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Ohio
Community Development
News
February 2015
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Volume 6, Issue 2 | February 27, 2015
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Below is an update with a collection of news items that are relevant to Community Development in Ohio and the Ohio CDC Association.
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Share your Thoughts at a Membership Meeting
Join the Ohio CDC Association for industry updates and networking. Membership meetings follow a facilitated discussion format that encourages members to share their experiences with us so that we can better understand the successes, challenges, and ideas that are unique to our membership and the community development industry in the region.
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Southwest Ohio - Tuesday, March 12, 2015
The Dillard Center
791 East McMillan Street, Cincinnati, OH 45206
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
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Northwest Ohio - Tuesday, May 5, 2015
Fifth Third Bank - Toledo
21st Floor Meeting Room
550 North Summit Street, Toledo, OH 43604
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
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Central Ohio - Thursday, July 16, 2015
6th Floor Meeting Room
100 East Broad Street, Columbus, OH 42315
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
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Southeast Ohio - Tuesday, August 27, 2015
1 Pinchot Lane
Athens, OH 45701
10:30 am - 12:30 pm
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Who should attend? Community development corporations, community development professionals, local governments, and public officials. Register here. 2015 Membership Meetings proudly sponsored by:
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Apply for an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate for your Organization
The Ohio CDC Association (OCDCA) welcomes members to submit an application to obtain an AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate for summer 2015. Funding for the OCDCA VISTA Project is provided by the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) and the Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA) through the Ohio Housing Trust Fund (OHTF). Limited slots are available; therefore, this is a competitive process and some slots will be reserved for housing-only initiatives. The cost to the organization per VISTA is $500. The AmeriCorps VISTA Summer Associate program offers the opportunity to become engaged in a community through an existing VISTA project for 8 - 10 weeks during the summer. VISTA encourages existing sponsors and partners who work with disadvantaged youth to consider using the Summer Associate program to enhance their existing programs by providing opportunities to engage disadvantaged youth in productive service activities in the summer.
If your organization is interested in becoming a sub-site of the OCDCA VISTA Summer Associate Project, please complete the
RFP
and return to Lisa Much, Program and Development Manager, at
[email protected]
by 5pm Wednesday, March 18, 2015. For questions, technical assistance, or information regarding OCDCA membership, please contact Melissa Miller, Director of Member Capacity, at
[email protected]
or by phone at 614-461-6392 ext. 209.
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People and Places 2015 Community Conference Scholarship Recipients
Congratulations to the People and Places 2015 Community Conference scholarship recipients:
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Call for Photos of Dynamic Community Development Work
OCDCA is currently redesigning the homepage of its website, and we are looking for photos that show community development in action, ideally something that represents both people and place elements of community development. If your organization has a photo that fits this description and would like to be featured on the Ohio CDC Association homepage, please send your photo to David Foust, [email protected].
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Save the Date!
Ohio CDC Association's Annual Conference in the Greater Akron area October 1 & 2 Kent State University Hotel and Conference Center
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| People & Places 2015 Community Conference Plan to attend this pivotal event for the community development movement March 4-6 in Washington, DC. Community-based organizations from every corner of the country will showcase the effectiveness, resolve, and passion of those working daily to improve lives in America's most challenged neighborhoods. We'll inspire each other, strengthen our skills, unite our networks, and raise our voices on behalf of the communities we serve. This conference is being hosted by NACEDA, NALCAB, the National Urban League, and National CAPACD in partnership with state and regional associations across the United States. Learn more. |
| Ohio Healthy Food Financing Task Force
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| Registration is Now Open for Housing Ohio 2015
Join the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing (COHHIO) for
Housing Ohio 2015: The Steps Home
at the
Sheraton Columbus Hotel at Capitol Square
.
They
've planned 30 timely, relevant workshops for April 13 & 14 as well as a one-day Housing Institute on April 15 that allows you to explore in depth your choice of three topics: Understanding the Traumatized Brain, Avoiding Youth Homelessness and Assimilating the Housing First Model. The one-day Institute offers additional social work CEUs for the bargain price of $100 for members or $150 for non-members. Click to read all about Housing Ohio 2015 in the
conference brochure
. For more information and to register
visit the
conference page
of their website.
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| Starting at Home: Using Philanthropy, Research, and Practice to Build a Better Ohio
Join the Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing (OCCH) and the Ohio Housing Finance Agency (OHFA) April 29-30, 2015 at the Renaissance Columbus, as they explore the role of affordable housing in strengthening Ohio's families and neighborhoods. This two-day conference will bring together philanthropists, researchers, and policymakers to begin a dialogue about how the development of affordable housing can improve the lives of low- and moderate-income Ohioans. Panels and sessions will focus on the intersection of affordable housing policy and health, education, financial stability, neighborhood revitalization, and local government. Register online here.
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| 2015 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference
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| Ohio Housing Finance Agency Newsletter
The Ohio Housing Agency's Winter Newsletter covers Qualified Allocation Plan updates and other issues.
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Vets Get Access to Land Trust Homeownership
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Woman who Lived in her Car in the Bitter Cold Finds Affordable Housing in Dayton
St. Mary Development is excited about
a recent news video about a previously homeless woman (Alice) who is moving into one of St. Mary's affordable senior apartment centers (Huffman Place).
Alice's story isn't uncommon. St. Mary's typically has 1-2 previously homeless seniors move into their affordable apartments in Dayton every month. Through their Resident Services Program, they are able to furnish the apartments with decent used furniture and also connect residents to other programs, such as food, healthcare and transportation.
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Group Believes Opportunity is Still There for Opportunity Corridor
A group of civic organizations is working behind the scenes to make good on the moniker given to the extension of Ohio Route 10 on Cleveland's East Side - the Opportunity Corridor. Read the Crain's Cleveland Business article.
