, institutional disinvestment, residential displacement, the construction of interstate highways that divide the neighborhoods, the creation of large public housing developments and increased poverty and crime have destabilized these neighborhoods. Today, they have very few major businesses or amenities like high quality grocery stores, drug stores or restaurants.

These trends have had a negative impact on the residents living here as well. Compared to City of Atlanta averages, the economic well-being of families in NPU-V falls short. Unemployment is high in the six neighborhoods, but even hard-working families often receive limited wages from jobs that offer no insurance or other benefits.

• Nearly 60 percent of children in NPU-V live in poverty, compared to 38 percent of children in the City of Atlanta.
• The unemployment rate in NPU-V is nearly 13 percent, compared to 6.7 percent in the City of Atlanta.
• 53 percent of adults over age 25 in NPU-V hold a high school diploma or equivalent, compared to nearly 78 percent in the City of Atlanta.
  

In response, residents and community-based organizations are mobilizing to secure a better future for themselves, their families, and their neighbors. Their revitalization efforts include not only the housing stock and commercial districts, but extend to reinvigorating the spiritual and cultural institutions, strengthening the sense of community and empowering residents to become financially self-sufficient. TCWFI is working in partnership with community residents and organizations to develop targeted programs that will give residents the tools they need to achieve their goals.