Lisa-Ruth Karnes on Vital Signs and Workforce Housing in Cobb
Lisa-Ruth Karnes, Cobb Community Foundation, on Vital Signs, Community Data, and Workforce Housing in Cobb County (North Fulton Voices, Episode 20)
On this edition of North Fulton Voices, Jack Murphy and Kathy Swahn of the North Fulton Improvement Network sit down with Lisa-Ruth Karnes, Director of Programs at the Cobb Community Foundation, to discuss Vital Signs, a countywide initiative that surveys and interviews residents actively seeking services to understand what is actually driving hardship in Cobb County. Lisa-Ruth came to this work through years of direct contact with families at North Fulton Community Charities, first as an ESL teacher and workforce development professional and then as a grants manager before joining the Foundation to lead its grant-making strategy and community programs.
Vital Signs asks a deceptively simple question: how is the community really doing? To answer it, the Foundation partnered with Kennesaw State University to design a survey and conduct interviews through 23 nonprofit partners who already had relationships with service-seeking residents. The preliminary findings point to transportation, housing costs, utilities, food access, and caregiving as the most pressing barriers. One finding that stood out: when residents were asked whether they feel they belong in their community, the answers raised a concern that goes beyond any single housing or transportation program. Isolation compounds every other hardship. When people stop feeling connected, they stop participating, and the problems become harder to address.
North Fulton Voices is presented by the North Fulton Improvement Network. The show series is proudly sponsored by John Ray Co. and North Fulton Business Radio, LLC.