Welcome to Cities Connect, where we discuss issues that matter. Housed in the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, the OneGeorgia Authority is a financial partner and catalyst for Georgia’s rural communities. OneGeorgia helps rural economies grow and thrive by providing financial assistance for infrastructure development, land acquisition, entrepreneur support and more. In this episode, Gina Webb, Director of the OneGeorgia Authority, provides an overview of available funding, including through the new Rural Workforce Housing Initiative that was set up to address critical statewide housing and workforce needs. City officials on the call will learn how OneGeorgia can help improve the economic and employment outcomes of their residents as well as highlighting the following key points: 

1. Funding was just announced to several entities, including City of Albany, City of Colquitt and Columbus Consolidated Government.

2. …but there is still funding available and applications are reviewed on a quarterly basis. Next round of applications closes October 13; there is a January 2024 deadline after that.

3. Awards so far will go towards funding water and sewer infrastructure, a pain point for many cities tasked with increasing housing supply.