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NeighborWorks America Invests More Than
$11 Million in Communities Around the Country
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Thousands of communities across the nation received a much-needed affordable housing boost when NeighborWorks America distributed more than $11.4 million in grants to its national network of more than 240 organizations.
View news release. |
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| NeighborWorks Pledges Support for New National Network of Housing Community Land Trusts |
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NeighborWorks America praised the formation of the new Community Land Trust (CLT) Network, an organization committed to creating new affordable housing opportunities around the country. The network was spurred by a grant from NeighborWorks to the Burlington County Land Trust, the largest land trust in the nation. The $30,000 grant enabled Burlington CLT to help fund the coordination and development of the new national community land trust network. There are community land trusts in 35 states and the District of Columbia. View news release.
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| New NeighborWorks Study Offers Tips for Developing and Marketing Mixed-Income Properties
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NeighborWorks America recently published a study that outlines seven strategies for successfully developing and marketing sustainable mixed-income properties. Funded with support from the Ford Foundation, the report explains that success is as much about putting in place strong property and financial professionals as creating an appealing and attractive place where people of all incomes want to live.
View news release.
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| 'DASH of the Gulf Coast' to Build Homes, 'Healthy Communities' in Katrina-Ravaged Areas |
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DASH for LaGrange, Georgia, is setting up operations in Mobile, Alabama, not only to build homes for Katrina victims but also to build "clean, healthy, and safe neighborhoods," according to the Press-Register. Called "DASH of the Gulf Coast," the group plans to build 1,200 homes in diverse mixed-income communities over 10 years, said George St. Clair, chairman of the DASH board of directors. NeighborWorks America has committed about $1 million over a three-year period to the effort. "NeighborWorks and DASH also try to help consumers make the right choices when it comes to making a loan," said Eileen Fitzgerald, chief operating officer for NeighborWorks America. "If they have credit issues or income challenges, we want them to come here first." View article.
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| Community
Strategies represent the shared experience of NeighborWorks
America and its member organizations in various topics
of community development and affordable housing. |
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| The
NeighborWorks Training
Institute is dedicated to providing the highest quality training
for community development practitioners. Learn about the latest
classes and symposia on leading-edge topics. |
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| NeighborWorks America produces a wide variety of publications. Most
are free and others cost a nominal fee to order. For a complete
listing and order forms, go to NeighborWorks Publications. |
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| $60 Million Staten Island Collaborative to Create 290 Affordable Residential Units |
| Neighborhood Housing Services of Staten Island (New York), a NeighborWorks chartered member, is working with private developers and public sector partners to undertake a $60 million, mixed-use redevelopment of the Markham Gardens public housing development on Staten Island's north shore, reports Real Estate Weekly. The collaboration will lead to 290 new affordable residential units designed using energy-efficient and green building methods. Markham Gardens is the third site developed by a collaboration that aims to create 5,000 affordable housing units and is part of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's plans to provide affordable housing for 500,000 New Yorkers over 10 years. |
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| Kansas City Organization Expands to Serve Growing Spanish-Speaking Population and Community Need for Homeownership Counseling and Education |
| A NeighborWorks organization serving a rapidly growing Spanish-speaking population in Kansas City, Kansas, recently expanded in order to accommodate the community’s increased need for homeownership counseling and education. El Centro, Inc., recently celebrated the opening of a NeighborWorks HomeOwnership Center that will provide one-stop homeownership services for low- and very low-income families.
“We’ve seen a real increase in the number of people buying houses because of lower interest rates and more flexible lending guidelines—and they need homeownership counseling and education to make sure that they get the best loan possible for them and so they are not set up to fail as homeowners,” said Jeff Fendorf, El Centro, Inc.’s vice-president of operations and community development.
View article.
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Innovative IDA Program Encourages Savings for Energy Efficiency Improvements
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When energy prices rise, low-income homeowners are hit the hardest. They must devote a higher percentage of their already-stretched incomes to utility bills than homeowners who earn more. As a result, these cash-strapped homeowners may not be able to afford home maintenance expenses or improvements to increase energy efficiency. The higher utility bills, as well as the unexpected and expensive repairs that often result from neglected home maintenance, leave these homeowners with even heavier financial burdens and at greater risk of losing their homes to foreclosure.
An innovative program created by Neighborhood Housing Services of New Haven, Connecticut, a member of the NeighborWorks network, seeks to prevent low-income homeowners from getting caught in this vicious cycle. The organization was awarded a $300,000 grant from the State of Connecticut to fund a new initiative, the Home Maintenance and Energy Conservation Individual Development Account (IDA) program, developed through the Connecticut Housing Trust Fund.
