Strong Partnerships and Sustained Efforts Help Region in Times of Uncertainty The news that Pactiv Evergreen Packaging would close its Canton facility after 115 years sent shockwaves throughout western North Carolina. Concerns quickly spread beyond Haywood County, and within 48 hours we were hearing that companies as far away as Cherokee County would be closing … Read more
The Southwestern Commission is seeking the professional planning services of a qualified consultant to explore approaches to Resilience Planning for the 7-County Region (Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain Counties in North Carolina). The Southwest region is vulnerable to multiple hazards, and Phase II of this Resilience Planning effort is the continuation of … Read more
The Southwestern Commission requests proposals to create a strategic plan for the utilization of opioid settlement funds for Region A. Geographic area to be served: The Region A counties in North Carolina to include Cherokee, Clay, Graham, Haywood, Jackson, Macon, and Swain. Background: In the summer of 2021, national settlements were reached with opioid distributors … Read more
In September 2021, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) allocated $1,965,737 in Home Investment Partnerships Program (HOME) American Rescue Plan funding to the Southwestern NC HOME Consortium, which consists of Haywood, Jackson, Macon, Swain, Clay, and Graham counties. This supplemental funding (HOME-ARP) is part of The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 that … Read more
The Southwestern Commission (SWC) seeks the professional services of a qualified consultant to conduct a Community Broadband Assessment for the seven western counties of North Carolina. To ensure that the counties within North Carolina are correctly represented in the new FCC data, and to ensure that the state of North Carolina receives appropriate grant funding … Read more
The Southwestern Commission Council of Governments (the Southwestern Commission) is planning multiple public engagement activities and stakeholder consultations to develop an Allocation Plan that will detail community priorities for use of the region’s Home Investment Partnerships Program American Rescue Plan (HOME-ARP) funding. This supplemental funding is part of The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, … Read more
The Southwestern NC HOME Consortium is accepting public comment for its Consolidated Annual Performance and Evaluation Report. This public comment period will remain open until November 11, 2022, at 5:00 PM. The report is available below: Southwestern NC HOME Consortium CAPER
The Southwestern Commission serves as the Economic Development District for the U.S. Economic Development Administration. One of the functions that we carry out as part of that role is to create the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy (CEDS) for the region. The plan is a 5-year strategy, and updates are completed annually to reflect implementation and … Read more
An important reporting deadline is approaching regarding the American Rescue Plan (ARP) and the State and Local Fiscal Recovery Fund program. The Project and Expenditure Report is due April 30, 2022. For many local governments, this will mark the first time filing reports with the U.S. Treasury. It is crucial that all North Carolina cities … Read more
It’s no secret that broadband connectivity is a challenge in western North Carolina, directly affecting the education system. But the Southwestern Commission is working with our regional partners to alleviate some of those challenges. In the last quarter of 2021, more than $180,000 was distributed across project sites in six counties for public internet access. … Read more