FY21 rural initiatives newsletters

As our Rural Georgia Initiatives (RGI) team has traveled throughout Georgia, housing is an issue that has consistently been on the minds of rural leaders. There are many questions we’ve heard from communities on this topic. A small sampling includes, “If we attract a new business, where will its workforce live?” “Do we have the housing stock needed to attract a new school superintendent?” “Are there affordable options for the families that currently live here?” “How do we clean up blighted, vacant properties?” We hope these examples may offer some best practices and ideas for consideration.

There are two issues within the rural housing question. The first concern, frequently heard in the rural mountain communities, is the ever-increasing price of homes and the lack of available homes the average family can afford. In recent years, many mountain communities have experienced growth from retirees who have discovered the beauty and affordability of retiring in the rural Georgia mountains. Of course, a side effect has been that developers and builders have trended toward building more expensive houses. Therefore, the housing market in many communities retain a finite number of properties in the middle- to lower price brackets, and as these same communities experience additional growth, customer demand drives those property and rental prices up as well.

Another issue that some communities have encountered is a lack of interest from developers or contractors in constructing new homes as cost-benefit analysis comes into play. Unfortunately at times, indefinable perceptions are taken into account that are not always accurate. We have seen this issue across the state as developers have focused their investments in hub cities and micropolitan markets.

Both of these problems have led to what some are calling the “missing middle” for housing – with housing options for middle income families that are becoming increasingly hard to find. Many rural economic developers and leaders are also using the term “workforce housing” to describe the needed housing investments in rural Georgia. Workforce housing and the missing middle both are very real issues in rural Georgia.

The Georgia General Assembly has also taken notice. Recently, the Georgia House of Representatives released its Final Report of the Georgia House Study Committee on Workforce Housing. This report highlights the importance of workforce housing for Georgia’s continued growth.

There is no perfect solution to the rural housing issue, as each community’s needs will be slightly different. There is a basic format for success however, and there are federal, state, and nonprofit resources available to rural communities to address their housing needs.

First, a community must assemble a team of interested parties that can move the needle on their housing issue. This should include, but is not limited to, elected leaders, city/county government staff, community organizers, nonprofits, developers, construction companies, bankers, and any other concerned community members. Assembling this team first is a must, as they will be the advocates for the whole community to address the housing situation.

Second, a community needs to assess their current situation and how they arrived in that situation regarding housing. A starting point may be to examine housing codes and ordinances. Are these outdated and too restrictive? Have ordinances allowed housing options that are not suitable or sustainable in the long-term for the community? Are minimum-acre requirements making the community unaffordable for the majority of its citizens? We have seen many examples of communities that have not updated their housing ordinances or re-examined their housing strategies in over 50 years. It’s a good idea for current office-holders to review housing ordinances if they have not done so since taking office. Fixing codes and ordinances alone will not solve the issue, but it could be a major step in the right direction for many communities.

Third, find the resources that can assist the entire community in solving housing needs. The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) is the state’s housing agency. DCA has a myriad of housing programs for homeowners, renters and developers. At the federal level, both the U.S. Department of Agriculture-Rural Development and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) have several resources available to rural Georgians. The list below does not include every resource available, but it should provide a great start in determining options that already exist for rural housing.

State Resources:

Federal Resources:

  • USDA-Rural Development’s Rural Housing Service: Offers single family, multi-family, and community facilities programs.
  • U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Office of Community Planning and Development: Seeks to develop viable communities by promoting integrated approaches that provide decent housing, a suitable living environment, and expand economic opportunities for low- and moderate-income persons.
  • HUD’s Rural Gateway Program: Provides technical assistance, training workshops, and peer learning and resource sharing to support rural housing and economic development.

Nonprofit Resources:

  • Housing Assistance Council: National nonprofit organization that helps build homes and communities across rural America.
  • Athens Land Trust: Community Land Trust that conserves, empowers, and sustains communities through responsible and visionary land use.

In conclusion, there is no one-size-fits-all housing solution for rural Georgia. Each community must assemble the appropriate team, examine their own housing issue, and find the appropriate resources to solve this issue. Let us know what your housing needs are or if you have any great rural housing success stories that we can share.