Free event will provide information for Greensboro’s Home Owners, Tenants, and New Comers

(June 19, 2014 - Greensboro, Ga.)  Greensboro’s Community Housing Team will host a Housing Resource Fair from 10 am until 12 noon on Saturday, August 2, 2014 at Festival Hall in downtown Greensboro.  The event is free and open to the public.

“The Greensboro Housing Fair will help connect Greensboro residents with resources to improve housing,” explains Greensboro’s Community Development Director Cail Hammons.  “We plan to have information for homeowners, tenants and those who may be relocating to our city.”

Greensboro Awarded $300,000 for Home Renovations

The City of Greensboro was selected to receive $300,000 to fund home renovations through Georgia’s Community Home Investment Program (CHIP).  The grant announcement was made by Department of Community Affairs Commissioner, Gretchen Corbin and is part of more than $10.2 million in CHIP funding awarded to local communities and non-profit organizations across the state. 

Greensboro’s CHIP grant will seek to rehabilitate owner-occupied homes in the Mary Leila Mill Village neighborhood. Eligibility for the renovation funds will be based on the age and income of the home occupants, the census tract location of the home, and the degree of need.

Greensboro's Community Housing Team attended the Spring Housing Conference in Douglasville, Georgia in February 2014.  Greensboro was a Sophomore level participant in the conference.  

The Greensboro Team attended learning sessions that included "Community Visioning", "Downtown Living", Housing Development", and "Media Relations".

The team also participated in facilitated work sessions that allowed the group to develop goals and strategies for continued work towards improve housing in the City of Greensboro.

Greensboro's Community Housing Team visited the City of Covington to gain first hand knowledge of successful housing programs.  

The Greensboro Team visited the Harristown Park apartments in Downtown Covington and also the Walkers Bend single family home subdivision.  The tour was facilitated by staff from Fairway Management, the leasing company for both developments and also staff from the City of Covington.

The Greensboro Housing Team was joined on the visit by members of the Greensboro City Council and the Greensboro Downtown Development Authority.

Greensboro Team Attends Workshop in Rome

(September 16, 2013 – Greensboro, Ga.)  Ten members of the Greensboro Community Housing Team attended a housing workshop in Rome, Georgia as part of the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH).  Greensboro was accepted into the state’s GICH program in 2012 and has successfully completed its first year of participation. 

The Georgia Initiative for Community Housing is a three-year program that provides technical assistance and collaboration for communities as they work towards neighborhood revitalization.  The GICH program is presented by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the University of Georgia, the Georgia Municipal Association, Georgia Power, and Georgia EMC.

"Our Greensboro team has learned a great deal about neighborhood revitalization through the GICH program," explains housing team member and Better Hometown director Cail Hammons.  "We are off to a great start in the GICH program."

Greensboro’s Housing Team has worked to conduct neighborhood clean ups, complete a volunteer-led housing assessment, increase public communication, and intensify code enforcement efforts.  In addition the team has provided leadership and public input on the city’s latest Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) award of $500,000 for water line improvements in the Mill Village neighborhood.

If you are interested in learning more about the Greensboro Housing Team or in receiving assistance for your neighborhood, please contact Annie Grant at Greensboro City Hall at (706) 453-7967 or complete an online interest form at www.greensborocommunityhousing.com 

The Greensboro Community Housing Team was formed in 2012 to address housing challenges within the city of Greensboro.  The team is made up of volunteers from across the community and seeks to improve housing conditions in Greensboro with technical assistance from the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing.

Greensboro Awarded $500,000 for Water Line Improvements in the Mill Village Neighborhood

ATLANTA, GA – On behalf of Governor Nathan Deal, the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Commissioner Gretchen Corbin announced that Georgia has awarded over $37.5 million in federal assistance from the U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for the State’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program.

“The State Community Development Block Grant program provides an essential resource to Georgia’s smaller more rural communities in their efforts to support projects that will create jobs and assist low- and moderate-income citizens. As communities large and small are making difficult choices, today’s announcement represents an important investment in various local health and safety, economic development and job creation programs, insuring Georgia’s communities are prepared for economic development opportunities,” said Commissioner Corbin.

Over $33 million is being allocated for CDBG awards that will be used to support capital projects in 69 Georgia communities. Projects include the upgrading of water supplies, the provision of basic sewer services, health facilities, senior citizen facilities, flood and drainage improvements and other neighborhood revitalization projects.

An additional $4,510,721 million was recently invested for economic development projects in 10 Georgia communities. The CDBG funds for the 10 projects will leverage over $137,974,301 million in private investments for economic expansions that will create over 1,016 jobs for Georgians. As additional resources become available, funds for worthwhile job creation and redevelopment projects will be made available on an ongoing basis in various parts of the state. A complete list of projects and award amounts is included at the end of the news release.

