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| NeighborWorks Roundtable Held on Closing the Gaps in Homeownership and Wealth Faced by Minorities |
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NeighborWorks America held a reporters’ roundtable Monday July 18, inviting the media to discuss the homeownership and wealth gap between minorities and the majority population with a panel of experts, two of whom were from local NeighborWorks organizations.
“One of the major themes of this roundtable is the growing body of knowledge that shows we must view our homeownership activities in terms of asset building, “said Kenneth Wade, NeighborWorks America CEO in summarizing one of the major themes for the day. Wade moderated the panel. “Although minorities for generations have earned less and have had less access to education, the biggest factor that has created the wealth gap and the one that can close that gap is homeownership,” said Wade. View article.
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| Web-Based 'Success Measures' Expands Depth and Ease of Results Evaluation in Community Development |
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NeighborWorks America is launching a user-friendly, web-based service that organizations can use to measure the impact of their work on communities and individuals in a systematic and comprehensive way. The service, Success Measures Data System, tracks changes for individuals, families, and communities benefiting from community-based organizations’ services. So far, 25 NeighborWorks organizations have enrolled in a Success Measures pilot project. Training sessions in three cities have been held so far; an additional 20 organizations will begin the hands-on training program in early fall. Several partnerships that will bring the service to organizations throughout the community development field are under development. View article.
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| Foundation Supports Training Institute 'Green' Courses |
The Home Depot Foundation has awarded $237,600 to NeighborWorks America in support of green-building classes and scholarships for practitioners at NeighborWorks Training Institutes. “These new courses will help ensure that smart, healthy buildings and homes are available to more consumers,” said NeighborWorks America CEO Kenneth Wade. View press release.
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| Community Strategies represent the shared experience of NeighborWorks America 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
Publications.
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| Manchester NHS Names New Executive Director |
Manchester Neighborhood Housing Services has named Robert Tourigny, former housing division administrator with the Southern Maryland Tri-County Community Action Committee, as its executive director. During more than 10 years in housing and community development, Tourigny has led the development and rehab of three community facilities and more than 800 units of affordable housing, totaling more than $60 million. He succeeds Felix M. Torres, who resigned in January to accept a post at Fannie Mae.
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| NHS Inc. of Great Falls Celebrates 25 Years |
Neighborhood Housing Services Inc. of Great Falls, Montana, celebrated its 25th anniversary in June at its annual meeting and salute to community partners, as part of National NeighborWorks Week. The city of Great Falls was highlighted as an NHS 25-year community partner. City Manager John Lawton, in accepting the award, said how much the city has benefited from the partnership, and hoped it would continue for another 25 years. “Most importantly,” added NHS Executive Director Sheila Rice, “we made lots of families happy by helping them become homeowners.”
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| Ribbon-Cuttings Held for Residential Projects in Utah and North Carolina |
| Two NeighborWorks network organizations on opposite sides of the country recently held ribbon-cuttings for featured projects. In Utah, Salt Lake Neighborhood Housing Services in cooperation with the Redevelopment Agency of Salt Lake City celebrated the new Onequa Corner “Live/Work” complex, in the city’s State Fairpark neighborhood. Comprised of two levels of residential units and 12,500 square feet of commercial/retail space, both with street-front views, Onequa Corners represents a continuation of innovative development on Salt Lake City’s west side.
In North Carolina, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Housing Partnership and its development partners celebrated Tyvola Crossing Apartments, 80 units of affordable, two- and three-bedroom rental homes in four buildings, along the West Boulevard Corridor in Charlotte. The $6.5 million, tax credit-financed development will serve families earning less than 50 percent of the area median income, currently $32,050 for a family of four. In addition, 14 of the units are available for extremely low-income families, financed in part with a $360,000 grant from a special congressional appropriation to NeighborWorks America.
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| State Farm Supports NHS Inc. in Boise |
State Farm Insurance Companies has continued its long-term partnership with Neighborhood Housing Services Inc. of Boise, Idaho, with a $32,500 grant. “State Farm’s generous contribution will create positive change in the community through the support of NHS neighborhood revitalization activities, homebuyer education, and Rake Up Boise,” said NHS Executive Director Tom Lay.
