The partner connection, Dec. 2011

December 2011
Denise Robinson Exceeding Excellence

NEWS AND EVENTS Great Promise Kids

Denise Robinson, Senior Accountant and Commissioner Mike Beatty

Congratulations to Senior Accountant Denise Robinson, who won this quarter's Exceeding
Excellence award for her extraordinary commitment to customer service and support. Denise is an invaluable asset to the Office of Finance, and is always willing to lend a hand in other offices as well. She meets her regular deadlines in the Office of Finance, and this quarter, found the time to help the Community Development and Finance Division research and track funds for an agency grantee, ensuring our customer had the most accurate and up-todate information available. In this day and age when caring customer service can be hard to find, Denise embodies our ideal of a public servant. Her attitude is tremendously refreshing and worth emulating by all
involved in public service.

BRAVO and A BIG Thank You, Denise Robinson!

Teaming Up for Veterans

In our November issue, we highlighted a group of Department partners working together to end homelessness among our nation's veterans. THIS LINK is to a
CNN story about their work. Congratulations, Quest 35 and the City
of Atlanta! We're proud to be your partners.
Georgia Academy for Economic Development

L-R: Asia Parnell, GPK Executive Director Bo Ryles, Elmer Araiza, DeKalb Superintendent Dr. Cheryl Atkinson, Arthur Simmons, Cross Keys HS Principal Dr. Tasharah Wilson, Commissioner Mike Beatty, Halima Akhtar. Not pictured: Shemone Thomas
Commissioner Mike Beatty hosted an open house December 7, 2011 to welcome the Department's first class of Great Promise Kids. Great Promise Kids (GPK) is a public-private partnership in support of education spearheaded by the Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA) in partnership with Georgia 4-H and the University of Georgia Fanning Institute. Beginning January 4th, 2012, the students will spend weekday mornings at Cross Keys High School and afternoons working in various offices in the Department. All GPK students will spend time with DCA volunteer mentors as part of their workdays, as well as investigate, plan and implement a group service-learning project of their choice to increase their teamwork abilities and develop leadership skills.

DeKalb County School Superintendent Cheryl Atkinson and other school system personnel

attended the event along with the students' families, and DCA employees who have volunteered to be mentors and job supervisors. We look forward to working with these students, and helping them achieve their potential!
For more information about Great Promise Kids, contact Lori Bodine at lori.bodine@dca.ga. gov
Waynesboro Restores Historic School for Senior Housing

L-R: William Rutherford, Pat Merritt (Georgia EMC) and Ted Miltiades

Congratulations to Department employees, William Rutherford, Director of the Office of
Information Systems, and Ted Miltiades, Director of the Office of Codes and
Research, for completing the 2011 Georgia Academy for Economic Development in Region 3.

An historic school building will now provide safe, decent and affordable housing in the City of Waynesboro. Waynesborough
Academy is a joint venture between the non-profit organization RHA Housing and the for-
profit developer Bridgeland Development, LLC. The former school now offers 39 units of
senior housing within walking distance of the downtown historic district and features convenient access to grocery stores, pharmacies, and medical care. The Department helped finance the project using Housing Tax Credits blended with Historic Preservation Tax
Credits. Many former students attended the ribbon-cutting December 7, 2011 to celebrate
the rehabilitation of the building. "This project is part of our history," said State Senator Jesse Stone (R-23), who attended school in the building. "We hope it will be a beacon to other small communities around the state."

VISTA and Atlanta Housing Authority Partner for Seniors

The Appalachian Regional Commission granted Georgia $4,960,575 in Fiscal Year 2011 funds. These awards assist in creating jobs and leveraging private investment in the 37 county Appalachian region of Georgia:

The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism's Americorps VISTA members are partners with the Atlanta Housing Authority to build a
community garden at Peachtree Road High Rise Apartments in Buckhead. "I love playing in the dirt and am looking forward to finishing up the garden at the Peachtree Road High-rise," says Atlanta Housing Authority's Director of Community Partnerships, Shean Atkins. Mr. Atkins worked with VISTA Project members Jackie Wright and Harrison Mitchell to build the community garden and ensure the sustainability of the project within the community.

q $4,117,215 for infrastructure improvements. These funds will leverage an additional $23,063,412 in local and federal funds and will generate an additional $329 million in private investment. Overall, this money will help create 1,245 new jobs in north Georgia.
q $385,173 for educational initiatives to serve 30 high schools in 28 counties and 5,000 elementary students.
q $458,187 for tourism initiatives
For more information on Georgia's Appalachian Regional Commission, see our webpage or contact James Thompson at james.thompson@dca.ga.gov.
2011 Georgia Homeless Statistics

On December 3rd, Mr. Atkins and Mr. Mitchell directed volunteers from Weston Solutions and the Georgia

Volunteers at the December 3 Garden Build Day

Personal Assistance Service AmeriCorps members in garden construction. Inside, volunteers from Project Open Hand hosted a healthy cooking demonstration, and a volunteer from the Atlanta Regional

Commission's Area Agency on Aging distributed brochures on community resources.

