Rebuild Southwest Georgia Workforce Recovery Training Program- Hurricane Michael
Hurricane Michael (October 2018) had profound and lasting effects on the economy within Southwest Georgia. The intent of this program is to boost long-term recovery by supplying residents of impacted communities with the necessary skills to increase household income. Activities under this program may include, but are not limited to; On-the-Job Training, Customized Training, and Job Readiness services.
Hurricane Michael (2018) had a profound and lasting impact on the local economies in Southwest Georgia. Utilizing data from an unmet needs assessment conducted after the storm, Georgia Department of Community Affairs (DCA), in partnership with the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG), developed the Workforce Development Program. The intent of this program is to boost long-term recovery by supplying residents of the affected communities with the necessary skills to increase household income through training in high-demand skilled trades. Activities under this program may include, but are not limited to, On-the-Job Training, Customized Training, and Job Readiness services.
The Southwest Georgia Workforce Recovery Training Program at Albany Technical College is offered under DCA’s Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) Program, which provides assistance to people and communities impacted by Presidentially-declared disasters in the state. Under the 2018 Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief Act, the State of Georgia was allocated $41,837,000 to assist long-term recovery, restoration, and revitalization in areas affected by Hurricane Michael (DR-4400). Guidance for the allocation was provided by the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) in Federal Register Notice 85 FR 4681, released on January 27, 2020, which includes the requirement that 80% of the allocation be spent in the most impacted and distressed zip codes, leaving 20% to be spent on the other 20 counties declared eligible for FEMA’s Individual and Public Assistance.
The eligible counties are as follows:
- Decatur*
- Dougherty*
- Seminole*
*Most Impacted and Distressed Counties (MID)
Rebuild Southwest Georgia Downloads:
Application Form
Eligible Areas
- 80% of these funds will be available for the MID areas:
Most Impacted and Distressed Areas: 31705 (Dougherty County), 39817 (Decatur County), 39845 (Seminole County)
- 20% will be available for the 20-County area declared eligible for Individual and Public Assistance:
Eligible Counties: Baker, Calhoun, Clay, Crisp, Decatur, Dougherty, Early, Grady, Laurens, Lee, Miller, Mitchell, Randolph, Seminole, Sumter, Terrell, Thomas, Tift, Turner and Worth.
Further information related to Georgia’s CDBG-DR programs and method of distribution can be found in the state’s HUD-Approved Action Plan located on DCA’s website. Program funding totals $8,367,400 and is projected to serve a minimum of 400 low to moderate income individuals over a 4-year period start June 2021 – Jun 2025.
Low-to-Moderate Income is calculated as 80% or lower of median income.
| Median Household Income and Poverty by County (ACS 2014-2018) |
| County |
Population |
Median Household Income |
Poverty Rate |
| Clay |
3,001 |
$25,000 |
41.1% |
| Randolph |
7,087 |
$30,914 |
37.0% |
| Turner |
7,962 |
$38,341 |
35.5% |
| Terrell |
8,859 |
$38,015 |
31.9% |
| Crisp |
22,846 |
$35,096 |
30.8% |
| Calhoun |
6,428 |
$31,725 |
29.7% |
| Dougherty |
91,049 |
$37,633 |
29.4% |
| Early |
10,348 |
$31,567 |
28.8% |
| Sumter |
30,352 |
$36,205 |
27.8% |
| Decatur |
26,833 |
$39,148 |
25.2% |
| Tift |
40,510 |
$42,790 |
24.7% |
| Seminole |
8,437 |
$34,338 |
24.4% |
| Mitchell |
22,432 |
$37,027 |
24.0% |
| Grady |
24,926 |
$42,348 |
23.5% |
| Miller |
5,836 |
$42,927 |
23.0% |
| Baker |
3,189 |
$37,188 |
21.3% |
| Thomas |
44,730 |
$40,112 |
20.8% |
| Worth |
20,656 |
$46,076 |
20.8% |
| Lee |
29,348 |
$65,420 |
13.8% |
Workforce Training and Eligible Activities
The Southwest Georgia Workforce Recovery Training Program will support workforce development and training for low to moderate income residents in the most in-demand sectors for the state, with an emphasis in disaster-related sectors. Funding for job training will strengthen collaborations between Georgia’s workforce, education and training centers, and employers with a shared goal of providing solutions to promote growth and stability of the local economy.
Eligible activities under this program include:
- Workforce training in construction trades, Continuing Education, and in-demand careers
- Employment support services, Paid internships
- Job-readiness and job placement assistance to support successful graduates of training in obtaining employment.
Courses and training will provide a variety of pre-employment skills building and career and technical education skills trainings to ensure individuals are better prepared for the workforce.
Potential pathway programs can include, but are not limited to:
- Adult Basic Education
- Career Services & Placement
- Construction
- Contract Training
- Electronics and Engineering Support
- Healthcare
- Informational Technology
- Logistics, Operations, and Business
- Manufacturing Support
- Public Services
- Transportation
- Workforce-Related Continuing Education
Funds from the Southwest Georgia Workforce Recovery Training Program may be used to purchase equipment, supplies, software, and technology required for specific in-demand career and career and technical education programs as well as continuing education courses.
Training may be provided through multiple means, including classroom training, apprenticeship programs, on-the-job training, paid internships, work study, customized training, or other innovative models as proposed by subrecipients and approved by DCA. Training may be delivered via subrecipient partnerships with public, private, or non-profit entities. If a subrecipient intends to utilize a partnership to deliver services, the subrecipient must document how partners will be selected.