The CDBG program is administered by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), which uses funds allocated through HUD to support local initiatives that focus on improving living conditions and economic opportunities.

Added DCA Commissioner Corbin, “We are pleased that these resources will be combined with private investments and local funds to implement critical economic development and community development projects. As a key part of Governor Deal’s job creation team, we’re very pleased to assist so many Georgia communities prepare for job growth opportunities. Each year, CDBG investments demonstrate how state and local partners work together with the private sector to create successes in local communities for families and businesses”.

For more information regarding Georgia’s CDBG awards, please visit DCA’s website at http://www.dca.ga.gov/communities/CDBG/programs/CDBG.asp

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Housing Assessments will collect information for future grants and funding

The Greensboro Community Housing Team is working to collect information about the city’s residential areas as part of its housing assessment project.  The neighborhood survey will help to determine how much of the city's available housing is in need of maintenance or repairs.  

"Completing a housing assessment is an important first step in improving the city's residential areas," explains housing team member and Better Hometown director Cail Hammons.  "The baseline data that we collect will be helpful as the housing team works to obtain funding from grants or donations."

Volunteers from the Greensboro Housing Team will visually assess properties from the public right of way and note the condition of residential lots and structures across the city.  Housing team members will not access private property or interview property owners.

The team is also hoping to collect information from property owners who are interested in receiving assistance in making needed repairs or maintenance to their homes.  

"As the housing team's efforts grow we hope to be able to connect home owners with the resources they need to improve their property," explains Hammons.  "We are currently working to determine what kind of needs exist and who might be interested in receiving help."  

If you are interested in registering your home for future assistance or volunteer programs offered by the Greensboro Housing Team, please contact Annie Grant at Greensboro City Hall at (706) 453-7967 or complete an online interest form at www.greensborocommunityhousing.com 

The Greensboro Community Housing Team was formed in 2012 to address housing challenges within the city of Greensboro.  The team is made up of volunteers from across the community and seeks to improve housing conditions in Greensboro with technical assistance from the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing.

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Students Clean Up Greensboro's Oak Street

Students from Anita White Carson Middle School spent several hours on Thursday morning cleaning up Oak Street in Greensboro.  The street was littered with old tires, bottles, abandoned toys and other debris. 

The ten students who participated in Thursday’s Clean-Up are part of the Succeed Through Service program.  Succeed Through Service is a partnership between The Ritz-Carlton Lodge, Reynolds Plantation and Carson Middle that focuses on preparing children for college, work, and life.  The program inspires the children to embrace concepts such as hard work, commitment and a positive attitude.  The Oak Street Clean-Up allowed students to engage in service learning project that introduced the students to the importance of giving back to their community.

The students, along with several of the ladies and gentlemen from The Ritz Carlton Lodge, donned yellow safety vests and work gloves.  The group collected more than 80 bags of trash, two dozen tires, and even found surprising items such as a basketball, football, and discarded children’s toys. 

The Oak Street Clean-Up is a part of a larger effort by the Greensboro Community Housing Team to improve Greensboro’s residential areas.  The Community Housing Team was formed last year to address housing challenges within the city.  One such challenge is the accumulation of litter and debris along residential streets.

“We were thrilled to have the Carson Middle Succeed Through Service students clean up Oak Street,” says Greensboro’s Better Hometown Director and Community Housing Team Member, Cail Hammons.  “The staff from The Ritz-Carlton Lodge was an excellent example for the students in giving back to your community.”

Greensboro’s Community Housing Team hopes to schedule additional clean-up activities in the coming months.  Any club, volunteer group, or community organization interested in conducting a clean-up should contact Greensboro Better Hometown Director, Cail Hammons at (706) 453-7674.  For more information about Greensboro’s Community Housing program visit www.greensborocommunityhousing.com.    

(April 8, 2013 – Greensboro, Ga.)  The Greensboro City Council recognized volunteers who assisted with the city’s annual Clean Up Day at is regular meeting on Monday, April 1, 2013.

Volunteers from across the community canvased the city picking up trash in an effort to help improve Greensboro’s residential neighborhoods during the city’s annual Clean Up Day.  The city council expressed it appreciation to the volunteers for their efforts to beautify the city and to the Greensboro Community Housing Team for taking the lead in organizing Clean Up activities across Greensboro.

Greensboro’s new Community Housing Team built on the annual city-wide Clean Up Day to offer organized Clean Up activities in Mill Village, the Railroad Neighborhood,  and other areas throughout Greensboro.  Volunteer teams used trash bags provided by the city to pick up and bag litter.  The collected trash was later picked up and disposed of by city workers. 

