Ohio Community Development
News
Volume 5, Issue 9 | September 30, 2014 
In This Issue:

Below is an update with a collection of news items that are relevant to Community Development in Ohio and the Ohio CDC Association. 

OCDCA News

30th Annual Ohio CDC Association Conference

Registration is available for Ohio CDC Association's 30th Annual Conference on October 9-10, 2014! 

 

Dayton will always be the birthplace of aviation, but today it's becoming a city that embraces new people and new ways to build community and a strong future. The Leadership of the "Gem City" is creatively harnessing local resources to build communities that will prosper today and in the future. Visit our 2014 conference page on our website for details and registration links!

 

Please join us for a one-time public screening of the HBO documentary American Winter on October 8, 2014, 7:30pm, at the Neon Movies, followed by a dialogue with director Harry GantzThis 2014 Emmy nominated documentary is a must see for all audiences!  Tickets are $5 and can be purchased by contacting Amy Riegel at amy.riegel@daytonohio.gov. 

The Development Process: Site Control

Join Brian Higgins of Arch City Development as he provides guidance on how to develop an economically viable project when exploring site development opportunities. The Site Control workshop is geared towards training attendees on the concepts of site identification, site evaluation, and site control.  When appropriate, distinctions will be made between single-family residential, multi-family residential, mixed-use and commercial sites.  Attendees will learn how to obtain maps and drawings, access tax and other public records, and when and how to employ different methods of site control.

 

Event and Date
Location
Registration

The Development Process:

Site Control

November 19, 2014

10:00am - 4:00pm 

100 E. Broad St.

6th Floor

Columbus, OH 43215
Free to Attend!

Save the Date! Ohio Microbusiness Summit November 20th!

Join microbusiness practitioners from around the state at the Ohio Microbusiness Summit in Columbus on November 20th. The focus of this summit will be on gaining access to resources for developing microbusiness programs. Look for more information about the summit in your inbox soon!

Staff Reorganization

OCDCA recently reorganized staff duties. Melissa Miller is now the Director of Member Capacity handling membership, AmeriCorps*VISTA, training and technical assistance delivery. David Foust is now the Program Director responsible for the microbusiness program, annual conference and marketing. Joining the association last week was Lisa Much as Program and Development Manager. Lisa previously served as an AmeriCorps*VISTA for the association in 2012/2013. Welcome Lisa! The team looks forward to working with the membership in their new capacities.

We've Moved!

As of July 31, 2014, our new address is:

 

100 E. Broad St. Suite 500 

Columbus, OH 43215

 

Please update your database!

Partner News

2014 Affordable housing Hall of Fame

Two members who have helped shape affordable housing by championing key policies, including the low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC), creating thousands of units, and raising critical equity will be inducted into the Affordable Housing Hall of Fame this year.

 

Hal Keller: Active in affordable housing for more than 30 years, Hal has been with the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH) since its inception, a Columbus-based mission-driven nonprofit that works with private and public developers to create affordable housing.  Since OCCH's creation in 1989, the organization has raised over $3 billion in private capital and invested in over 33,500 units of affordable housing in over 675 developments in Ohio and Kentucky.

 

Al Scott: Co-founder of Cleveland-based The NRP Group, Al, along with partners J. David Heller and Rick Bailey, grew the firm into one of the nation's top affordable housing developers since its creation in 1995. Scott has helped to develop more than 200 single-family and multifamily developments that include more than 23,000 units in 18 states. He has been a champion for the improvement and preservation of the LIHTC program over the years.

Congratulations Hal and Al!

Building Healthy Communities Conference 

Building Healthy Communities will focus on ways to leverage the human and capital resources in the public health and community development fields to create sustainable neighborhoods and healthy environments for everyone in Ohio. Given the strengths of each field and the unique funding opportunities available, a framework is in place to build partnerships and collaborations that can help transform struggling neighborhoods into healthy and safe areas for low-income individuals. Improved health outcomes lead to economic stability and vibrant, thriving communities. This one-day conference brings together experts from both fields to exchange ideas, learn about collaborative efforts, and explore new partnerships that focus on and invest in healthy communities in the state.

 

If you have questions or interest, e-mail Senior Policy Analyst Lisa Nelson at lisa.a.nelson@clev.frb.org. Sponsored by the Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland and presented with Health Policy Institute of Ohio and the Cuyahoga County Department of Public Health, the conference will be held on Thursday, October 23 from 9:00am - 4:15pm at the Sheraton Capital Square in Columbus, Ohio.

