Big River Steel and Atlas Tube, two of the largest employers in Mississippi County, have bolstered the “Work Here, Live Here” (WHLH) housing incentive program with contributions of $500,000 and $300,000, respectively.
WHLH is a program designed to attract and retain workers in Mississippi County, particularly in the industrial and manufacturing sector. The program offers employees of participating Mississippi County employers up to $50,000 for the purchase of a new home or up to $25,000 for an existing home. The initiative has supported the sale of more than 150 homes, adding $37.4 million in new home construction and value throughout the county.
Big River Steel joined WHLH two years ago with a $3 million investment, helping generate $28.3 million in home value across 107 employee-purchased homes. Sixty-three percent of those were first-time homeowners, with an average participant age of 29.
Atlas Tube began by investing $367,000, generating $3.9 million in new home value in Mississippi County, with 18 homes purchased by employees through the program. Of those homeowners, 67 percent were first-time buyers, and the average homeowner age was 38.
Mississippi County Judge John Alan Nelson praised the growing public-private momentum.
“This program works because companies like Big River Steel and Atlas Tube understand the value of investing in people,” Nelson said. “When our workforce lives here, learns here and grows here, the entire county benefits.”
READ ALSO: UA Hope-Texarkana Names Schroader Outstanding Faculty Member of Year
