Acheive your goals. Own your own home. Start a business. Create opportunities.

YOU CAN BECAUSE YOU KNOW HOW!

We are a membership organization composed of low wealth people who live in the neighborhoods and are part of our decision making process. We are empowering people through economic justice programs such as homeownership, financial literacy, and small business development. By addressing these strategic areas of concern we believe that low-very-low wealth individuals will become self-sufficient, productive citizens. Low-very-low wealth families have traditionally been underserved and under-represented in almost every part of our community. Many of the existing ills did not just occur. They have been caused by a systematic recurrence of injustice and shift of resources and knowledge. The ECCDC is committed to changing this degenerative course -- one person at a time.

Homeownership has been identified as the main means of obtaining wealth in America. Creating immediate equity in homes purchased by low-very-low wealth families is a sure way to help narrow the economic gap that is so evident. We plan to make it happen!

MISSION:  The Early County Community Development Corporation’s mission is to provide community based economic development to empower very low-income people to earn more money, own homes, acquire better health care, better jobs/quality education, while advocating for civil rights and the reduction of poverty.

STRENGTH: We are the only Community Development Organization operating in our community with the primary goal of addressing the needs of the underserved population in the areas of housing and economic development. We have dedicated staff who is contributing in-kind time and resources to this project. We are working with the Georgia Legal Services Program, Attorney Homero Leon, and Southwest Georgia Housing Development Corporation.

NEED: The housing needs in our (African American) community are extremely great. According to research by the Housing and Demographic Research Center of the Department of Housing and Consumer Economics at the University of Georgia, under contract with the Housing Finance Division of the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, minorities may have access to fewer housing choices since they are more likely to face discrimination and segregation which adversely affects not only housing choices but also affordability. Of the 12,354 Early County residents, 50.3% are white, 48.1% are black. In 1999, 20.1% of households in Early County earned less than $10,000, 42.5% earned $10,000 - $34,000, and 37.5% earned more than 35,000. Early County is the third poorest county in the state of Georgia. Homeownership for low to very-low wealth families would boost our local economy, increase our tax base, create jobs, attract industry, improve our neighborhoods, help to create new businesses, improve academic success, and promote community growth and collaboration.

EVALUATION: The ECCDC is continuously evaluating our programs and projects by establishing periodic benchmarks that are measured by objective quantifiable outcomes. Our goal is to build affordable homes for low to very low wealth families. The families we help to become first-time homeowners will be tracked for a minimum of five years to provide additional training and resources to assure they continue to own their homes. We will continue to monitor the needs of our community and develop new innovative ways to eradicate poverty.

• Start your own business
• Obtain a loan
• Become a homeowner
• Continue your education
• Start a savings account
• Improve your credit score
• Help revitalize your neighborhood

Are you ready? Get started now!

Your life changed because you've learned how.