View article.
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Cargo Containers as Hurricane-Proof Residences?
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Ray Price, project manager for the St. Petersburg [Florida] NHS, envisions that metal boxes, like the ones stacked high at local ports, can be reconfigured into hurricane-resistant single-family homes, according to an article in the Tampa Tribune. His group is building two such prototypes in Bartlett Park in south St. Petersburg. The three- and four-bedroom houses will have about 1,600 to 1,800 square feet of space.
View article.
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| Virginia Multifamily Project Named Finalist in MetLife Awards
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AHC, Inc.'s [Arlington, Virginia] Virginia Gardens project is one of five finalists in the national 2006 MetLife Foundation Awards for Excellence in Affordable Housing, in the category of property and asset management. Since the NeighborWorks organization began a major renovation at Virginia Gardens in 1999, the 76-apartment complex has become an integral part of the Douglas Park community. Resident services include preschool and after-school programs; teen tutoring, mentoring and youth alliance programs; summer camp; and computer and language training for children and adults.
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| NCC Lends $2 Million to Montgomery Housing Partnership |
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Neighborhood Capital Corporation recently participated in a $2 million loan led by NHSA-CDFI made to NeighborWorks member Montgomery Housing Partnership [Wheaton, Maryland]. The loan will assist the group in preserving 63 units of affordable housing in Takoma Park, Maryland. Other participants in the deal included the National Housing Trust-CDFI and the Washington Area Housing Trust Fund.
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| Montana High School Students Serve Families, Neighborhoods by Building Two Homes |
| As part of a course on advanced building trades, high school students in Great Falls, Montana, recently built two homes with garages, working with local contractors and NeighborWorks member NHS of Great Falls. Interior design and landscaping students pitched in to complete the projects ahead of schedule. The homes will be sold to low- and moderate-income families, creating a triple win: familes get affordable, decent housing; students get career skills, and two neighborhoods have improved housing. |
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| Latimer Appointed to National Housing Advisory Committee |
| Eddie Latimer, executive director of Nashville-based Affordable Housing Resources, has been selected to serve on Fannie Mae's 2006-2007 National Housing Advisory Council.
Affordable Housing Resources, a NeighborWorks chartered member, is the city’s oldest nonprofit housing organization.
Latimer joins 48 prominent leaders from different segments of the housing industry across the country to discuss issues concerning the housing and housing finance industries. NeighborWorks America CEO Ken Wade and Sheila Rice, executive director of the Montana Homeownership Network, are also members of the committee. |
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Senate Appropriations Committee Approves Funding Bill That Includes
NeighborWorks America Appropriation |
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On Tuesday, July 18, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, and Independent Agencies marked up and approved its FY 2007 funding bill. The bill provides nearly $69 billion to the agencies under its jurisdiction, including $36.6 billion for HUD, an increase of $2.5 billion over the Administration’s FY 2007 request.
For NeighborWorks America, the bill provides $119.8 million, an increase of $3 million over the FY 2006 enacted level. The House of Representatives has also provided NeighborWorks America with $119.8 million for FY 2007.
The full Senate Appropriations Committee approved the bill two days later. The bill will head to the Senate floor for approval, although that action is not anticipated until September.
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| 'Expanding American Homeownership Act' Passed by House |
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On July 25th, The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved H.R. 5121, the Expanding American Homeownership Act of 2006. Introduced by Financial Services Housing and Community Opportunity Subcommittee Chairman Bob Ney (Ohio) on April 6, the bill would reform the Federal Housing Administration's (FHA) single family mortgage insurance programs. The bill would also decrease premiums to borrowers and increase homeownership opportunities. Other provisions would:
- Increase the limit for FHA-insured mortgages in high-cost areas,
- Grant the FHA flexibility to establish zero or reduced downpayment requirements for its single-family programs,
- Allow the FHA to establish a risk-based mortgage insurance premium pricing structure,
- Permit the FHA to extend the maximum loan maturity to 40 years.
Senator Jim Talent (Missouri) is sponsoring companion legislation in the Senate, S.3535.
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| BALANCE BAR Community Grants, August 31 |
BALANCE BAR Community Grants of up to $25,000 support nonprofit organizations, such as athletics programs and leagues and youth organizations that increase organization members' and community members' abilities to enjoy healthy, active lifestyles. Eligible requests include support for equipment, training, education programs, and events. View information.
