Georgia Ports initiative helps families repair, buy or build homes

Feb. 03, 2026 – The Georgia Ports Authority’s Workforce Housing Initiative has so far helped 178 families repair, buy or build a home in the Savannah area.

“A strong community depends on strong families and stable neighborhoods,” said Georgia Ports President and CEO Griff Lynch. “When the people who keep Georgia’s economy moving can afford to put down roots in the communities around us, everyone benefits.”

Since the start of GPA’s initiative in September 2023 through November 2025, nearly $1.7 million from the program has gone to assist 123 owner-occupied home repairs, and 28 home purchases through DreamMaker affordable loans, which help cover down payment, closing costs and gap financing. The program has also assisted 18 new home construction projects and provided down payment assistance for nine GPA employees.

“Local leaders and community partners like Georgia Ports play an essential role in the effort to strengthen our housing landscape,” said Anita Smith-Dixon, executive director of the Community Housing Services Agency. “Through the Housing United Initiative, we are aligning public and private partners to harness creativity and resources and meet the challenge of attainable housing in Chatham County.”

Georgia Ports has pledged a total of $6 million over eight years to support affordable and workforce housing initiatives. Specific projects are funded through a collaboration with the Savannah Affordable Housing Fund and the Community Housing Services Agency.

“Supporting workforce housing isn’t just the right thing to do—it’s an investment in our employees, our partners, and the long-term success of the Savannah region,” Lynch said. “Helping people repair and stay in their homes, while also creating pathways to homeownership helps build generational stability and strengthens our local workforce.”

The 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. It prioritizes home repairs for existing neighborhood residents and homeowners. The program also supports eligible port workers with down payment assistance for first time home purchases in the Savannah area.

The Georgia Ports effort complements a state program. Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp launched the Rural Workforce Housing Initiative in 2023. Backed by more than $69 million in legislative funding, the program awards grants for infrastructure that enables workforce housing, leveraging partnerships with local governments and private developers. Kemp said the initiative ensures families can live where they work, delivering lasting benefits to rural communities statewide.

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 very unique business model for growth. The Port of Savannah is one of the best-connected ports in the U.S. to world markets with 35 ship calls a week, 42 doublestack trains per week and 14,000 truck gate moves daily. The Port of Brunswick is the top U.S. RoRo port for automotive and machinery logistics with over $262 million in recent upgrades and a new $100 million fourth berth being built. GPA has a self-financed $4.5 billion investment plan for the next ten years which will see five new big ship berths added in Savannah and a fourth berth in Brunswick to meet future growth. In the past decade, GPA has invested $3.2 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. For further information, visit gaports.com or contact Edward Fulford, Manager of Media Relations at efulford@gaports.com 912-964-3806.

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