The partner connection, Jan. 2011

January, 2011

In This Issue
10th Annual Leadership Day
Governor's Awards to Two DCA Teams
Housing Counseling Award
Radon Action Month
CPI in Savannah
New Construction Codes
POPULAR RESOURCES
American Recovery and Re-Investment Act

Celebrating a Decade of Leadership Development!
Members and graduates from leadership development programs across the State will celebrate the 10th Annual Leadership Day at the Capitol next month. This very special event will be held at the Georgia Freight Depot on February 7th, with lunch beginning at 11:00 a.m.. All Legislators are invited to attend as special guests.
Sponsored by the Department of Community Affairs, the Fanning Institute, Georgia 4-H and the Georgia Academy for Economic Development, the program's keynote speaker for this year is Governor Nathan Deal.
Leaders from all across Georgia come together each year at this special event to share best practices and success stories and identify ways to improve leadership efforts in their local communities. The event coincides with 4-H Day at the Capitol, providing 4-H'ers an opportunity to learn about leadership opportunities offered in their communities, listen to great speakers, tour the State Capitol and meet with their state legislators.
For registration information regarding Leadership Day at the Capitol, please visit http://georgia4h.org/public/edops/capitol4hday/register.htm

DCA Home

Two DCA Teams Win Governor's Customer Service Award

Exceeding Excellence
Did You Receive Excellent Service From A DCA Staffer? DCA's "Exceeding Excellence" Customer Service Recognition Program Allows You To Recognize A Job Very Well Done. Please consider

Congratulations to two of DCA's great teams for receiving this quarter's Governor's Commendation for Excellence in Customer Service.
The Rental Assistance Division's Regional Compliance Officers Tammy Bradshaw, Patti Kimbell, Geoffrey Parker, Nikki Crews, Constance Smith and Valencia Jordan.
In an increased effort to protect federal dollars the Regional Compliance Officers participated in a statewide probe coined "Operation Clean House." This multiagency investigation led by the HUD Office of Inspector General, resulted in 80 arrests in 31 counties throughout Georgia for program fraud. It is estimated that Operation Clean House will result in a savings of over $600,000 in federal dollars.

nominating a DCA staffer that's gone above and beyond! DCA's "Exceeding Excellence" recognition program affords DCA team members and our external customers the opportunity to recognize DCA team members for providing excellent customer service. Information is available from the DCA website front page www.dca.ga.gov, Click on the "Customer Feedback" link and complete the information.
Providing Georgians with MORE housing choices! Now, more than ever, Georgia citizens need quick and easy access to affordable housing options and GeorgiaHousingSearch.or g is here to help! Whether you are searching by price, number of bedrooms, or even proximity to work, school or transportation, finding a home that meets your needs keeps becoming easier with GeorgiaHousingSearch.or g. There are thousands of vacant units in the rental housing market available statewide right now and GeorgiaHousingSearch.or g is the key to linking tenants

The Community Development and Finance Division's Grant Management Team (Glenn Misner, Sally Adams, Cindi Bernhardt, Rob Shaw, Crystal Shelly, Lisa Smith, and Maris Wynn) has also been selected for this recognition.
While experiencing a 300% increase in workload brought about by federal Stimulus outlays and Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP) outlays, the CDFD Grants Management Team scaled up their efforts to successfully award all funds to local governments. The team exceeded all program deadlines for implementation of these new programs while maintaining their record of excellent customer service. To date, the State has invested in over 1,400 formerly abandoned and foreclosed residential units; while supporting 620 families to obtain over $7 million dollars in private financing to purchase units. In addition, over 130 new jobs have been created through the program. Through DCA's program design, as units are sold back into the market, the NSP investments are returned and used for additional units.
These teams will be recognized at a ceremony on Capitol Hill in February.
SAFE AND AFFORDABLE HOUSING
DCA Receives Housing Counseling Award
DCA has received a $224,000 award from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for housing counseling. This was the third highest amount awarded to any State Housing Finance Agency. The focus of the funding is to help families find safe, decent, and affordable housing and to prevent future foreclosures. Together with state funds, the grant will support the housing counseling efforts of twenty housing counseling agencies in Georgia.
LOCAL GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE
January is Georgia Radon Action Month
Test Your Home. Protect Your Health.
January 2011 is Georgia Radon Action Month. Radon is a naturally occurring radioactive gas released from the earth that you can't see, smell, or taste but could be present at a dangerous level in your home. As the second leading cause of lung cancer deaths in the U.S. and the first leading cause among non-smokers, radon claims more than 20,000 lives annually. DCA's Office of Sustainable Development provides funding through a Federal grant to support radon education and testing programs by the University of Georgia Cooperative Extension Service and Southface Energy Institute, Inc.
Testing your own home is quick and easy with a radon test kit costing only $6.50 from the UGA Radon Program. If a high radon level is detected in your home, you can then take steps to fix it to protect yourself and your family. To order a test kit, just go to www.ugaradon.com. Be sure to click on the "Family and Consumers" link for complete radon information!
Community Planning Institute coming to Savannah in February
Register now for the popular Community Planning Institute! We limit class size to allow each participant a full opportunity to learn in small groups and take part in class discussions. The Community Planning Institute provides training for citizens, staff and elected officials involved in planning and land development in their communities. We emphasize the importance of a community vision in planning for the future, the role of the planning commissioner in helping define that vision and how to work with your

