Last week, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) announced two programs important to rural Georgia have received funding and are seeking grant applications for the programs. The OneGeorgia Authority is the administrator of the programs, the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative and the Rural Site Development Initiative.
The announcements from DCA are made to raise awareness for the programs, as well as outline the grant application process. The programs are both related to rural economic development but very different in the need. The Rural Site Development programs helps to set the stage for recruitment by assessing and assisting in the development of local industrial sites. In order for local Chambers of Commerce, as well as the Georgia Department of Economic Development to do their jobs, sites across the state need to identified, assessed and developed to the point of being attractive to new business. An abandoned field adjacent to a rural downtown may be an attractive site but it can be difficult for economic developers to sell it if they don’t know it is there or if it requires too much preparation work before a business could even hope to move in.
This program provides a small amount of state funding, with matching funds helping to leverage the state money, for properties of a minimum of fifty contiguous acres – big business or perhaps an industrial park. Projects are awarded for sites that currently lack available industrial sites for recruitment and retention of employment opportunities, difficulty identifying other sites in areas with high unemployment or a community commitment to expand and improve existing sites. The amended state budget passed during the legislative session provided $20 million for the Rural Site Development program, to be awarded at regular intervals through an ongoing, competitive grant process.
On the employment side of the economic equation is the Rural Workforce Housing initiative. Also administered by the OneGeorgia Authority, this program provides funding expanding housing in areas with employment needs but a lack of proper housing. Funds will be granted for projects that show ongoing workforce housing needs, difficulty finding new workers in areas with low unemployment or a community commitment to expand or improve existing housing.
The new funding helps to continue the work of the OneGeorgia Authority, celebrating its 25th anniversary this year. “The OneGeorgia Authority was intended to bridge the economic divide between thriving communities and those that are struggling. The program was, and continues to be, a versatile funding tool designed to empower visionary communities to pursue economic prosperity,” said Christoper Nunn, Executive Director of the OneGeorgia Authority, and Commissioner of DCA.
Over the past 25 years, the OneGeorgia Authority has helped rural Georgia to create 65,000 jobs, invest nearly $800 million, and leveraged that funding to to more than $20 billion in private investment and more than $800 million in community investment.
“The OneGeorgia Authority promotes cooperation among local governments, public and private sectors, and regional partners. With everyone working in tandem, communities can improve the likelihood that they will reap benefits for decades to come,” said Pat Wilson, Georgia Department of Economic Development Commissioner.
