Rep. Hank Johnson pushes for $5 million to fund community projects in Georgia’s Fourth District

Decatur, Clarkston, Tucker Covington, Oxford projects on the list for funding

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Congressman Hank Johnson (GA-04) announced that he has secured $4,929,000 for eight community-funded projects in the 2022 Department of Labor (DOL), Health and Human Services (LHHS) and the Department of Transportation, and Housing and Urban Development (THUD) appropriations bills.

The inclusion of the funding in the Appropriations Committee draft bill is the first step in the funding process. Johnson said he will continue to fight for this funding as the bill moves to the full Appropriations Committee, consideration on the House Floor, and negotiations with the Senate.

Johnson is making the projects a top priority after speaking with leaders in the Fourth District and vetting eligible submissions for Community Project Funding to the Appropriations Committee.

• The projects include:

$800,000 for sidewalk improvements to Flat Shoals Parkway in Tucker and Decatur

• $600,000 complete streets improvement project in the City of Decatur
• $1,000,000 for the development of a Transportation Training Center at Georgia Piedmont Technical College
• $900,000 corridor and connection initiative in Oxford
• $800,000 multi-use trail in Covington
• $209,000 affordable housing and studio complex in the City of Decatur
• $320,000 for the City of Clarkston’s READY School initiative
• $300,000 for MedCura Health’s Mental Health Workforce Development initiative.

Additional details on the projects can be found here. Information on the status of additional requests will be announced in the coming days.

“These projects are critical investments for Georgia Fourth District,” said Johnson, a senior member of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee.

“They are investments in healthcare, education. infrastructure and our overall quality of life. Mostly, they are investments in people. Anyone who says government doesn’t work for the people should feel confident in this process as we move forward. It doesn’t matter where you live or how much you make; we all benefit together.”

One of the funded projects, Clarkston’s READY Schools initiative, will work to create equitable access to early learning programs in refugee and immigrant communities.

“I am so excited about this opportunity to expand the amazing READY School program to four communities in DeKalb County, in partnership with CDF Action and with the support of the Congressman Hank Johnson’s office,” said DeKalb County Commissioner Ted Terry, who represents the Clarkston area on the DeKalb County Board of Commissioners as Super District 6 Commissioner. “Study after study shows that investing in early learning pays tremendous dividends in the larger community by improving school performance, increasing the socialization of our young people, and in fostering career development and advancement for a workforce comprised of mostly women.”

This free multilingual part-time early learning and family engagement program, located in apartment communities, offers an environment that is safe, welcoming, and enriching, providing the foundation for future success, Johnson said.

The funding provided for MedCura Health’s Mental Workforce Development program will fortify mental health services in the community that are so critical during the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, where so many have lost so much. This investment will increase the number of professionals that can support and bolster our community in the wake of this crisis, with a focus on mental wellness.

“Our community desperately needs additional mental health services with the increasing unhoused population and the terrible impact Covid-19 has had on both mental health and economic stability,” said MedCura Health CEO Jeff Taylor. “We are having difficulty keeping up with the demand currently and it has been difficult to hire psychiatrists. This funding would mean we can increase services by 200% and expand services from one site to five sites.”