Dalton-Whitfield
Community Development
Corporation
ECONOMIC FACTORS OF DALTON/WHITFIELD
History
Mission Statement
Goals
Board of Directors
History
In 2002 a committee concerned about the availability of sewer facilities,
known as the “Appointed Sewer Service Expansion Team “ (“ASSET”) recognized
that one of the major challenges facing the City of Dalton and the County of
Whitfield was the lack of quality affordable housing for the workforce. The
provision of sewer services, necessary for the creation of workforce
housing, was only one of the challenges facing the city and county. Among
other variables contributing to this need were:
- Influx of Spanish-speaking populations creating greater demand for housing in a community already short of housing stock for the workforce, arriving with minimal resources and great needs (e.g., housing, health, education, employment); Scarcity of bi-lingual personnel to serve a burgeoning elementary school population with nearly 62% Hispanic enrollment in the City and 26% in the County, contributing to language barriers in schools as well as the service industry and all professions;
- Increased demand and competition for laborers from a growing industry, especially the carpet industry;
- Relatively high-wage laborers earning nearly twice the minimum wage but lacking money-management skills or experience in understanding credit usage;
- A deterioration of in-town neighborhoods that have lost identity and with housing being over-crowded and poorly maintained;
- Growing number of low-income owner-occupied households without resources or knowledge of how to repair their properties;
- Owners of rental units that have become slum lords, milking rent from their properties without any concern for health, safety, or normal maintenance;
- Limitation of only 1300 public housing units by a PHA that has maintained the status quo and privatized rather than being proactive in creating additional housing such as mixed-income projects; and
- Some low-end new construction of homes by private developers to address the housing shortage using inferior construction specifications that are likely to deteriorate within a few years.
In 2003 the ASSET committee formed the Dalton-Whitfield County Community Development (CDC) Corporation and its members agreed to serve as the initial board of the non-profit corporation with the understanding that board membership would expand to represent major sectors of the community. Given the nature of the CDC, as a tax-exempt entity under provisions of Section 501(c) (3) of the Internal Revenue Code, its board members would elect future directors rather than having them appointed by governmental units as was the case with the ASSET committee.
Mission Statement
"To facilitate the ability of all Dalton and Whitfield County residents
to acquire and maintain safe and decent housing."
Goals
The goals for 2007-2008 are:
- •To increase the percentage of Homeowners
- •To decrease the number of Foreclosures
- •To decrease the number of homeless and unstably housed residents
- •To improve the physical condition of substandard housing
- •To replace or remove dilapidated housing wherever possible
- •To develop good tools that will be effective toward the owners of substandard an dilapidated rental property
- •To improve the design and construction quality of affordable housing and therefore the sustainability
Board of Directors
The governing Board must maintain (1) at least one-third of its membership
for residents of low-income neighborhoods, other low-income community
residents, or elected representatives of low-income neighborhood
organizations; (2) at least one-third of the counties in the non-profit's
service area represented on the Board; (3) at least 51% of the board members
must be Georgia residents; and (4) no more than one-third of the governing
board members are public officials.
The Board of Directors is comprised of representatives from various organizations such as:
Dalton-Whitfield Chamber of Commerce
Whitfield County
City of Dalton
Urban Redevelopment Plan Area Resident
United Way of Northwest Georgia
Dalton Homebuilders Association
Local Church
Educator
NW GA Healthcare Partnership – Promotores de Salud Program