National Alliance of Community 
Economic Development Associations
June 26, 2014
Federal News
 
FY 2015 HUD Funding Bill Stalls in Senate, Passes House 
 
Last week, Senate leadership attempted to bring a package of three 2015 funding bills, including the bill to fund HUD and the Department of Transportation, to the Senate floor for a vote. The effort stalled over a partisan disagreement about how to handle appropriations amendments generally.  Senate leaders hope to negotiate an agreement that will enable them to move forward on the bills after they return from July 4 recess; however, it appears more likely that a Continuing Resolution will be needed to start the new fiscal year on October 1.
 
The House passed its version of the bill to fund HUD-Transportation bill on June 10. The $52 billion bill was about $1 billion less than the stalled Senate bill. It cuts HOME program funding by 30%, fails to fully fund the Housing Choice Voucher program, cuts funding for public housing, flat funds homeless assistance grants, and makes deep cuts to HUD's fair housing, healthy housing, and research programs. Read the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities' comparison of the House and Senate bills
 
Castro and Donovan Nominations to Lead HUD and OMB Proceed in Senate 
 
On June 25, Senate committees approved the nomination of San Antonio Mayor Julian Castro to be HUD Secretary and the nomination of current HUD Secretary Sean Donovan to lead the Office of Management and Budget. A vote from the full Senate is the final step before confirmation of both men; the nominations are considered likely to eventually succeed. NACEDA is supporting Mayor Castro's nomination and can provide information to those interested in sending letters to their senators urging them to vote for confirmation. In addition, the Senate confirmed Gustavo Aguilar as HUD's Assistant Secretary for Fair Housing and Equal Opportunity on June 19.

 

Fannie-Freddie Regulator Announces Campaign to Promote HARP Refinancing

Mel Watt, Director of Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA), will conduct a series of town hall events to convince borrowers with little or no equity in their homes to refinance. "We know that there are hundreds of thousands of borrowers who can still benefit from HARP and are essentially leaving money on the table by not taking advantage of the program," he stated. Watt will lead a July 8 outreach event in Chicago, where FHFA estimates about 36,000 mortgage holders could still benefit from HARP.

  

A new analysis by the FHFA shows that many borrowers remain who could save as much as $3,000 a year by obtaining a lower interest rate through the Home Affordable Refinancing Program (HARP). To qualify for a HARP loan, borrowers must have mortgages originated before June 2009 that are backed by either Fannie Mae or Freddie Mac and have less than 20 percent equity in their homes. The program ends in December 2015.
 
NACEDA News

 

Announcing the NACEDA 2015 Annual Summit -- November 12-14, San Antonio, TX

 

NACEDA members and partners: mark your calendars for NACEDA's 8th Annual Summit. Hosted in collaboration with the Texas Association of Community Development Corporations, the summit will be held at the historic Menger Hotel, directly across the street from the Alamo. Like our 2014 Detroit summit, the event will include an "Association Club" track for community development association staff members. An insider's tour of local community development initiatives in Mayor Julian Castro's hometown is on the agenda. Citi Community Development and LISC are conference sponsors; ArtPlace America is a conference supporter. 

 

Meet NACEDA's New Intern - Drew Margulis

 

Drew Margulis is a rising junior at the George Washington University studying international affairs and economics. He has past experiences on the political front interning in Senator Durbin's office as well as participating as a student representative on his hometown City Council Zoning Board in Naperville, IL. Drew first approached NACEDA because of his desire to create economic opportunities for struggling communities and engage in policy making for neighborhood development. After having the chance to tour community development projects in Central Baltimore and meet with experts in partnering associations Drew said, "I now understand the lasting impact that NACEDA, its partners, and members have on the well-being of society. In this case, Central Baltimore has witnessed a period of strong growth and prosperity that no one could have foreseen without the efforts of community developers." Drew hopes to expand his knowledge base on community economic development as well as create lasting relationships between business and political leaders and low to moderate income families.

 

A Cost-Effective Way to Publicize Events and Job Opportunities 

 

Starting with our July newsletter, NACEDA will begin requesting a $25 suggested donation when partners and members ask to include items in the monthly newsletter. At less than one cent per recipient, the newsletter is an economical way to reach out to 2,500 members of the community development field. The funds raised from the donations will be used to continually improve the quality of the information we provide.

