Workforce Housing in Rural Georgia

UGA Housing and Demographics Research Center

Department of Community Affairs

Georgia Rural Development Council

What housing can the workforce afford?

To pay the Fair Market Rentin non-metro Georgia one must earn $8.35 an hour andwork 40 hours a week.

Someone earning $30,000annually can afford a home costing no more than $86,800. The average saleprice of a new home inGeorgia is $157,801.

Percent Living Below Poverty

680,000 Georgia households have combined incomes of less than $20,000.

1,050,000 Georgia households have combined incomes of less than $30,000.

Success Stories

What new housingunits are built

in Georgia?More than 75%is site-built singlefamily

60 to 65% issite-built single-family

50% to 75% is manufacturedhousing

Important Sectors of the Workforce Choose NOT to Live

in Rural Communities

From the Town Hall meetings - Teachers and industry upper management don’t live in the county of the employment.In 2 of the 3 industries we surveyed none of the managers lived in the county.

From the Town Hall meetings: Lack of knowledge about existing programs for low-income and first-time home buyers

From the employee surveys: 86% had no knowledge about programs to help them rent or buy housing

Most Know Little About Housing Programs

From the Town Hall meetings and GEDA survey:

Land and infrastructure isn’t available for subdivisions.

The profit margin for building affordable housing is low; volume is important.

The major reasons consumers have trouble qualifying for traditional financing is credit worthiness.

Important Barriers to Increasing the Supply of Affordable Housing

A Coalition is Needed to Address Georgia’s

Workforce Housing Issues

Policy Recommendations

Establish a development fund

Co-sponsor federal legislation to widen the income eligibility requirements for Low Income Housing Tax Credit

Improve enforcement of building codes; consider a matching grant program

Provide incentives for projects that preserve and rehabilitate existing rental housing

Increase the Supply of Quality, Low-to-Moderate Income Rental Housing

Establish a development fund

Encourage employer-assisted home buyer programs

Establish a public-private consortium to encourage well-planned manufactured housing developments and removal of dilapidated manufactured housing

Increase the Supply of Owner-Occupied Single-Family Housing

Establish a technical assistance program at DCA to provide on-site technical expertise to local leaders and employers

Urge local entities to publicize creative efforts to address housing issues

Foster Locally-Based Housing Solutions

Increase the Consumer Literacy of Georgia’s Workforce

• Create a coordinated statewide network to provide homebuyer education and counseling

• Educate the workforce and community leadership on existing programs

• Establish a consumer education curriculum in public and private schools

• Increase awareness and capacity of the Landlord-Tenant Hotline Program

Enhance Housing Leadership at the

Local Level

• Expand and refine an annual statewide housing conference

• Broaden housing issues training for local leaders

• Develop a tool kit for employers• Encourage local housing professionals to

participate in leadership training• Involve public and private groups in

identifying local barriers

Create a statewide clearinghouse for housing data managed by the UGA HDRC in collaboration with other research centers

Develop a multi-year work plan to conduct housing research to support a state housing policy

Develop Ongoing Capacity to

Research, Analyze, & Develop Policy &

Program Recommendations