Norcross, GHC selected to participate in Georgia Initiative for Community Housing

Norcross was one of five communities across Georgia that was chosen earlier this month to get help from the Georgia Initiative for Community Housing to address housing issues.

The communities, which in addition to Norcross also includes McRae-Helena, Cochran, Byron and a collaborative made up of Troup County, Hoganville, LaGrange and West Point will enter the three-year program in February. The initiative is public-private program offered through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

“GICH has helped a range of communities achieve progress toward housing stability,” DCA Commissioner Christopher Nunn said in a statement. “It’s exciting to see these teams collaborate and develop creative and affordable housing solutions in their communities to build a strong foundation for growth and revitalization.”

State officials said each community will have a 12-member team that includes representatives of local government, business, public housing authority and nonprofit housing organizations. Norcross Economic Development Director Chris Moder and Gwinnett Housing Corporation Executive Director Lejla Slowinski will lead the city’s team.

The teams will undergo training and technical instruction that will help them create strategies to boost their economies and quality of life.

State officials said some of the strategies that communities who participate in the program take on include offering updating codes and ordinances that deal with zoning, offering tax credits for the development of multi-family apartments, creating of a local land bank authority, developing an urban redevelopment plan, performing a housing assessment and targeting revitalization of neighborhoods that are distressed.