EARTH Project Launches to Revitalize East Alabama with Workforce Hub, Community Services, and 350+ New Jobs
UB Community Development, LLC (UBCD), a proud community development partner of United Bank, closed on permanent financing with a $7 million New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation to support the East Alabama Rural Innovation and Training Hub (EARTH). This investment will help transform a 125,000-square-foot building into a vibrant community space, home to the Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement’s (SAFE) offices and programs, a small business incubator, and a theater for performing arts and local events. It’s already making a real difference, bringing people together, creating jobs, and building a stronger future for Sylacauga and the surrounding area.
EARTH’s mission is to provide East Alabama with an efficient and effective workforce development system responsive to current and future needs of individuals and businesses. This phase of the project will focus on renovating the existing Eva Jane structure to be used as a community facility. The renovated building will house SAFE’s administration and programming, as well as additional programming from tenants focused on workforce development in industry clusters including manufacturing, transportation, healthcare, information technology, energy, regenerative agriculture, and hospitality/culinary arts.
SAFE, or Sylacauga Alliance for Family Enhancement, offers a variety of programming for people of all ages aimed at promoting community growth and cohesion.
SAFE’s programs include:
- Case management, referral, and coordination services
- Workforce training, adult education, and employment support services
- Youth development and juvenile diversion programming
- Health, relationship, family, and parenting programming and intervention
- Supportive housing and homeless services
- Transportation coordination and assistance
In conjunction with the services provided by SAFE, additional programs at the site will include workforce development programming in partnership with local government, education, and industrial entities; first- and second-stage small business incubation spaces, and a theater for performing arts and community events.
Once the final full EARTH project is complete, SAFE expects to serve 11,000 individuals annually, 90% of which are expected to be low-income individuals and low-income community residents while 75% are anticipated to be minority. Additionally, the final completion is expected to maintain 200 jobs and create 150 new direct jobs, of which 76% will be quality and 86% will be accessible to low-income persons and community residents. The first phase of the Project focuses on 113,749 SF build out of the Eva Jane building which produces the outcomes further illustrated in this document.
Regional Decline in Jobs and Business Signals Urgent Need for Workforce Investment
According to the Plan, the Region faces challenges with workforce development and employment opportunities. While the State of Alabama’s labor force saw a moderate increase of 1.6% from 2016 to 2020, the Region saw a slight decrease of -0.5%, a net loss of about 1,000 people. In addition, the unemployment rate in Talladega County was 7.1% in 2020, compared to 5.6% at the state level.The Plan also states that the Region has faced challenges attracting residents and businesses. Between 2016 and 2020, the Region lost nearly 23,000 jobs, a 15% decrease, while the State of Alabama as a whole saw only a 0.3% job loss. Moreover, the Region’s share of the State of Alabama’s businesses and jobs has declined steadily since the 1980s; From 2016 to 2020, the Region lost 700 businesses compared to a gain of 9,816 businesses statewide. While the Region’s annual wages did increase by about 5.7% over this period, they grew at a slower pace than the state average of 16.5%. These disparities signal the need for regional improvement in workforce and business development.
The EARTH Workforce Hub to Drive Innovation, Industry Training, and 350 New Jobs Across Key Sectors
To address these disparities, the Project will construct a workforce development hub that will create and retain 350 direct jobs. The Project will help to achieve the Region’s goals of developing the workforce, providing training resources to businesses, and stimulating job creation. The Sponsor plans to establish partnerships with leading industries to provide opportunities for training, business incubation, innovation, and R&D. Specifically, the training sectors will include healthcare, hospitality, manufacturing, technology, agriculture, early education, transportation, and alternative energy. As such, the Project will provide an innovative and comprehensive approach to achieving the economic opportunities facing the Region.
Transformational Workforce Hub
The EARTH Project will renovate the historic Eva Jane building into a multi-use community facility that will house SAFE’s programs and workforce development initiatives in high-demand sectors like manufacturing, healthcare, IT, and hospitality EARTH Project.
Serving 11,000 People Annually
Once complete, the project expects to serve 11,000 individuals each year, with 90% from low-income communities and 75% from minority populations—providing essential training, housing, and support servicesEARTH Project.
Creating 350+ Quality Jobs
The full EARTH Project will create and retain 350 direct jobs, with 76% classified as quality jobs and 86% accessible to low-income individuals, directly addressing the region’s economic and employment challenges.
