Residents and program staff urge $1 million-plus for Neighborhood Leaders program in FY26 budget

Speakers at the May 20 public hearing said the Neighborhood Leaders Program connects residents in 16 elementary-school zones to benefits and emergency supports, and asked the commission to honor commitments made when a multi-million-dollar set-aside was initially created.

Nut graf: Residents and nonprofit leaders urged that the FY26 budget include ongoing funding—commenters cited past settlement of a $4 million prosperity set-aside and asked the commission to sustain staffing and services rather than allow the program to lapse.

Tim Johnson, who said the commission previously set aside $4,000,000 for poverty initiatives, described the Neighborhood Leaders Program’s outcomes, including assisting residents to enroll in SNAP, Medicaid and other benefits and mobilizing during the pandemic. He said the commission had committed to sustain the program with general revenue funds after the set-aside runs out.

Alice Kinman, a board member of Family Connection Communities and Schools and a former commissioner, asked the commission to add “just over a million dollars” to fund the Neighborhood Leaders Program in FY26, calling it a highly leveraged investment that brings substantial benefits through benefit enrollment, workforce supports and neighborhood engagement.

Carl Blunt, treasurer of Family Connections, said the program’s SNAP outreach alone has generated millions of dollars in benefits being delivered to Athens households and listed other services the neighborhood leaders help residents access.

Discussion and next steps: Speakers asked for a durable, recurring line item rather than one-time funding; commissioners directed staff to include the request as part of budget deliberations ahead of the June input and vote schedule.

Ending: The commission held no vote at the May 20 session; the final FY26 budget vote is scheduled for June 10, 2025.