 

Member News

 

Michigan Communities To Launch Financial Empowerment Centers 

 

On July 1, three local Michigan governments will launch Financial Empowerment Centers to provide free, one-on-one financial counseling. The Community Economic Development Association of Michigan (CEDAM) provided $25,000 grants and technical assistance to the City of Grand Haven, Oakland County and the City of Taylor to implement the Financial Empowerment Center model in their communities in 2014. The grants program is part of the Michigan Communities for Financial Empowerment (MCFE) network, generously supported by the Charles Stewart Mott Foundation. 
 
"The Financial Empowerment Centers in each community will target residents facing challenging financial times, helping consumers to reduce debt, improve credit and plan and save for their futures," explained Megan Kursik, Coordinator of the Michigan Communities for Financial Empowerment network at CEDAM. Professional financial counselors serving at Financial Empowerment Centers in each community will provide consumers one-on-one counseling and guidance on issues such as managing and paying down debt, opening safe and affordable bank accounts, building strong credit and creating a plan to save for the future.
 
The new Financial Empowerment Centers in Michigan are inspired by a national replication of the Financial Empowerment Center model, led by the Cities for Financial Empowerment Fund. The City of Lansing launched a Financial Empowerment Center in 2013, as a result of investment from Bloomberg Philanthropies in the CFE Fund to support replication of the model in five cities nationally.
 
Put the NACEDA Newsletter On Your Press List
 
Share your news with community economic developers around the country. Send press releases to Suzanne Gunther at sgunther@naceda.org.
 
Partner News
 
Video Makes the Case for Community Economic Development

 

What is community economic development? How does it create vibrant, resilient, and sustainable local communities? This video by the Canadian CED Network effectively describes the field. 

 

   

 

National CAPACD Awarded $1 Million to Improve Financial Capacity of Asian Americans

 

JP Morgan Chase & Co. awarded a $1 million grant to the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD) to implement innovative financial capability programs for low- and moderate-income Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders (AAPI) over a two-year period. With this investment, National CAPACD will support its membership of AAPI-serving organizations as they establish and grow programs that promote greater financial inclusion and economic security among youth and residents living in affordable homes.

  

Home Matters Awarded a MacArthur Foundation Grant to Ignite Public Conversation

Furthering Home Matters' mission to raise awareness and funds to make home a reality for everyone, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation awarded the movement a three-year, $300,000 grant to help change public perception about home and its crucial impact on health, education, public safety, personal success and the economy.

The grant enables Home Matters to ignite a public conversation around the value of housing in people's lives by leveraging recent research, including that from the MacArthur Foundation's How Housing Matters initiative. Current findings show that a safe and stable home plays a central role in shaping successful families and communities.

Home Matters will leverage the MacArthur grant and research to build a consumer-friendly and interactive online experience which will engage the general public to think differently about home's value in Americans' quality of life; create viral, credible video content regarding the importance of Home. 

 

NACEDA has joined the Home Matters movement. Has your organization? Go to www.HomeMattersAmerica.com and click JOIN.

 

 

Census Captures Work of Microenterprise Development Organizations

  

Microenterprise development organizations across the country can report data on the scale, scope and performance of their activities by taking the annual U.S. Microenterprise Census, which is is conducted by the Aspen Institute's FIELD program.

 

Events & Educational Opportunities 

 

HUD CHDO Workshop: Understanding the 2013 HOME Final Rule - multiple locations and dates. Free workshops for CHDO staff in July and August. HUD will provide some travel scholarships.

 

CFED 2014 Assets and Learning Conference - Sept 17-19 in Washington, DC. Headliners: Gloria Steinem and Eldar Shafir, co-author of Why Having Too Little Means So Much. Early bird deadline is June 27.

 

Community Development Academy - Sept 22-26 in Excelsior Springs, MO. University of Missouri Extension's Community Development Academy's intensive five-day course on collective action.

 

People & Places 2015 Community Conference - March 4-6 in Washington, DC. Mark your calendar for the decade's first national conference for community development practitioners! Presented by NACEDA, the National Urban League, the National Association for Latino Asset Builders, and the National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development, the event will be held at the the Washington Marriott Wardman Hotel. 

 

List Your Major Events In the NACEDA Newsletter

 

Members and partners: contact Suzanne Gunther at sgunther@naceda.org to list events. A $25 donation is suggested.

 

Funding Opportunities & Resources

 

Community Compass Technical Assistance and Capacity Building - HUD. July 23 deadline. FR-5800-N-12

 

Section 533 Housing Preservation Grants - USDA. July 28 deadline. USDA-RD-HCFP-HPG-2014

 

Grants to Address Poverty in the Southeast - Mary Reynolds Babcock Foundation. For local, statewide and regional organizations with track records of assisting low-income people build assets and transform economic conditions in the southeastern U.S.

