Sheila Riley (right) proudly stands on her Savannah porch with Community Housing Services Agency Executive Director, Anita Smith-Dixon
Residence receives new roof weeks before major storms
SAVANNAH, Ga., Oct. 11, 2024 – Shelia Riley and her husband have lived in their Roberts Street home in Savannah for more than three decades. Retired and living on fixed incomes, the couple needed assistance to put a new roof on their home.
To help ensure they could make the repair and prevent water damage to their home, the Port of Savannah Area Workforce Housing Initiative, funded by the Georgia Ports Authority, provided aid.
“I thank God that the funding was out there,” Shelia Riley shared from inside her home surrounded by pictures of family.
The City of Savannah Housing Department received three estimates on the roof replacement and selected the best option and handled payment for the contractor. The process took about one month from the Riley’s’ application to the new roof being installed.
“I loved every last one of those people,” Riley said glowingly. “They were so nice and so helpful.”
A torrential downpour came down about a week after the repair — and just weeks before a major hurricane swept through the area, sparing the home.
“It was very helpful to get what I needed, when I needed it,” she added.
GPA’s Workforce Housing Initiative focuses on housing improvements for residents of neighborhoods in the vicinity of the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal and Ocean Terminal —prioritizing home repairs for existing neighborhood residents and homeowners.
The housing initiative also supports eligible applicants with down payment assistance for first time home purchases in the Savannah area, including Garden City, Port Wentworth, and the City of Savannah.
GPA contributes the funding to Housing Savannah, Inc., a nonprofit that raises private and philanthropic donations for the Savannah Affordable Housing Fund (SAHF).
About Georgia Ports
Georgia’s ports and inland terminals support more than 561,000 jobs throughout the state annually, contributing $33 billion in income, $140 billion in revenue and $3.8 billion in state and local taxes to Georgia’s economy. GPA anticipates investing $4.2 billion in the next ten years as part of its port master plan to expand cargo handling capabilities to support future supply chain requirements. As part of GPA’s community engagement efforts, $6 million will be donated to communities located near the Port of Savannah to support a multi-year, local workforce housing initiative. CNBC ranked Georgia #1 in the U.S. for infrastructure in America’s Top States for Business in 2023. Area Development – a site selection news outlet for the U.S., has ranked Georgia as the Top State to Do Business for eleven consecutive years. For further information, visit gaports.com or contact Edward Fulford, manager of media relations, [email protected] 912-964-3806.
