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WNC Business

Collaborative Solutions Drive Economic Growth and Quality of Life Improvements in WNC

Dec 04, 2024 09:43AM ● By Randee Brown

Governmental services typically work in a variety of ways to elevate living standards and address economic development challenges. Owned by local governments in the seven westernmost counties in WNC and the Eastern Band of the Cherokee, the Southwest Commission has a mission to improve the quality of life in the region by assisting local governments in achieving their goals, according to Executive Director Russ Harris.

Harris said the stated mission means different things now than it did when the Commission was established in 1965. Then, much of the work revolved around infrastructure — increasing capacity for water, sewer, hospitals, and airports. Now, priorities include expanding broadband access, expanding affordable housing, offering services for older adults, and determining usage for opioid settlement funds.

Some focus areas have been determined by programs and funding that flowed from the federal government, according to Harris. Board members and elected officials also play a role in determining program priorities, bringing the needs of the community to the table. Maintaining a non-partisan approach to its work while addressing issues to the best of their ability remains a priority of the Commission, as it has for nearly 70 years.

“Some of the newer issues were not originally things we intended to get into,” Harris said. “When local governments reach out with arising needs and they have staff capacity that is maxed out, or the needs of multiple counties are similar, it is clear that these new concerns are something we need to help determine how to address.”

Hearing concerns and brainstorming ideas comes with a significant amount of communication. County and town managers correspond with the Commission, bringing local issues to attention. Bi-monthly board meetings help to build relationships, newsletters help keep participants informed, and a constant flow of emails between the Commission and local governments share information about community topics and what is being done to address them.

The biggest concern local governments are currently discussing is affordable housing. Affordability is not only an issue for low-income individuals; many people with well-paying jobs are not able to afford the median level of cost that local housing has reached. This affects the ability of new businesses to locate in the region, as there are not enough members of the workforce to staff a new large business, nor is there housing to allow workers to relocate to the area. Many mountain counties also lack the available buildable land space needed to add housing.

“The average person that lives here and earns upwards of $50,000, $60,000, or even $70,000 a year cannot afford a home,” Harris said. “In Jackson County, a family needs to earn more than $150,000 a year. There are not a lot of jobs that pay that much; even really well-paying jobs don’t support that. We’re working with local officials to help them understand that the concern involves housing for our police officers, firefighters, and educators, and those people are falling below the line right now.”

The Southwest Commission also works with local governments to help address workforce challenges. The recent Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act is a federal project helping to fund opportunities for at-risk youth to return to school. Funds are also used to pay for job shadowing or on-the-job-training. These funds help upskill dislocated workers as well, many of whom have lost their job through no fault of their own.

“A lot of times, people have not worried about these populations as much because we had plenty of workers,” Harris said. “We’re at a point where employers are more willing to take a chance on someone who is at risk, in recovery from addiction, or comes from another sort of challenged background. Trying to support people’s successful return to the workforce is really the goal of that program.”

Infrastructure challenges relate to economic development, and the Commission works to bring together the parties that can attend to these concerns. Having things like broadband and transportation in place, in addition to adequate water and sewer capacities, helps to support the growth of existing businesses and attract new business to the area. While the NC Department of Transportation does the actual planning of things like road projects, the Commission works as a liaison to ensure a connection between local governments and the DOT.

The Commission also works with businesses to learn about their needs and help them gain access to incentives for business growth or expansion, and operates an Area Agency on Aging department, one focus of which is facilitating digital literacy skills for older adults. These skills particularly benefit individuals in rural areas by allowing them to access Telehealth appointments when the shortage of primary care physicians can make in-person appointments inaccessible. 

“All these groups are working together to impact our residents from different directions,” Harris said. “The departments work together really well, and while one may step forward for certain issues, they all have positive impacts on the community.”