 

FY 2014 Economic Development Assistance Programs - Department of CommerceOct deadline for funding cycle 1 of FY 2015. EDAP2014 

  

Assets for Independence Program - HHS. Next deadline: July 14. HHS-2014-ACF-OCS-EI-0774

 

Community Connect Utilities Program - USDA. July 7 deadline. RDRUS-CC-2014
 

  

  

Community Economic Development Projects - HHS. July 21 deadline. HHS-2014-ACF-OCS-EE-0817 

  

Partnership to Improve Community Health - HHS. July 22 deadline. CDC-RFA-DP14-1417  

  

Art Works - National Endowment for the ArtsSupports innovative efforts to ensure the vitality of the arts, and the strengthening of communities through the arts. Next deadline: July 24.

  

S2 Challenge - City of Greensboro, NC. alling multidisciplinary teams to create a strategic plan that boosts development and growth. Cash prizes from $1 million pool. July 24 deadline. 

 

Choice Neighborhoods Planning Grants - HUD. Aug 12 deadline. FR-5800-N-13 


Grants for Military Veterans Housing - Home Depot Foundation
Aug 15 deadline.

 

  

Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health - HHS. Aug 21 deadline. CDC-RFA-DP14-1419PPHF14 

  

Partnership to Improve Community Health - HHS. July 22 deadline. CDC-RFA-DP14-1417  

  

Preservation Grants for Mid-Career Professionals - Fitch FoundationOct 15 deadline.

  

Section 538 Guaranteed Rural Rental Housing Program - USDA. Dec 2015 deadline.

  

Looking for Additional Grant Opportunities?


Get GrantStation for just $75 per year if you belong to a NACEDA member association (reg. $699 per year). This web-based resource helps you identify the right funding opportunities for your organiziaion and improve your grant writing skills. Click here to register for $75. NACEDA members can access GrantStation for free. Sign in if you are a NACEDA member or have already paid.  

 

Publications & Resources 

The State of the Nation's Housing, Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University, June 26. Finds that Millenials are the key to a stronger Housing Recovery. 

Housing Matters Survey, MacArthur Foundation and Hart Research Associates, June 3. 
Provides insights to housing and homeless advocates on how to communicate about the need for affordable homes and who might be potential allies..
 
2014 County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute and Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, May 2014Helps communities identify and implement solutions that make it easier for people to be healthy in their schools, workplaces, and neighborhoods. The data has been used to garner support among policymakers and business leaders for local health improvement initiatives.

Advocates' Guide to Housing and Community Development PolicyNational Low Income Housing Coalition, June 2014Resource for educating advocates of all kinds about the programs and policies that make housing affordable to low income people across America.
 
Banking in Color: New Findings on Financial Access for Low- to Moderate-Income Communities, National CAPACD, NCLR, National Urban League, May 2014. Examines how low- to moderate-income communities of color are accessing mainstream and alternative financial services and products, and the extent to which they are financially engaged.
 
State of Homelessness in America 2014, National Alliance to End Homelessness, May 27. Charts progress in ending homelessness in the U.S., trends in populations at risk of homelessness, and trends in assistance to persons experiencing homelessness.
 
Employment Opportunities 

Experienced community development professional sought to lead this statewide coalition of Neighborhood Preservation Companies, Community Housing Development Organizations, and supporting professional organizations.

 

Executive Director, Coalition for Nonprofit Housing and Economic Development, Washington, DC. Experienced, high-energy leader sought with excellent fundraising, communication and management skills to lead this local membership organization of organizations focused on housing and economic opportunities in Washington, DC.

 

Executive Director, National AIDS Housing Coalition, Washington, DC. Energetic, visionary leader sought to lead this national, nonprofit housing policy and advocacy organization that works to advance the creation, development, management and growth of housing for persons living with HIV/AIDS. 

 

President, Southeast Neighborhood Development (SEND), Indianapolis, IN. Visionary leader sought to join forces with a well-established CDC in rapidly developing area. A key player in the Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative and in developing and implementing a Quality of Life Plan for their neighborhoods, SEND has a sizable asset base and exciting pipeline of projects under development. Application deadline: June 27.

 

Research and Policy Associate - Partnership for Working Families, Denver, CO. Finds and cultivates new sources of information that advance national and local campaigns, providing information on companies, industries, government agencies, etc. Works on publication production.

 

Want to post a job opening?
 
Contact Suzanne Gunther at 
sgunther@naceda.org. Please include a link to your online posting of the job description and the application deadline. A $25 donation is suggested for job postings.
 
National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations
phone: (202) 518-2660
web: http://www.naceda.org