Green County Development Corporation is preparing to launch the Welcome Home Green County First-Time Homebuyer Program, combining assistance with homeownership, workforce recruitment and long-term community involvement.

GCDC Executive Director Olivia Otte said the idea grew out of concerns heard from both local employers and residents.

“We kept hearing the same thing from two directions at once,” Otte said. “Local employers told us they could recruit talent to Green County, but new hires struggled to find housing they could afford or didn't know enough about the community to want to stay. And at our own Green County Housing Summit, residents told us directly that housing affordability and access were their top concerns.”

Otte said the program was designed to address both issues at the same time.