Blight, Crime, the Main Topics at Reclaim Gumlog Town Hall Meeting

Members of the group, Reclaim Gumlog Georgia are feeling more hopeful after a town hall meeting with local county leadership this week.

Over 80 residents of the unincorporated Gumlog Community jammed the fellowship hall of Poplar Springs Baptist Church Tuesday evening to voice their concerns about the blight in certain areas and the resulting rising crime rate.

“I think it was a wonderful meeting. We had a lot of support. I think our head count was well over 80. I think Ben Johnson, a lifelong Gumlog resident summed it up, it was wonderful to see all these people coming together to build the community up,” said Reclaim Gumlog founder Beverly Folsom. “We covered a lot of topics. One of the highlights of the conversation involved the CHIP grant that Chairman Jacques discussed with the constituency there that would help the Gumlog Community remove the blighted properties and actually help revitalize some of the neighborhoods.”

Most who spoke out said the abandoned properties have become havens for squatters and drug users, which has led to break-ins and thefts in the area.

Others complained that the County and Franklin County law enforcement are not doing enough to force those property owners to clean up and rid the area of drug-addicted squatters.

Attending the meeting Tuesday was County Commissioner for the Gumlog area Kyle Foster along with County Commission Chair Jeff Jacques and County Marshal Freddy Aken.

Jaques tells WLHR News that the issue of blighted properties in Gumlog and how to solve it is complex but he said the County has been made aware of a federal grant program that could help.

It’s called a Community Home Investment Program or CHIP grant through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs.

“We have historically not applied for the CHIPS grant and I’ll be totally honest with you, I was not made aware of it until the latter part of last year and earlier this year,” he said. “It is a federal grant that ranges anywhere from $250,000 to $750,000. And it goes to help local communities who are engaged in clean up, restoration and beautification of specific areas in their various jurisdictions.”

Administered to states by HUD through the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, CHIP grants assist the efforts of local governments, nonprofit organizations, and public housing authorities in providing safe and affordable housing within Georgia communities.

According to the DCA this year, the CHIP award for housing rehabilitation was increased to $400,000 to better serve communities across the state.

Also, a new set-aside of funding was made available for applicants that showcased community-wide improvements through innovative and supportive activities and had not received a CHIP grant within the last 10 years.

“What I’ve read thus far, it is not a blanket type of grant. You have to define specific areas and even specific properties with the deficiency and the intent of how you would use the money,” he explained. “Also, it is rated based on community involvement, community engagement, and multi-jurisdictional involvement. So, we’ve got Gumlog. We’ve got Lavonia, Franklin County, and even potentially some of the other jurisdictions. But from what we’ve seen as of right now, this would be targeted primarily toward the Gumlog area as there are more properties that meet the criteria consolidated in this area than in other parts of the County.”

Jacques said County Manager Derrick Turner is already working on putting together an application to submit for the 2023 round of grant awards.

Folsom said that based on the success of this first town hall meeting, she plans to hold another town hall meeting in Gumlog in the future.