Smart Growth America Free Local Workshops 

Each year, Smart Growth America makes a limited number of technical assistance workshops available to interested communities for zero cost. This competitive award gives communities a chance to understand the technical aspects of smart growth development through a one- or two-day workshop. Applications are now being accepted for our 2015 workshop series. Communities can apply for one of 12 workshop types as part of the free program, including: Implementing smart growth 101, Planning for economic and fiscal health, Sustainable land use code audit, Complete Streets, Using LEED-ND to accelerate the development of sustainable communities, Walkability workshop/audit, Regional planning for small communities, Smart growth zoning codes for small cities, Transportation performance measurement, "Cool planning", Parking audits, Implementing transit-oriented development 101. Read more and apply here. 

Member News

OCDCA AmeriCorps*VISTA Wins Grant for ACEnet

On July 31st, the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced grants to "Community Partners to Create Jobs and Strengthen Small Rural Businesses." When small businesses are unable to obtain the capital needed to grow and thrive, USDA partners with organizations who invest in those businesses. The Ohio CDC Association (OCDCA) AmeriCorps VISTA Member, Meggan Riley, received USDA grant support in the amount of $30,000 for ACEnet in Athens, Ohio. Congratulations!  

When Artists Break Ground

When Artists Break Ground is a review and lessons from the Artists in Residence program, a collaboration between CPAC and Northeast Shores. The organizations invested $2.2 million in a 3-year period into artist-neighborhood relationships in the Waterloo area in North Shore Collinwood. The report shares how the process worked: its strengths, its shortcomings and third-party recommendations and reflections. A wealth of data supplements the report to illustrate changes in neighborhood residents' perceptions, traction among audiences and changes to the neighborhood's landscape.

Over the Rhine

The need for affordable housing is large in Cincinnati and Hamilton County, but supply isn't. A recent report highlights that dilemma in Cincinnati's Over the Rhine neighborhood.  

Funding Opportunities

Community Development Collaborative of Greater columbus

The Community Development Collaborative of Greater Columbus recently released their 2015 Operational Support and Housing Development Grant application. Grants will be awarded to increase the programmatic and organizational capacity of sustainable CHDOs and CDCs to develop new, improved and/or modified affordable housing units targeted to low and moderate income households. Funds may be used to support operational expenses, capacity building activities and technical needs, but are not intended to fund direct construction activities.  For more information and to download the application, please click here. 

ArtPlace America National Grants Program

ArtPlace America is pleased to open the application process for the fifth round of its National Grants Program. This round marks an important moment in the trajectory of both the National Grants Program and ArtPlace as an organization. They've refined their criteria, honed their mission, and clarified their priorities to better support the broad spectrum of people and practices within the field of creative placemaking. Please click here to learn more about the program and apply.

USDA Rural Community Development Initiative Grants

The US Department of Agriculture Rural Development is offering community development initiative grants with a Nov 12 deadline.

Office Depot Foundation Funding

Oct 31 deadline for "Building Capacity to Serve Communities" and "Giving Children Tools for Success" applications. 

Key Bank Foundation 

Key Bank funds programs that increase economic self-sufficiency by fostering effective financial management and understanding of financial services and tools. They are particularly interested in innovation. To apply, one fills out a letter of intent and sends it to the local representative. 

PNC Foundation 

The PNC Foundation lists a variety of economic development platforms as priority including Affordable Housing, Community Development (jobs for LMI individuals through small business), Community Services, and Revitalization. The Grants are submitted online and range from $5,000 to more than $100,000. 

Grant Advice 

Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) staff give grant tips in a recent issue of Shelterforce 

Job Opportunities
For current postings Click Here.  

Organizations with employment opportunities in the housing and community development field, please send your employment notices to David Foust, at dfoust@ohiocdc.org.
State News

Guidelines and Applications for State of Ohio CHDO Certification and CHDO Operating Grant Program 

The Community Housing Development Organization (CHDO) Guidelines approved by the OHFA Board in August 2014 were recently amended to achieve compliance with the State's Consolidated Plan, which describes how the State of Ohio will administer its allocation of HOME funds. Amendments appear on pages 16 and 17 and limit the amount of operating grant for eligible organizations to a maximum of $50,000. The amended guidelines, as approved by the OHFA Board on Wednesday, September 17, can be found on the OHFA website and explain the new certification and grant application process. OCDCA is working with OHFA and ODSA to explore future resource alternatives given the changed environment brought on by the HUD HOME regulations. 

