484 organizations
How community and civic life works in Atlanta
Atlanta is organized into 25 Neighborhood Planning Units (NPUs) — citizen councils that meet monthly and give official input on zoning, development, and city budgets. Anyone who lives in the NPU can show up and vote; it's the most direct lever ordinary residents have, and most people have never been told it exists. Find your NPU's meeting on the city's planning site or ask at your library branch.
Libraries deserve their own sentence: free meeting rooms, computers, printing, hotspot lending, social workers in some branches — the public living room of every neighborhood. For volunteering, Hands On Atlanta matches people to thousands of shifts; mutual aid networks organize neighbor-to-neighbor help with fewer forms and faster yes.
What to expect when you show up: community meetings run on first names and folding chairs. Come twice — the first time you'll listen, the second time you'll belong.
This is the Atlanta Police Department's Community Oriented Policing Section (COPS). Instead of just answering 911 calls, these officers build trust with neighbors and run programs to prevent crime, help homeless residents, support youth, and act as friendly contacts for the LGBTQ and Hispanic communities. You can reach them to ask about safety programs, request a crime-prevention talk, or connect with a community liaison officer.
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This is the City of Atlanta's general government information service, run through ATL311 at City Hall. You can call to ask questions about city services, report non-emergency problems (like potholes, water bills, or trash), and get connected to the right city department. It is not a mental health or crisis line.
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This is the main phone and information line for the City of East Point government, a city of about 38,000 people in Fulton County just southwest of Atlanta. Calling connects you to city departments like utilities (power, water, sewer), permits, police records, municipal court, and parks. Use it to reach a city service, ask a question, or get pointed to the right department.
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