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| 2007 Innovations in American Government Awards, September 12 |
| Innovations in American Government Award, sponsored by the Ash Institute for Democratic Governance and Innovations at Harvard University, strives to identify and celebrate outstanding examples of creative problem solving in the public sector. Winners receive a $100,000 grant, national press attention, and serve as examples of model programs worthy of replication.
One of this year's seven winners was the Supportive Housing Pilots Initiative in the state of Connecticut, which invests in housing and services for families and individuals experiencing homelessness, especially those suffering from addiction or mental illness. View more on this year's winners. View online application.
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NeighborWorks Training Institute ~ Washington, DC ~ August 14-18
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Pre-event registration is closed, but if you are still interested in attending courses at this training institute, on-site registration will open at 3 p.m. on August 13 at the Grand Hyatt Washington. Of special note:
Get more information about this training institute online at www.nw.org/training.
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| SAVE THE DATE! NeighborWorks Training Institute ~ New Orleans ~ December 11-15 |
| Mark your calendars now to join us in New Orleans for the highest quality training for community development practitioners and resident leaders in the country — and a very special opportunity to contribute to New Orleans' recovery. Featured is the symposium Organizing for Social Equity and Community Rebuilding, volunteer opportunities in local communities, special site visits and learning opportunities applicable to your community, and new courses as part of the Native American Community Development Training Program. More information on this special institute will be available shortly at www.nw.org/training. |
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| 7th Annual Asset Management Professionals Conference ~ New Orleans ~ December 7-9 |
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The Consortium for Housing and Asset Management (CHAM) is hosting their 7th Annual Asset Management Professionals Conference in New Orleans. Encouraged to attend are CDC asset and property managers; CDC executive directors; state and local housing agency staff; NEF/ESIC program staff; LISC/Enterprise staff; and funders/lenders. Check www.cham.org for more information. CHAM is a collaboration of The Local Initiatives Support Corporation, Enterprise Community Partners, and NeighborWorks America.
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| www.KeystoMyHome.org – A Comprehensive Counseling and Education Resource for Housing Counselors and Their Clients |
| NeighborWorks Center for Homeownership Education and Counseling (NCHEC), in partnership with E*Trade Financial, has launched an exciting and highly useful new Web site to support homeownership education and counseling efforts across the country. Based on the nationally recognized curriculum from NCHEC's pre-purchase consumer manual Realizing the American Dream, Keys to My Home (www.keystomyhome.org, and also accessible through www.nw.org/nchec), has calculators, learning modules, and comparison tools that are easy to use, and free to practitioners and their clients. Keys to My Home is poised to become a cornerstone educational resource for housing counselors and their clients. |
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| Attention Property Managers, CDC Staff and Directors of Property Development |
| Plan to attend the five-day Nonprofit Housing Management Specialist (NHMS) course, September 26-30 in Denver, Colorado. Complete agenda and registration information will be available shortly at www.nw.org/training or www.cham.org. |
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| Creating an Understandable Framework for Community Development Evaluation |
| NeighborWorks America recently released the Community Development Storymap as a resource as part of a symposium on evaluative trends and techniques. Community based organizations, funders, and intermediary organizations working in the community development field have a shared interest in building stronger organizations and stronger communities. Through evaluation these organizations can learn how their programs and activities contribute to the achievement of these goals, and how to improve their effectiveness and the well-being of their communities. View the storymap and a conference presentation at www.nw.org/evaluation. |
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| The Community Builders, Inc., Resident Success in
Economically Integrated, Socially Diverse Housing |
With support from the Ford Foundation’s Mixed-Income/Mixed-Race Housing Initiative, The Community Builders, Inc. has prepared a practitioner’s guide that describes effective practices in developing mixed-income, mixed-race housing, offers program tools and guidance, and highlights
efforts under way to advance the field. View guide.
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| Summer NeighborWorks Bright Ideas |
| The latest issue of NeighborWorks Bright Ideas includes articles on foreclosure prevention, youth leadership in community development, a merger between two community development organizations and more. View articles. |
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| Expert Chat: Fiscal Impact Tool — Providing Metrics for Development, Aug. 3 |
| Increasingly, community and economic development professionals are asked to measure the effectiveness of their development activities. On Thursday, August 3 at 2 p.m. EDT, KnowledgePlex will present an online chat about how policy-makers determine the cost of government development projects or the advisability of inducements for private development.
The chat will include an overview of the Federal Reserve's Fiscal Impact Tool. Experts will be Dan Gorin, senior community affairs analyst, Federal Reserve Board of Governors; William Cunningham, CEO of Creative Investment Research Inc.; and Brian Williamson, assistant commissioner, Georgia Department of Community Affairs. For more information, click here. |
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