Thriving neighborhoods don’t happen by accident. They’re built through opportunity, local businesses, and pathways to long-term stability.
In Historic South Atlanta and Thomasville Heights, that vision comes to life through FCS’s Economic Vitality initiatives, a core part of our work to ensure neighbors can not only live in their community, but truly thrive there.
Economic vitality means more than job placement or storefronts. It’s about building local ecosystems where skills lead to opportunity, businesses are rooted in the neighborhood, and families gain the tools they need for long-term stability and growth.
This work is guided by three interconnected focus areas: Workforce Development, Business Ecosystems, and Asset Building, and led by FCS’s new Director of Economic Vitality, Kim Jones.
Three Focus Areas, One Integrated Vision
1. Workforce Development: Preparing Neighbors for Today’s Job Market
Finding a job today is harder and more complex than it was even a few years ago. For every open position, hundreds of applications may be submitted. Many qualified candidates never hear back, not because they lack skills, but because they lack access to the right tools, language, and networks.
FCS’s workforce development efforts focus on helping neighbors understand the current job market, strengthen their resumes, and connect with opportunities that align with their skills and goals.
Recently, FCS hosted a Level Up: Career Coaching Event in partnership with the Atlanta Center for Self Sufficiency, offering one-on-one career coaching and resume support. Twenty-six people registered, and participants left with clarity, confidence, and practical next steps.
As one participant shared:
“I’m glad I came because now I feel more prepared. I’ve been putting in application after application, waiting months to hear back. Now I understand the job market and know how to make my résumé stand out.”
These sessions are just the beginning. Future plans include employer partnerships, career readiness workshops, and opportunities that move beyond job access toward career mobility.
Workforce development also happens every day at Carver Market and Community Grounds, where our employees gain paid work experience while developing essential soft skills—communication, professionalism, conflict resolution, and leadership. The end goal isn’t just employment; it’s helping people build skills they can carry into their next opportunity.
2. Small Business Ecosystems: Supporting Local Entrepreneurs
Economic vitality grows when neighbors can turn ideas into income and businesses into community assets.
FCS supports small and micro-businesses through initiatives such as Start:ME, the Southside Assembly Business Association, and emerging vendor opportunities at Community Grounds and Carver Market.
Many entrepreneurs in FCS neighborhoods operate home-based or micro-businesses and face barriers to visibility, capital, and systems. Rather than focusing only on traditional brick-and-mortar models, FCS meets entrepreneurs where they are, helping them build capacity, access markets, and grow sustainably.
Last month, we kicked off our 9th year participating in Emory University’s Goizueta Business School’s Start:ME program, which equips neighborhood-based small businesses with the tools, connections, and capital needed to thrive. With 20 ventures in this year’s Southside cohort, including three Purpose Built Schools Atlanta parents and our very own FCS team member, Alexei, the 14-week journey is off to a strong start. We’re excited to walk alongside these entrepreneurs as they build what’s next.
“Start:ME has already centered me and shifted my mindset into already being a successful business owner, not becoming one,” shared Tanisha O’Neal. “I’ve learned more in three sessions about my business as an owner than actually working in the business.”
In an effort to continue providing support for small businesses in our communities, we also helped launch the Southside Assembly Business Association, creating space for local business owners to connect, learn, and collaborate. Established through a partnership and grant with the Atlanta Beltline, this work reflects what’s possible when collaboration sparks long-term leadership and ownership within the community.
FCS is also introducing a vendor management initiative, offering local entrepreneurs shelf space, café features, and promotional opportunities at Carver Market and Community Grounds, lowering the barrier to entry while increasing exposure.
By strengthening small businesses, FCS keeps dollars circulating locally, creates jobs, and builds commercial spaces that feel like gathering places, not just transactions.
3. Asset Building: Creating Tools for Long-Term Stability
Jobs and businesses matter, but without financial tools, stability remains fragile.
The third area of Economic Vitality focuses on asset building: helping residents grow wealth, build credit, and plan for the future.
Programs like the Thomasville Heights Financial Achievement Club, which equips seniors in the community with financial education, matched savings, and coaching. Each participant in the recent cohort committed to saving $100 a month for six months, totaling $600, which was matched dollar-for-dollar. All 25 seniors met or exceeded the goal and now have an emergency savings account with at least $1,200.
At the heart of this program is collaboration. In partnership with United Way and Housing Plus Inc., and with funding from PNC Bank, we bring together resources, expertise, and relationships to help neighbors achieve greater financial security and independence.
FCS is also currently offering FREE tax preparation services in partnership with St. Vincent de Paul Georgia. Alongside tax support, we provide asset-building counseling that helps families use their refunds to build emergency savings, pursue education, secure transportation, invest in a home, or start a small business.
This work is deeply rooted in Kim Jones’s expertise. Early in her career, Kim helped design what would become the national VITA free tax preparation model, unlocking millions of dollars for families and fueling long-term neighborhood stability.
Meet Kim Jones, Director of Economic Vitality
Kim joined FCS three months ago, bringing 25+ years of experience driving economic revitalization across the public, nonprofit, corporate, and education sectors. She has a proven record of expanding access to capital, strengthening small businesses, and building sustainable financial strategies that empower underserved communities.
Her career includes close to a decade with Wells Fargo, leading community development and government relations, as well as consulting with CDFIs and nonprofits to grow minority and women-owned businesses through innovative lending programs.
As FCS’s Director of Economic Vitality, Kim is focused on strengthening community partnerships, expanding workforce opportunities, and advancing community-centered enterprises like Carver Market and Community Grounds Cafe.
“I don’t see my role as just building programs,” says Kim. “I see it as building bridges between people, partners, and opportunities. It’s about helping people access and navigate resources while also showing them how to use those resources effectively. When people have a job, then assets, then opportunities to grow their money, that’s when real economic mobility starts to happen.”
When workforce development, small business support, and asset building work together, families gain not just income, but options.
Looking Ahead
Economic Vitality at FCS is still growing, but the foundation is strong. As partnerships deepen and programs expand, the focus remains the same to ensure development benefits existing residents and creates pathways for people to thrive—right where they are.
Because vibrant neighborhoods aren’t just built with buildings. They’re built with people.