Funding for this project comes from a disability-inclusion grant administered by the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism. The success of this garden shows the power of the strong partnerships developed among AmeriCorps VISTA , the Atlanta Housing Authority, Georgia Organics, the staff of Integral Properties Management, and the residents of Peachtree Road High Rise Apartments.

Georgia Commission VISTA members serve in each of the 12 Georgia Regional Commission areas. They assist in publicizing and recruiting volunteers for AmeriCorps Programs, events, and region-based national service events, as well as researching and implementing their own sustainable community service projects. To learn more about the community garden project, contact Harrison Mitchell at Harrison.mitchell@dca.ga.gov. To learn more about the Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism, see the website

Garden City: Georgia's Newest WaterFirst Community

Every two years, the Department's Office of Special Housing Initiatives undertakes a statewide homeless count to assess Georgia's homeless population. The Office of Special Housing Initiatives will use this data to promote solutions to prevent and reduce homelessness in the future. The data from the January 2011 survey is now available and shows the following:
q The surveys were taken in 60 communities across Georgia and provide a sample count for the state
q The total "point-in-time" number (meaning that the number in January may be different than the number today, but is representative of the homeless population overall) of homeless persons was 19,858, down from 21,095 in January 2009
q Nearly 13% of respondents were US veterans
q 37% of survey respondents indicated they had been served in an emergency room within the past six months.
q 51% of survey respondents indicated they had at least one disabling condition
q 9% worked full time q 11% worked part-time q 12 % were day laborers q 68% had not worked in the 30 days
prior to the interview

Assistant Commissioner Saralyn

Stafford designated Garden City as

Georgia's twenty-third WaterFirst

Community on November 17. "Garden

City joins an exclusive group of

communities committed to water

stewardship and long-term resource

management. Earning this designation

took a lot of effort and teamwork. The

staff, citizens and leaders of Garden

Members of the Garden City WaterFirst Team City have proven that working together

celebrate their hard work.

can make a big impact on the

community's water resources,"

commented Assistant Commissioner Stafford. Garden City's WaterFirst program includes a

stormwater utility, a program to stop water loss, public education efforts, and dedication to

Brownfield mitigation.

The WaterFirst Community Program, led by the Office of Environmental Management, is a

voluntary partnership between local governments, state and federal agencies and other

organizations working to improve the management and protection of our shared water

resources.

For more information about WaterFirst, including a list of participating communities, see our webpage, or contact Deatre Denion at deatre.denion@dca.ga.gov.

DCA Board Adopts New and Amended Construction Codes
Upon recommendation of the State Codes Advisory Council, the Board of the Department of Community Affairs adopted the following:
q 2011 National Electrical Code (NEC) with no amendments q Amendments to the 2006 Edition of the International Residential Code for One- and
Two-Family Dwellings (IRC) q Amendments to the 2006 Edition of the International Plumbing Code (IPC) q Amendments to the 2006 Edition of the International Mechanical Code (IMC) q Amendments to the 2006 Edition of the International Fuel Gas Code (IFGC) q Amendments to the 2009 Edition of the International Energy Conservation Code
(IECC)

The NEC and amendments to the IRC and IFGC are mandatory and applicable effective

January 1, 2012. In accordance with SB 370, the Governor's Water Stewardship Act, amendments to the IPC, IMC and IECC will take effect July 1, 2012.

Copies of the new 2012 Georgia state code amendments, as well as copies of any other

The Georgia Dream Homeownership Program makes purchasing a home more

applicable and current Georgia state code amendment packages are available at: http://www. dca.state.ga.us/development/constructioncodes/programs/codeAmendments.asp

affordable for low-to-moderate income families and individuals by offering fixed, lowinterest rate mortgages loans. These rates vary weekly: to check the most current rates,

For questions or further assistance regarding the new 2012 Georgia State Code Amendments, please contact the Construction Codes Office at (404) 678-3118 or constructioncodes@dca.ga.gov.

click HERE. To receive weekly emails with

the most current rates and program information, go to www.dcaloans.com

UPCOMING EDUCATION, EVENTS, OPPORTUNITIES AND DEADLINES

and complete the email request.

