Harlem Revitalization Loan Fund - Albany Community Together (ACT) will use $800,000 in CED funds to provide a below-market-rate loan to the Harlem Legacy Wellness Center (Center), a newly created “one-stop” health and wellness center that will house a healthcare clinic, dental clinic, physical therapy and chiropractic center, and a mental health clinic in Albany, Georgia. Albany, located within Southwest Georgia, is one of the most significantly impoverished areas of the country, with a poverty rate of 29.26%, more than double the state (13.48%) and national (12.44%) rates. The loan will allow for the purchase of medical equipment, which is vital to opening of the Center and the creation of jobs. The Center will revitalize Albany’s economically distressed Harlem District, by repurposing existing infrastructure and through planning a multi-phased development which will include food business space, housing, recreational space, and new business loan capital. The Center will also increase access to quality healthcare, improving the health of the low-income community by filling healthcare gaps and providing care for the uninsured and underinsured. Additionally, the Center and its partners will provide wraparound services through programs including Albany Technical College’s healthcare training programs and the Health Hub Business Accelerator. This project will create 29 jobs, 22 of which will be filled by individuals with low incomes.