Federal News & Resources
House and Senate Pass Continuing Resolution Through December 11

A continuing resolution (CR), keeping federal programs funded for the first ten weeks of FY15 at FY14 levels, passed the House and Senate on September 17 and 18, respectively. The CR, which funds federal programs until December 11, passed the House by a vote of 319 to 108, with 143 Democrats joining 176 Republicans to vote in favor of the measure, H.J. Res. 124. The CR passed the Senate by a vote of 78 to 22, with 33 Republicans joining most Democrats in support. Congress will return after the November elections to determine the fate of the FY15 appropriations process. Congress was unable to enact any of the twelve appropriations bills prior to leaving town to campaign, almost two weeks ahead of the October 1 start of the new fiscal year.

Social Impact Calculator

Community developers have long believed that their projects provide more than a roof and four walls. Now, a first-of-its-kind calculator can help estimate a development's social impact.  The Low Income Investment Fund (LIIF) has unveiled its Social Impact Calculator, a tool that puts a dollar value on the social impact of investments in low-income communities.  The online calculator allows users to estimate the social value of investments across five program areas: affordable housing, quality child care, education, community health clinics and equitable transit-oriented development.

Urban Institute Study Shows the Effectiveness of Housing Counseling

NeighborWorks America announced the release of a new study conducted by the Urban Institute to explore the effectiveness of NeighborWorks America's National Foreclosure Mitigation Counseling (NFMC) program. The Urban Institute recently completed a four-year evaluation of Rounds 3 through 5 of the NFMC program. The study conducted by Urban Institute indicates that the NFMC program continues to have positive effects for homeowners participating in the program. Counseled homeowners were more likely to cure a serious delinquency or foreclosure with a modification or other type cure, stay current after obtaining a cure, and for NFMC clients who cured a serious delinquency, avoid foreclosure altogether. Overall, the Urban Institute evaluation demonstrates that the NFMC program is having its intended effect of helping homeowners facing loss of their homes through foreclosure. The positive effects demonstrated in the final report are strong and are consistent with those found in prior analyses of Rounds 1 and 2. Read the full report here.

Senators Brown and Portman Call for Settlement Funds to Ohio

At a recent press conference, Senator Sherrod Brown announced that he and Senator Rob Portman have sent a joint letter to Bank of America asking that they allocate $100 Million from the recent Bank of America settlement expressly for redevelopment efforts in OhioOn August 21, Bank of America agreed to a $16.65 billion settlement deal with the Department of Justice (DOJ), six states, and other federal agencies. On July 14, Citigroup agreed to a $7 billion settlement deal with the federal government and five states. Both agreements settle all civil claims brought by these agencies regarding residential mortgage-backed securities and collateralized debt obligations for the years leading to the financial crisis. As part of the settlements, the banks agreed to help struggling homeowners and communities, including lowering the mortgage balances of certain borrowers who owe more than their homes are worth. However, the law adopted by Congress to spare homeowners from being taxed on the amount of the loan that was written off expired in December, so some of these "underwater" borrowers might have to pay significant taxes on the debt that's forgiven unless Congress acts.

Poverty Rate Declined in 2013, But No Significant Change in Number of People Who Are Poor

The Census Bureau released data on September 16 that shows that the official poverty rate fell from 15% in 2012 to 14.5% in 2013, the first decrease since 2006. Income and Poverty in the United States: 2013 also shows that there was no statistically significant change in the number of people living in poverty or in the median household income from 2012 to 2013. The data in this report come from the 2014 Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement. The report also shows that income inequality rose from 1999 to 2013. To read Income and Poverty in the United States: 2013 click here.

Hospitals Can Leverage Community Strengths to Improve the Social Determinants of Health 

Doug Wolf of Nationwide Children's Hospital in Columbus, describes how hospitals can improve public health through an "asset-based" approach to community development.

Thanks for subscribing and reading! Please feel free to email us with any comments or suggestions!

Sincerely,

David Foust
Program Director
Ohio CDC Association

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