MABLETON — Nearly 100 homeless military veterans will soon have access to permanent housing in Cobb County.

Tunnel to Towers Foundation, a nonprofit founded in the wake of 9/11 to serve veterans and first responders, broke ground on the affordable housing development last week.

The site, a former Wingate Hotel off Interstate 20, lies in the shadow of Six Flags Over Georgia.

“While these future tenants may now be couchsurfing, or just got divorced, or just lost their job, or just got out of the service, these are the men and women that defended our country,” said Gavin Naples, vice president of the nonprofit’s homeless veterans program. “And while many of them do need some assistance, we absolutely owe it to them as Americans. It is the least we can do. We will not let you down.”

The 58,500-square-foot, 23-year-old building had 103 rooms as a hotel. Once gutted and renovated, it will have between 90 and 95 one-bedroom apartments.

In addition to providing permanent housing, the hotel will have on-site support services on the ground floor, such as case management, behavioral health, PTSD treatment, addiction support, entitlements assistance and employment assistance.

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CobbWorks has received the WorkSource Georgia QUEST Disaster Recovery Dislocated Worker Grant. This project will strengthen and expand strategic partnerships to support the advancement of building talent pipelines in high-demand, high-wage industries.

The project will target historically marginalized and underserved populations who have been disproportionately impacted.
Implementing several innovative strategies that now have proof of concept as a result of piloting several cohorts over the last two years, WorkSource Cobb will create talent pipelines for employers, expand opportunities for underserved populations and provide true career pathways that improve economic mobility and resilience.

Funding will be used to support several strategic initiatives which utilize employment and training activities, including work-based learning to prepare and place participants in high-quality employment in high-demand sectors and industries.  Some of those initiatives include PowerUp! Pathway Pre-Apprenticeship Program and ReAlign/ReStart Re-Entry Initiative. PowerUp! is a collaborative, customized earn-and-learn model that works in partnership with employers. The program provides cohort-based education, skills training, and career opportunities in high-demand industries that result in industry-recognized credentials.

The program also includes robust soft and hard skills that make participants competitive in the current and future workforce.
ReAlign/ReStart is a re-entry initiative that addresses a critical need within the community. To reduce recidivism, meet the workforce demands and improve employment and educational opportunities for low-income, minority, and justice-involved individuals, ReAlign/ReStart has established a workforce development education, employment, and training program co-located in the Cobb County Jail.  Working in partnership with the Cobb County Sheriff Department, Construction Ready, Chattahoochee Tech, and Cobb Adult Ed., the program will improve incarcerated individuals’ outcomes, raise education and skill levels and create a skilled and talented pipeline for local employers.

Utilizing a collective impact strategy, WorkSource Cobb will deliver a robust economic recovery project for
residents and industries that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted. The project will strengthen critical partnerships, create equity, and provide holistic wrap-around support, work experience, employment placement, and industry-recognized credentials for historically marginalized populations.

The employer information session will be held on January 26, 2023, from 10 A.M. until 11 A.M.  It will be open
to any employer who wishes to join the program and upskill their existing cohorts.

Press Contact Info

Contact: CobbWorks/ Sonya Grant
EMAIL: information@cobbworks.com
(770)-528-4300

"Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that Georgia has been named by Area Development magazine as the No. 1 state for business for the ninth consecutive year. No other state has earned this distinction for so many years. Governor Kemp was joined by executives from Kia Georgia, Bridgestone Golf, and Char-Broil’s parent company W.C. Bradley Corporation as well as members of the General Assembly, state and local economic developers, and local officials at Kia's training facility in West Point to make the announcement."

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ATLANTA – February 10, 2021 - Governor Brian P. Kemp today announced that fresh-prepared meal delivery service Freshly Inc. is investing $3.2 million in opening a distribution facility in Austell. The company will bring on 150 employees during the initial operating phase and plans to hire at least 250 at the Cobb facility by the end of 2021. The 134,000-square-foot facility will be Freshly’s largest dedicated order-assembly facility to date and will begin operating in mid-February.

“It’s a pleasure to welcome this rapidly growing meal delivery service brand to the Peach State,” said Governor Kemp. “Our robust logistics infrastructure and highly skilled workforce have been critical to attracting new jobs and opportunities, which continue to put hardworking Georgians back to work.”

Pizza delivery company Papa John’s plans to move its global headquarters to Atlanta from Kentucky next year, adding 200 jobs as it expands and rides a huge surge in business, thanks to the coronavirus.

Papa John’s International will relocate development, human resources, menu innovation and other departments to the Atlanta area from its hometown of Louisville. The company’s IT and logistics departments will remain there.

Company president and CEO Rob Lynch told The Atlanta Journal-Constitution the COVID-19 pandemic has helped Papa John’s have the best year in its history. As people work and attend school from home, sales have soared.

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With a unanimous vote from its grants committee, the Cobb County Development Authority on Monday doled out $50,000 for the county’s Innovation Grants Program, a county-initiated program funding startup businesses in Cobb.

The development authority’s three-member grants committee is allowed to award grants of up to $100,000 without approval from the full authority.

After a presentation from Michael Hughes, Cobb County’s economic development division manager, committee member Jamala McFadden said she was excited to fund the Innovation Grants Program for a second year. The development authority awarded $50,000 to the program in July 2018.

Committee member Bob Morgan agreed, adding that, unlike the previous two items, the grant program aligns perfectly with the committee’s purpose.

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Source: MDJonline.com