CORNELIA, Ga. — The City of Cornelia is addressing its housing needs by participating in a program to help plan for future growth. Eighteen communities applied, but Cornelia is one of only five communities selected statewide for the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) program.
GICH offers communities a three-year program of collaboration and technical assistance related to housing and community development. The objective is to help communities create and launch a locally-based plan to meet their housing needs.
The University of Georgia and the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) facilitate the program.
A proactive approach
Community Development Director Jessie Owensby says Cornelia’s demographics have changed “dramatically” over the last fifteen years. She adds, with “imminent future growth, we want to be proactive about how and where we see that growth.”
“This program will help us create a plan to redevelop our older neighborhoods in need of improvements and repair while also providing opportunities for new and unique types of housing without expanding our footprint,” says Owensby.
Cornelia City Manager Dee Anderson adds the city is “excited” to participate in the GICH program. He says it “will give us knowledge and ideas to help us revitalize our existing neighborhoods.”
GICH Program Director Dr. Jermaine Durham welcomed Cornelia into the program, saying, “we are excited that the City of Cornelia will be a member of the 2024 cohort of GICH communities. We look forward to assisting the Cornelia housing team in their efforts to address the community’s housing challenges and are confident that their experience in GICH will be very beneficial.”
A team of stakeholders
To get accepted into the program, Owensby says Cornelia had to go through a rigorous application process. The city had to provide data and evidence and demonstrate knowledge of housing issues and needs. Additionally, Cornelia had to assemble a team of relevant stakeholders willing to assist the city in achieving its housing goals.
Cornelia has a team of 16 stakeholders throughout the county. The group includes mortgage lenders, landlords, tenants, non-profits, bankers, homeowners, and others. They have volunteered to learn about revitalization strategies and how to effectively implement them.
“Citizen engagement, community partnerships, and collaborative initiatives are an integral part of how Cornelia operates and makes decisions, and we believe our GICH team will be vital in the impact we make on our community and our efforts to raise the quality of life here,” says Owensby.
Cornelia and its team will begin the program in early 2024. It will join the other 93 communities that have benefited from the GICH program since its inception in 2004.
