Program assists in home repair, purchase or construction

SAVANNAH, Ga., Sept. 17, 2026 – The Georgia Ports Authority’s Workforce Housing Initiative has helped 230 Savannah-area families repair, purchase or build homes since its launch in September 2023.

“Affordable housing is essential to building and retaining the workforce that keeps Georgia’s economy moving,” said Georgia Ports CEO Griff Lynch.  “GPA is excited about its commitment to improving housing options for our neighbors and workforce.  We encourage other employers to join us to help address our community’s affordable workforce housing needs.”  

Through August 2026, the program has committed more than $2 million to 139 owner-occupied home repair projects and 44 home purchases. The purchase assistance is provided through DreamMaker affordable loans, a program of the City of Savannah Housing Services Department, which can help cover down payments, closing costs and financing gaps.

The program has also supported 23 new-home construction projects.

“GPA’s investment provides critical capital that allows us to preserve existing homes, help families achieve homeownership and leverage additional resources for affordable housing,” said Anita Smith-Dixon, executive director of the Community Housing Services Agency. “That partnership expands our ability to make a lasting difference for families and neighborhoods.”

Georgia Ports has committed $6 million over eight years to affordable and workforce housing initiatives, with individual projects funded in partnership with the Savannah Affordable Housing Fund and the CHSA.

“By helping families stay in their homes and helping port employees become homeowners, we’re investing in the people who make our communities stronger,” added Kevin Price, President of GPA.

The initiative is aimed at improving housing conditions and opportunities in neighborhoods surrounding the Port of Savannah’s Garden City Terminal and Ocean Terminal, with an emphasis on helping existing residents repair and remain in their homes.

The program also provides eligible port workers and others with down-payment assistance for first-time home purchases in the Savannah area, linking workforce retention with housing affordability in one of the Southeast’s fastest-growing logistics markets.

ABOUT GEORGIA PORTS

Georgia’s Ports in Savannah and Brunswick are strategic gateways, creating the most competitive supply chains in the nation with their level of operations, connectivity and supply chain ecosystem. These attributes combined with Georgia’s ranking as the top state to do business for 12 consecutive years create a strong business model for growth. The Port of Savannah is one of the best-connected ports in the U.S. to world markets with 40 ship calls a week, 42 double-stack trains per week and 15,000 truck gate moves daily. The Port of Brunswick is the number 1 ranked U.S. RoRo port by annual volumes for autos and has an increasing amount of machinery cargoes with its expanded high and heavy cargo operating space.  GPA has a self-financed investment plan of nearly $5 billion for the next ten years which will see five big ship container berths added in Savannah (the most of any U.S. container port) and a fourth RoRo berth in Brunswick to meet future growth. Over the past 10 years, the GPA board has approved $4.13 billion in infrastructure improvements. As part of GPA’s community engagement efforts, $6 million is being donated to port communities to support a multi-year, local workforce housing initiative, helping over 230 families repair, buy or build a home in the Savannah area since its start in September 2023. For further information, visit gaports.com or contact Edward Fulford, Manager of Media Relations at [email protected]  912-964-3806.