with landlords! The additions of Atlanta and Marietta Housing Authorities underscore the commitment to meeting community needs and have dramatically increased the pool of housing units listed on the site. This expansion is particularly critical for planning ahead to serve displaced persons during other crises, a vital function during hurricane season. GeorgiaHousingSearch.or g offers FREE property posting, is bilingual, and has a toll-free number (877-4288844) available to those individuals without internet access. The website also provides information on rental assistance, community resources and special needs housing. Landlords can register in a five-minute process or work with staff to register large-scale listings. Property owners are encouraged to post their affordable rental units to help make this site as useful as possible. For more information, please contact Sheila Barry at 404-679-4855 or sheila.barry@dca.state.ga .gov

community's citizens and governing body to make that vision a reality. To register for CPI, contact Annette Henson at Annette.henson@dca.ga.gov or by phone at 404-6795279.
You may be eligible for a $100 scholarship through the Georgia Planning Memorial Foundation, Denise Abboud Fund. For more information go to: http://georgiaplanning.org/about-gpa/memorial-foundation/
New Construction Codes Effective January 1st
Construction Codes Effective January 1, 2011 - The Department of Community Affairs (DCA) Board, on the recommendation of the State Codes Advisory Committee (SCAC), has adopted the 2009 edition of the International Energy Conservation Code with 2011 Georgia Supplements and Amendments.
There are also new 2011 Georgia Amendments to the following State Minimum Standard Codes for construction, the International Mechanical Code, International Plumbing Code, and the International Residential Code.
In addition, the 2008 edition of the National Green Building Standard (ICC-700) with 2011 Georgia Amendments has been adopted as an optional code for cities and counties to adopt as their single-family residential green code. We encourage the adoption of the Green Building Standard by local jurisdictions as a way to permit the use of innovative approaches and techniques to mitigate environmental impact on the designing and construction of single-family homes.
All of the new code editions, including all Georgia Amendments, became effective on January 1, 2011. State-wide training for the new 2009 Georgia State Minimum Standard Energy Code is coming. The training will include the residential and commercial requirements of the 2009 IECC with 2011 Georgia Supplements and Amendments and the Duct and Envelope Tightness (DET) Verifier Training as well. All Georgia Amendments and Energy Training information can be viewed by using the DCA website at: http://www.dca.ga.gov/development/constructioncodes.
If you have further questions feel free to contact the Department of Community Affairs Construction Codes and Industrialized Buildings Program at 404-679-3118 or by email at codes@dca.ga.gov.
Georgia Academy Program Spring Schedule
The Georgia Academy for Economic Development will hold Spring Regional Programs beginning in February. If you, or another community leader in your community, are interested in participating, please contact the Development Specialist listed in the schedule below. If you have any general questions, please feel free to contact the Director, Corinne Thornton, at Corinne.Thornton@dca.ga.gov.

As always, thanks to all our partners that make the Georgia Academy such a successful and engaging program, particularly our co-facilitators from Georgia EMC and Georgia Power Company. Completion of the Regional Academy program is a recognized element in the ACCG and GMA Certified Elected Officials training programs, and graduates are also eligible for Continuing Education credits through the UGA Center for Continuing Education.

SPRING 2011 GEORGIA ACADEMY REGIONAL PROGRAM SCHEDULE

Session I Session II Session III Session IV

Region February March

April

May

Contact

1

1

8

5

3

Leamon.Scott@dca.ga.gov

5

3

10

7

5

Malisa.Thompson@dca.ga.gov

6

17

17

21

19

Cherie.Bennett@dca.ga.gov

8

8

8

5

10

Jo.Childers@dca.ga.gov

9

24

31

28

26

Tina.Hutcheson@dca.ga.gov

11

23

30

27

25

Scott.Purvis@dca.ga.gov

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