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| County Honored for Partnering with Network Affiliate |
New Castle County in Delaware has been honored with the National Association of Counties’ HOMESTEAD Awards for its affordable housing efforts in two communities, including one in which it partnered with a local NeighborWorks affiliate, Interfaith Housing Delaware Inc. of Wilmington. Using federal HOME funds from the county, Interfaith in the past three years has acquired 19 units in the Belvedere community outside Newport, completed or begun construction on 10, and gone to settlement on eight. The project already has begun to reduce the number of vacant lots, eliminate unsafe vacant housing, and build affordable homes. More information. [PDF]
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| AHC Campers Enjoy Field Trips |
| AHC Inc., an Arlington, Virginia, NeighborWorks organization is making good use of its proximity to the nation's capitol for its summer youth program. Children from AHC properties are enjoying field trips to the National Air and Space Museum Annex near Dulles Airport, the Smithsonian Folklife Festival on the National Mall, and other historic tours. AHC's summer camps provide sports and games, snacks, field trips, and supervision to 76 young residents for six weeks during the summer. |
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| Senate Subcommittee Passes Appropriation Bill That Includes NeighborWorks America |
| On July 19, the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee for Transportation, Treasury, and Housing and Urban Development, the Judiciary, District of Columbia and Independent Agencies passed an appropriation bill to fund NeighborWorks America at $115 million. This level is $3 million below the President's proposed and House-passed FY 2006 funding level of $118 million. The full committee will consider the proposal on Thursday, July 21st at 3 p.m. Please visit our Contact Congress page on our Web site for more information.
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| Kenneth Wade Addresses Foreclosure Problems in Remarks to the Congressional 'Saving America's Cities' Working Group |
| Kenneth Wade, NeighborWorks America CEO, recently briefed the Saving America's Cities Working Group about the activities of NeighborWorks America. In his remarks, Wade also said that
the growing problem threatening many of America’s cities is the significant increase in foreclosures. "Some of these foreclosures, sadly, are the result of family economic struggles — exacerbated by the uncertainties of today's economy.
The Saving America’s Cities Working Group, chaired by Rep. Mike Turner (R-Ohio), is examining the challenges facing America’s urban areas. House of Representatives Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) created the working group in 2003. View remarks.
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| Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation Evaluation Grants, August 1 |
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The Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation, which aims to identify and disseminate innovative and effective practices for helping underprivileged youth reach their full potential, offers grants, ranging from $5,000 to $20,000. Grant applications must be submitted online by August 1 at the foundation’s Web site, Ruddie Memorial Youth Foundation. View information.
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| Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute HOGAR Fellowships, August 1 |
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute 2006 HOGAR Fellowship Program seeks to increase the number of Hispanic leaders in real estate, mortgage lending, and other housing fields. Fellows will receive a stipend of $35,000-$50,000 and health insurance. Applications are due August 1.
View information. [PDF] |
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| The 1772 Foundation Historic Preservation Grants, Open |
| The 1772 Foundation supports restoration projects throughout the United States to preserve and enhance American historical entities, with particular interest in farming, industrial development, transportation, and unusual historical buildings. Strong local support is a prerequisite. Letters of inquiry may be e-mailed throughout the year. View information. |
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| BALANCE BAR Community Grants, August 31 |
| BALANCE BAR Community Grants, ranging from $1,000 to $25,000, support nonprofit organizations, such as athletics programs and leagues and youth organizations, that offer programs that enhance people's physical health while they pursue a passion that enriches their lives. Eligible requests include support for equipment, training, education programs, and events. Applications must be submitted online by August 31 through its Web site, BALANCE BAR Community Grants. View information. |
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| NeighborWorks Training Institute, Washington, DC, August 22-26 |
| The pre-event registration deadline for the NeighborWorks Training Institute in Washington, D.C. is August 1. On-site registration will be available beginning August 21. If you are interested in joining us for a week of comprehensive courses and an unequaled opportunity to learn from experts and peers in the field of community development, visit us online to learn more about the training institute in Washington, D.C.