Volunteers from Greene County High School worked with Community Housing Team Member Annie Grant to clean up litter on “Mill Hill” in the historic Mill Village.  Students Kyasia Hill, Tu'Neique Hurst, Victoria Stephens, Jasmine Hill, Jerry Hurst, Niesha Fair, Tyrone Jackson, and Derrick Andrews used their spring break to give back to their community.

In the Railroad Neighborhood volunteers worked to clean up the area around Parker Bridge and the historic Baber House.  The Railroad Neighborhood Clean Up was organized by Community Housing Team Member, Mamie Hillman.  Volunteers included Karen A. Lewis, Lataya M. Cochran, Ronald S. Cochran, David Rankin, and Kevin J. Lewis, Jr.

Hillman comments, “The children in the Railroad community have been helping to keep their neighborhood clean through volunteer clean-ups since they were very little. Now many of those children are teenagers and young adults who still volunteer their time to improve the community.”

Greensboro’s Public Housing Director, Robert Motley took the lead on beautifying Greensboro’s public housing and the surrounding areas.  Public Housing’s team of staff and volunteers managed to remove hundreds of pounds of abandoned tires, litter, glass, and other debris.

“We got permission to clean up several abandoned lots around public housing,” explains Motley.  “These abandoned lots were littered with mattresses, trash and other junk and had a negative effect on the neighborhood as a whole.”

Many groups and individuals volunteered to help with the Clean Up efforts.  Rodrick Humphrey and his crew volunteered to remove graffiti at the railroad underpass on West Street.  Mr. Humphrey used his professional pressure washing equipment to remove the unsightly graffiti.  The AKA Emerging Young Leaders also assisted with the city clean up.

Other Clean Up activities are still in the works.  Anyone interested in assisting with the Clean Up effort for Cannaan Circle should contact Community Housing Team Member Toby Moore at (706) 817-6011.

“We were very pleased with the response to the Housing Team’s call for volunteers to help clean up Greensboro,” says Greensboro Better Hometown Director and Community Housing Team Member, Cail Hammons.  “In fact, we are still receiving phone calls from community organizations that would like to participate.  We expect to have more Clean Up events in the future,” explains Hammons.

The Greensboro Community Housing Team was formed in 2012 to address housing challenges within the city of Greensboro.  The team is made up of volunteers from across the community and seeks to improve housing conditions in Greensboro with technical assistance from the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing.  You can learn more about Greensboro’s Community Housing efforts online at www.greensborocommunityhousing.com.

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Greensboro’s new Community Housing Team is leading the way in cleaning up the city.  The team took the lead in the city’s annual Clean Up Day that took place over last weekend.

Greensboro’s city-wide clean up is an annual event that offers citizens an opportunity to dispose of general trash and debris.  The Community Housing Team built on this effort with organized Clean Ups in the Mill Village and other areas throughout Greensboro.  Volunteer teams used trash bags provided by the city to pick up and bag litter.  The collected trash was later picked up and disposed of by city workers. 

Greensboro’s Public Housing Director, Robert Motley took the lead on beautifying Greensboro’s public housing and the surrounding areas. 

“We got permission to clean up several abandoned lots around public housing,” explains Motley.  “These abandoned lots were littered with mattresses, trash and other junk and had a negative effect on the neighborhood as a whole.”

In addition, Greensboro’s Housing Authority is organizing a student-led beautification effort.  Students, who are out of school for spring break, will assist by planting flowers in all five Housing Authority complexes.

In the Railroad Neighborhood, students worked to clean up the area around Parker Bridge and the historic Baber House. 

Greene County African American Museum spokesperson and Housing Team Member Mamie Hillman comments, “The children in the Railroad community have been helping to keep their neighborhood clean through volunteer clean-ups since they were very little. Now many of those children are teenagers and young adults who still volunteer their time to improve the community.”

“We were very pleased with the response to the Housing Team’s call for volunteers to help clean up Greensboro,” says Greensboro Better Hometown Director and Community Housing Team Member, Cail Hammons.  “Several of the scheduled clean up activities were postponed due to poor weather over the weekend.  We are working to reschedule these volunteer clean ups as soon as possible,” explains Hammons.

The Greensboro Community Housing Team was formed in 2012 to address housing challenges within the city of Greensboro.  The team is made up of volunteers from across the community and seeks to improve housing conditions in Greensboro with technical assistance from the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing.  You can learn more about Greensboro’s Community Housing efforts online at www.greensborocommunityhousing.com.

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Media Contact:

Cail Hammons