Athens, Ga. – Six communities in Georgia – Cartersville, Fort Valley, Sylvester, Thomasville, Valdosta and Waycross – have been selected to begin a three-year program to assist them in addressing their housing needs.
The program, titled the Georgia Institute for Community Housing, is a new collaborative initiative of the Housing and Demographics Research Center in the College of Family and Consumer Sciences at the University of Georgia, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) and the Georgia Municipal Association and is partially funded by the Georgia Power Company. The institute’s first class will begin the program by attending DCA’s Housing Georgia Conference to be held at the Cobb Galleria Center on Nov. 10.
During the three-year program, the community housing teams will receive facilitation, instruction and technical assistance as they design and implement housing programs to improve both the quality of life of their citizens and their communities’ economic conditions. The centerpiece of the institute is a series of retreats, where each housing team will work separately with a facilitator/housing professional, as well as engage in cross-community sharing and collaboration. Communities will have access to technical assistance and receive continuous feedback throughout the three-year program.
Any city, county or public housing authority in Georgia was eligible to apply on behalf of a community housing team. The teams consist of about 12 members and include representatives from local governments, businesses (banks, real estate and builders/developers), nonprofit housing organizations and the public housing authority. Other groups may include faith-based organizations, development authorities, chambers of commerce, school systems, major employers and law enforcement.
Fifteen applications were received by the due date, which was Sept. 15. The selection process was conducted in two phases. Ten communities were chosen from the first round application review and the final six communities were selected after a site visit. Communities were chosen based on need and the ability to benefit from the program.
The Georgia Institute for Community Housing anticipates requesting applications for a second class of communities next year. For questions regarding this program, contact Karen Tinsley at the Housing and Demographics Research Center at 706/542-4949 or send e-mail to klt@uga.edu.