If a community is the group of people willing to move into a neighborhood, pay rent and stay out of trouble, the Housing Authority does a fine job. If a community is the group of people who originally lived in a neighborhood, who couldn't find work and who have been arrested at some point in their lives, the Housing Authority does a fine job of moving them elsewhere. Glover's work with the Housing Authority has earned her national acclaim, although she's not entirely popular with Atlanta's most destitute residents. The new communities mix original public housing tenants with incoming renters who pay full market rates.
Crime is way down.
Waiting lists are crammed. After Glover left the podium at Monday's meeting, audience members looked at pie graphs and financial charts and wordy definitions that flashed on a mounted video screen. The meeting was called to inform them of the Housing Authority's plan for the coming years. A strict screening process will prevent certain former residents from returning to the Housing Authority's mixed-income utopias. For instance, John Jordan, because he was convicted of a drug charge 10 years ago, does not qualify for re-entry.