Join us on Wednesday, August 24, for the symposium — The Next Generation of Homeownership Partnerships: What’s the Real Bottom Line? — hosted by NCHEC, the NeighborWorks Campaign for Home Ownership, and the NeighborWorks Insurance Alliance. Participants will leave this program with a real plan for how to develop new partnerships and enhance current ones to favorably impact their organization’s bottom line. Learn more about the symposium.
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| Advanced Practitioner Program — Contemporary Issues Course Offering Organizational Leadership Succession, October 16-19, 2005 Washington, D.C. Metro Area |
| This course is designed to provide mature organizations with long-tenured executive directors and/or board chairs an opportunity to analyze the organization's vulnerability to leadership change, think about various approaches to leadership change, develop systems to address their organization's situation, and assist those organizations to implement those systems during the six months following this 3-day intensive course. This is a program for organizations committed to their ongoing development and excellence. The program will encourage participants to challenge themselves and invent new ways of operating their organizations. Application deadline: August 26, 2005
Learn more about this course and the Advanced Practitioner Program.
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| Materials from Gentrification Symposium in Minneapolis |
| Additional highlights from the symposium "When Gentrification Comes Knocking: Navigating Social Dynamics in Changing Neighborhoods" are now available on the NeighborWorks Training Institute Web site. View highlights, which include video of the Breaking Ice performance, a symposium report, and additional resources. |
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| State of Nation's Housing: More Homeownership But Less Affordability |
| Homeownership reached an all time high of 69 percent, with households of all ages, incomes, races and ethnicities joining the home buying boom, according to the Harvard Joint Center's annual housing report. “Housing affordability is a chronic problem and narrowing the gap between what decent housing costs and what low-wage workers and retirees can afford will remain a major national challenge.” View report. |
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| KnowledgePlex Chat: Private Data Sources, July 26 |
| On Tuesday, July 26 at 2 p.m. ET, KnowledgePlex and the Urban Markets Initiative will present an online discussion about private data sources for community and economic development. A variety of private-sector data tools, such as Google Earth, is available for free or at a minimal cost. These data tools let users easily "add value" to information and tell powerful stories about their communities in ways that had not been possible. For more details and how to participate, click here. |
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| Panel on the Nonprofit Sector Releases Recommendations |
A 115-page report, Strengthening Transparency, Governance, Accountability of Charitable Organizations, issued in June by a national panel of nonprofit leaders, proposes more than 100 ideas for ending nonprofit abuses and helping charities and foundations become more transparent to the public. Produced at the request of the Senate Finance Committee, the report is certain to figure in forthcoming committee legislation to spur charitable giving and address reported problems in nonprofit organizations. The report was prepared by the Panel on the Nonprofit Sector, convened by Independent Sector, a coalition of charities and foundations. View final report.
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| Driven to Spend: Pumping Dollars Out of Our Households and Communities |
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A new study by the Surface Transportation Policy Project (STPP) and the Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT) shows that families are paying a high price to meet their transportation needs and low-income families are unduly impacted by higher transportation costs since transportation expenditures claim a higher percentage of their family budgets. The study ranks 28 metropolitan areas on their combined transportation and housing costs and recommends specific actions that should be taken by governments—federal, state, and local—to reduce the burden of transportation costs on families. To read the report or a press release summarizing the report, visit http://www.transact.org.
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| Windows Inside and Out: The Difference Design Can Make |
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Imagine any building you know well — without the windows. Windows are more than just the places we look out from, they are also, along with the front door, the visual elements on the outside of the building that tell us that there are people inside. Not only can windows give a building a more human scale, they are also important design elements that you can use to establish the visual interest of your façade. There are many issues to cover in any discussion of windows, such as the use of windows to establish a human scale and reinforce a building type, ways to elaborate on windows from the outside to add visual interest, and the way to think of windows from the inside. View article.
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