Newsletter of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs Spring/Summer 2018 dca.ga.gov FOCUS on BROADBAND: ACHIEVING CONNECTIVITY EVERYWHERE (ACE) The Rural Broadband initiative has launched! The new program was created by Senate Bill 402 the Achieving Connectivity Everywhere (ACE) Act and signed into law by Gov. Nathan Deal this spring. The mission of the program is to provide planning, deployment and incentives for broadband services and emerging communications technologies across the state. In August, Commissioner Christopher Nunn announced Deana Perry as Executive Director of the Rural Broadband Program. As the program undergoes rule making and development, more information will become available on the DCA website. Important Calendar Dates SEPTEMBER 3 - Labor Day DCA offices closed 20 - Codes Public Hearing DCA main office; Atlanta 25-27 - GICH Fall Conference TMD; Tifton OCTOBER 8 - Columbus Day DCA offices closed 10/11 - DCA Fall Conference Great Wolf Lodge; LaGrange Did you know... Beginning this fall, AmeriCorps members serving in Georgia will join more than 80,000 AmeriCorps members serving across the country in approximately 21,600 locations. These members help communities tackle pressing problems while mobilizing millions of volunteers for the organizations they serve. NOVEMBER 14/15 - DCA Board Meeting Ogeechee Technical College; Statesboro DECEMBER 11/12 - CDBG Applicants' Workshop Callaway Gardens; Pine Mountain Since the program's inception in 1994, more than one million men and women have served in AmeriCorps, delivering more than 1.4 billion hours of service and earning more than $3.3 billion in education scholarships to pay for college or pay back student loans. STRAW POLL: What DCA assistance will your community apply for this year? AmeriCorps Grant (GCSV) Select Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Select Community HOME Investment Program (CHIP) Select Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) Select Georgia Main Street Program Select Housing Tax Credits (LIHTC) Select HOME Investment Partnership Program Select Grants Coordinator Jamilla Byrd and Homeownership Finance Office Director Fenice Taylor represented DCA's Georgia Dream and HomeSafe Georgia programs at Congressman David Scott's 14th Annual Health Fair held at Mundy's Mill High School in Jonesboro. Rural Zones Program Select 2018 AmeriCorps, CDBG awards announced The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism (GCSV) announced in August that Georgia has received $3.4 million in AmeriCorps funding. DCA has also announced the annual Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) awards. Sixty (60) Georgia communities will receive a total of more than $40 million in federal assistance to help grow their local economies. To learn more about individual awards, please visit the Newsroom on the DCA website. DCA Board welcomes new members, new officers At the August Board meeting, DCA welcomed four new members and appointed a slate of new officers. Steve Taylor, 11th Congressional District, is the Sole-Commissioner of Bartow County and joined the Board in May. Vince Williams, 13th Congressional District, is the Mayor of Union City and was appointed to the Board on July 1. Boyd Austin, 14th Congressional District, is the Mayor of Dallas and was also appointed to the Board on July 1. Anna Chafin, AtLarge member, is the CEO of the Development Authority of Bryan County. She joined the Board in July. Pictured L-R: Outgoing Chair Frank Turner stands with incoming Board officers Audrey King, Secretary; Tippi Burch, Chair; and Chip Mitchell, Vice-Chair. Do you know the difference between the new federal Qualified Opportunity Zones and the state Opportunity Zones program? For the answers and more information, check out the FAQs. Georgia receives nearly $65M in disaster recovery funding Georgia is slated to receive $64.9 million in federal assistance to facilitate longterm recovery in areas affected by 2017's tornadoes as well as Hurricane Irma. The funding from HUD's Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) program will be targeted for the most impacted and distressed areas. GCAA: Helping People, Changing Lives, Building Families Every July, the Georgia Community Action Association (GCAA) holds a training conference to provide its members with technical assistance, workshops and information. This year's conference, "Opening the Doors of Opportunity", focused on partnerships and the sharing of best practices. GCAA has 20 member agencies and hundreds of individual members representing a majority of Georgia's 159 counties. Special Needs Housing Manager John Shereikis manned the agency's booth at the Georgia Community Action Association (GCAA) Conference in Savannah, July 18-20. At a conference session, he joined DCA's Coordinated Entry System Coordinator Rebecca Hickom to present ways that community agencies and DCA can work together and strengthen local partnerships. DCA website enters Phase II We heard your feedback and will be working to add new features and improve the search function during the next phase of our website development. Stay tuned and thank you for the helpful responses to our survey! DCA Toastmasters Elects New Officers The new officers, from left to right, are: Brian DiNapoli, VP Membership; Jared Hill, Sergeant at Arms; Christy Barnes, Secretary; Leonard Newsome, VP Membership; Ilona Nagy, VP Public Relations; Henrietta Mitchell, VP Education; Jeanette Pollock, President. Have questions about Georgia's Consolidated Plan? Be sure to check out the full report! Service Spotlight: Georgia Commission on Service and Volunteerism The Georgia Commission for Service and Volunteerism is part of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs. Its mission is to promote service and volunteerism through AmeriCorps national service grants, community volunteer recognition, and support of local volunteer organizations and efforts. Organizations are currently recruiting for AmeriCorps members to begin service this fall. AmeriCorps members typically receive a modest living stipend and a Segal AmeriCorps Education Award, or scholarship, upon completion of their service. The award can be used to pay for future education costs or to pay back student loans. Those interested in serving can learn more by visiting americorps.gov/join. Regional Report: Around the State REGION 5 REGION 1 REGION 4 Deputy Commissioner On August 22, Governor Commissioner Christopher Rusty Haygood addressed Nathan Deal cut the ribbon Nunn delivered an agency the Georgia Placemaking for the Grand Opening of update to local business Collaborative's freshman the Appalachian Regional leaders at a breakfast class in Athens. This pilot Inland Port. Located in hosted by the Carroll program is designed to Murray County, the new County Chamber of help cities strategically state-of-the-art facility Commerce in Carrollton. address economic will provide logistics development and quality of solutions for customers in life issues. The program is a four-state region and will Regional Representatives a joint venture of DCA, the remove an estimated Georgia Municipal 50,000 trucks and 15 are a vital entry point to help navigate DCA's Association, the Georgia million truck miles from diverse web of resources. Cities Foundation, UGA's Carl Vinson Insitute and local highways every year. These experienced team members can discuss a Georgia Power. community's needs and options, then help access, organize and manage the assistance available. Need help with planning? Want to learn more about what DCA has to offer? Your Regional Representative is here to help! Georgia Department of Community Affairs | 404-679-4940 | communications@dca.ga.gov | www.dca.ga.gov Let's Get Social!