On August 27, the Invest Atlanta board of directors voted to fund two major community initiatives that aim to strengthen the city’s workforce and expand affordable housing. A total of $600,000 was earmarked for middle‑wage job training and placement, while additional grants exceeding $5 million were approved for new housing projects in the Westside, Sylvan Hills and English Avenue neighborhoods.
Middle‑wage job training
The economic‑development agency split the $600,000 evenly between Goodwill of North Georgia and the Urban League of Greater Atlanta. Goodwill’s Good Works Program will receive $300,000 to train and place 150 city residents in jobs that pay roughly $23 to $30 an hour – about $50,000 a year. The program focuses on trades such as welding, forklift operation, supply‑chain management, phlebotomy, pump‑technician work and commercial driving. Participants will gain paid work experience, career coaching and placement services, and must remain in their new positions for at least one year.
Invest Atlanta Senior Vice President of Economic Development Laurie Prickett said the initiative aligns with Atlanta’s growing sectors, including environmental remediation, clean energy, healthcare and other future‑focused industries.
The Urban League of Greater Atlanta will also receive $300,000 for its Career Accelerator Pathway Program. The program provides career coaching, workforce‑readiness training, employer engagement and barrier‑reduction services in partnership with the Atlanta Department of Labor and Employment Services. Like Goodwill’s effort, participants must stay in their permanent jobs for a minimum of one year.
Atlanta Mayor and Invest Atlanta board member Andre Dickens noted, “These programs are just a portion of what these organizations will fundraise and put their own money into. We’re supplementing and helping them serve people in an even more impactful way.”
Affordable housing investments
In parallel, the board approved several grants to accelerate affordable‑housing construction. An additional $1 million in Westside Tax Allocation District (TAD) funds was directed to the Westside Future Fund’s 18‑unit development on James P. Brawley Drive, which broke ground last week.
Two more Westside Future Fund projects received funding: $1.5 million for the Proctor Paines development in English Avenue, creating 25 multifamily units, and $2.5 million for a 54‑unit project in the same corridor. Units will be priced between 30 percent and 80 percent of the area median income (AMI), which for a four‑person family in the Sandy Springs‑Roswell‑Atlanta area is about $114,200.
Invest Atlanta also allocated $1 million from the Metropolitan TAD Resurgens Grant to an 80‑unit development in Sylvan Hills, offering units ranging from 30 percent to 80 percent AMI. A further $500,000 will support construction of four new homes and a single‑family home in English Avenue at 60 percent to 70 percent AMI.
The board’s final housing grant of $210,000 went to the Atlanta Police Foundation to build three single‑family homes for police officers. Board member Ken Zeff raised a concern that designating affordable housing for a specific group could conflict with fair‑housing laws. Other members clarified that the grant is legal because it is made to a nonprofit, which will then provide the housing support.
These investments reflect Invest Atlanta’s broader strategy to create sustainable, middle‑wage employment opportunities while ensuring that families of modest means have access to safe, affordable homes.
Original reporting: SaportaReport — read the source article.