Developments of Regional Impact Public Hearing:

Rates Effective December 8:

January 4, 2012

Georgia Dream First Mortgage: FHA/VA/RD
Conventional Uninsured 4.625%
Georgia Dream First Mortgage Combined with Any
Georgia Dream Downpayment Loan: FHA/VA/RD
Conventional Uninsured 4.875%

The Department of Community Affairs will hold a public hearing for interested parties to provide data, views, or comments regarding proposed revisions to the rules governing Developments of Regional Impact. The public hearing will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, January 4, 2012, in the Boardroom (room 302) of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 60 Executive Park South, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30329.
Any party wishing to provide data, views, or comments regarding the proposed rules in writing may do so by submitting them to: Developments of Regional Impact, Office of Planning and Environmental Management, Georgia Department of Community Affairs, 60 Executive Park South, N.E., Atlanta, Georgia 30329, or by presenting them at the public hearing. Please submit any comments no later than 5:00 P.M. on Wednesday, January 11, 2012.

Exceeding Excellence
DId you receive excellent customer service? Click HERE to nominate a DCA
employee for our "Exceeding Excellence" recognition program.

To access a complete copy of the proposed changes to the DRI rules, see the Office of Planning and Environmental Management webpage HERE.
Register Now for the Community Planning Institute - Water Resources: January 24, 2012

The Department launched HomeSafe Georgia in April 2011 to assist homeowners
affected by the recession. Since its inception, the program has:
q Registered 12,526 interested applicants
q Received 4,697 completed applications

The Office of Planning and Environmental Management will host the first Community Planning Institute (CPI) for Water Resources Management January 24, 2012 at the Richmond Hill City Center. This water workshop will provide an introduction to water related issues in Georgia and includes information on the effect of land use and development decisions on water quantity and quality, and addresses issues such as water supply, stormwater, wastewater and policies. This workshop is suitable for elected officials, public works staff, local planning staff, and others interested in water planning and conservation.
For more information, please contact Deatre Denion at deatre.denion@dca.ga.gov, see our CPI webpage or click HERE to register.
Register Now for Winter 2012 - GAED

q Recruited 87 loan servicers to participate in the program

q Closed 446 loans

q Processed 4,231 applications
q Determined 2,568 applicants to be ineligible
For complete program information, including how to apply, see the HomeSafe Website

We are now taking applications for the winter session of the Georgia Academy for Economic Development in Regions 1,5,6,8,9 and 11. See the table below for contact information. If you, or someone you know, are interested in participating in this hands-on, information-packed class, contact the Team Georgia Manager in your Region, or Georgia Academy Director Corinne Thornton at corinne.
thornton@dca.ga.gov.

Region 1 (Rome)
5 (Jefferson)
6 (Macon) 8 (Americus) 9 (Vidalia)

Session I Session II Session III Session IV Contact

1/31

3/6

4/3

5/1

leamon.scott@dca. ga.gov

malisa.

2/9

3/8

4/5

5/3

thompson@dca.ga.

gov

2/2

3/8

4/10

5/3

cherie.bennett@dca. ga.gov

2/22

3/28

4/25

5/30

jo.childers@dca.ga. gov

2/8

3/15

4/11

5/4

cindy.alligood@dca. ga.gov

Georgia citizens need quick and easy access to affordable housing options and we can

11 (Homerville) 2/7

3/14

4/12

5/2

help! Whether you are searching by price,

number of bedrooms, or even proximity to

work, school or transportation, finding a

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT AND

home that meets your needs is easier with GeorgiaHousingSearch.org.

FINANCE DIVISION

lynn.ashcraft@dca. ga.gov

Landlords can register in a five-minute process or work with DCA staff to register large-scale listings. We encourage property owners to post their affordable rental units to help make this site as useful as possible. For more information, please contact Sheila Roberts at 404-679-4855 or sheila. roberts@dca.state.ga.gov
GeorgiaHousingSearch.org is the key to linking tenants with landlords. We offer FREE property posting, bilingual assistance, and a toll-free number (877-428-8844) available to those without internet access. The website provides information on rental assistance, community resources and special needs housing.

November Awards by Region
Region 2 Gainesville and Hall County Development Authority
q $315,000 REBA Grant q Will create 126 jobs q $35,000,000 in private investment q Location of a production and distribution facility in Oakwood, Georgia
Region 8 Georgetown-Quitman Consolidated Government
q $14,262 Immediate Threat and Danger Grant q Assists 2,598 people q Repairs to two water pump stations

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