(From the Saporta Report)
The City of Norcross has approved Gwinnett Housing Corporation’s rezoning request for a 1.33 acre property on Medlock Bridge Road to allow 16 townhomes for students and their families facing housing insecurity staying in extended-stay rooms — typically motels.
The property is owned by Gwinnett County Water and Sewer Authority and is adjacent to Norcross High School. The property to be purchased by Gwinnett Housing Corporation currently sits vacant as “surplus land,” but when complete, it will effectively be using publicly-owned surplus land for affordable housing.
Lejla Prljaca, executive director at Gwinnett Housing Corporation, says the project dates back to 2019, when Gwinnett Housing Corporation co-led the city’s Georgia Initiative for Community Housing (GICH) program — a three-year program that offers technical assistance to municipalities in the areas of housing and community development with the goal being a community-specific plan to bolster housing.
Prljaca recounted going door to door at 12 different extended-stays alongside a group of volunteers while researching for the initiative; she said they were shocked to find many units overcrowded and with school-age children living there.“40 percent of the families who live there report that they had children in their rooms living with them, and we would witness them doing homework on the floor of a 200 square foot extended stay room,” Prljaca says.
“The vast majority of homeless or precariously housed people in the suburbs are not going to be in the streets or shelters like most urban cores,” Prljaca says. “The vast majority of them are using extended-stay housing as a last resort.”
Now exactly five years later, actionable items from the report to aid this class of renters through the approved rezoning are coming to fruition. One of the recommendations out of that report was to develop housing, with another being to create a rapid rehousing program to get families out of extended stays and into permanent housing.
The homes will be available to families making less than 60 percent of the Area Median Income, and will be referral-based to start, with referrals coming from local teachers and counselors.
Georgia Gwinnett baseball team falls in semi-finals
Georgia Gwinnett College’s hopes of winning a second NAIA World Series ended Wednesday.
Hope International University (California) scored 10 runs in the final two innings to rally past the Georgia Gwinnett College baseball team by a score of 15-11 Wednesday afternoon in the Avista NAIA World Series at Lewis-Clark State College’s Harris Field in Lewiston, Idaho.
The loss marks the Grizzlies’ third semifinal-round finish in its last six World Series trips. GGC (53-9) matched the program’s second most wins in a season.
The Hope Royals (44-16) rallied from an 11-5 deficit by plating four runs in the eighth inning and using a six-run ninth inning to complete the comeback.
GGC summer enrollment at record high
Summer: it’s a break from studies, a chance to sleep in and enjoy more time with their family and friends. For new and continuing students at Georgia Gwinnett College (GGC), it’s also an opportunity to reach their academic goals a little faster.
Poll
Summer enrollment at GGC is at a record high with a 10 percent increase over last summer in the number of students taking classes. As of May 28, the enrollment for summer classes stood at 5,099.
Dr. Michael Poll, vice president of enrollment management and institutional research at GGC recognizes: “Our students are more focused on the finish line. We’ve done a good job promoting the advantages of summer school.
“We take a personalized approach when working with students, whether they’ve expressed interest in our college or those who haven’t yet enrolled. We’ve found they appreciate knowing that we’re here for them throughout their academic journey,” he says.
Poll added that the most popular courses are first year English, biology and other general education courses. “Our summer courses last only five weeks, which makes them more intense,” he said. “Students focus on one class at a time.”
The trend of growing enrollment at GGC continues to exceed national trends. The spring enrollment increased four percent, while the national average was 2.9 percent.
“All indications are that we’ll also be ahead of the curve for summer enrollment compared to national trends,” adds Poll. Summer classes at GGC started May 20 and continue through July 23.
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