NCF’s $5M debt QLICI in Southland Steel Fabricators illustrates our impact in the most economically distressed low-income communities. Based in Greensburg, LA (3.1x the national unemployment rate) for nearly 40 years, the family-owned business is a major source of quality, accessible jobs in a parish where only 12% of residents have a college degree and the poverty rate is twice the US average. Our QLICI (and support from LA EDC) financed new equipment, enabling SSF to create 120 new jobs with wages paying 1.4x the local living wage. Committed to fostering pathways into skilled trades, SSF also offers an apprenticeship program for local high school students that provides training classes and part-time employment, preparing students for careers as welders, fitters, and engineers.