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Walnut Hills Combining Growth and Inclusion
"We believe that the field of community development is on the verge of something special and we want to help lead the way. We want long-term sustainable growth, rather than speculative redevelopment. We want creative, thriving and welcoming businesses." Read more about Walnut Hill's pledge to inclusive growth.
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AmeriCorps VISTA Spotlight
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VISTA Turns 50 This Year!
AmeriCorps VISTA turns 50 this year. The Corporation for National and Community Service began the kick-off this week. You can follow on social media with #VISTA50 or hear stories of VISTA with #IamVISTA.
Mark the date for the third annual Mayor's Day of Recognition for National Service which is April 7, 2015 (in the middle of National Community Development Week). The statewide event will be held in Dayton.
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| GrantStation How-To Webinar If you are a member of the Ohio CDC Association, you can get full GrantStation membership for $75 per year. (The regular price is $699 per year). You get full access to GrantStation's database of thousands of grant makers and their online tools for grant writing, strategic planning tools, and scheduling. Take a special GrantStation tour for community developers on Friday, March 20 at 2 pm. Register for the webinar here. For information on how to become a member to receive this discount, contact Melissa Miller at [email protected] or 614-461-6392 ex. 209. |
| Community Connectors Community Connectors is one of the key education initiatives announced by Ohio Governor John R. Kasich at his 2014 State of the State address to support Ohio's schools by fostering increased student mentorship with community organizations. The program recently lifted the mandate of faith-based organizational involvement. Due to this change, applications are now accepted until March 6.
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| Summit County Offers Grants for Community Gardens NeighborFood, a program of the Summit Food Policy Coalition, is again offering micro-grants for new community gardens. To get an application for the micro-grant, visit their website. The deadline to apply is March 7. Completed applications should be sent to Sarah Vradenburg, Let's Grow Akron, 467 Harvey Ave., Akron, OH 44314. For more information call 330-612-0234. |
| Cities for Financial Empowerment Bank On 2.0 Innovation Fund The Cities for Financial Empowerment (CFE) Fund seeks proposals for replicable programs to connect underserved populations to mainstream, safe, and affordable financial products and services that enable households to preserve their earnings and build assets. Applicants must be city or local government agencies or nonprofit organizations working with local government. Deadline is March 13, 2015 at 3 pm EST. |
| Wells Fargo Next Awards for Opportunity Finance
Grants are open to CDFI's to expand consumer financial services for people in low-income or disadvantaged situations. March 11 deadline.
Learn more.
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| Rural Project Marketplace
USDA Rural Development and the Council of Development Finance Agencies (CDFA) are excited to announce the newest component of the CDFA USDA Rural Development Partnership: the Rural Project Marketplace. This online Rural Project Marketplace will bring together rural communities and private sector investors to connect rural projects with financing/funding. (Think of it as an online "Shark Tank" for pitching your small town development project to private sector funders). The Rural Project Marketplace will take place on March 23-24 from 12:00-5:00pm. Rural communities of all shapes and sizes are invited to present their projects for funding/financing while the marketplace is open.
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| Community Economic Development Healthy Food Financing Initiative Projects This highly competitive federal funding opportunity is officially open. The CED-HHFI program's objectives are to support businesses and commercial activities that improve access to healthy foods and the overall health of community residents while creating long-term jobs. The deadline is April 24. View the RFP.
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| Community Economic Development Projects This highly competitive federal funding opportunity is officially open. The CED program provides funding for projects aimed at business development opportunities and creating employment for individuals with low-income located in geographic areas with a demonstrated need for the proposed project. The deadline is April 24. View the RFP. |
| Efficiency Crafted Homes Provide Incentives
Efficiency Crafted Homes provides financial incentives for new home construction or gut rehabs in Columbia Gas of Ohio or AEP Ohio territory. For more information in becoming an Efficiency Crafted builder, contact 1-877-771-5506 or [email protected].
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For current postings Click Here.
Organizations with employment opportunities in the housing and community development field, please send your employment notices to Lisa Much at [email protected]. |
| State Biennium Budget On February 2nd, Governor Kasich unveiled his biennium budget. The budget must be passed by June 30th, 2015. The tax policy components are by far the biggest changes that are being suggested. A 2-year 23% income tax cut results in a $4.6 billion change. Other revenue cuts and increases pale in comparison, with a sales tax increase bringing $1.5 billion and no other single dollar amount over $1 billion. The net tax change is a $523 million cut. Items of note include adding an intensive case Management and services to help move people out of poverty. The program will act as a pilot for youth between 16 and 24. It is being explained as a people-centered approach to social service delivery. The Plain Dealer analyzed the budget's impact on low income Ohioans. |
| Ohio Housing Trust Fund Reserve Included in the Governor's budget is a provision to create a reserve method for the Ohio Housing Trust Fund (OHTF) championed by the Coalition on Homelessness and Housing in Ohio (COHHIO). The OHTF will continue to receive the $50 million in each of the next two years, but an additional helpful step is the formation of a reserve fund to help stabilize year-to-year funding fluctuations. Since 2003, the OHTF has been supported by a fee tied to recording of documents at the county level up to a maximum of $50 million per year. The budget proposal amends the OHTF statute to create a $15 million reserve amount to be used to fill the gap in years when the $50 million level is not reached. |
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2015 CFED Assets & Opportunity Scorecard
Policy Matters Ohio co-released the Corporation For Enterprise Development Assets & Opportunities Scorecard with NHS of Cleveland, Inc. and Supports to Encourage Low-income Families (SELF) of Butler County. The annual release, which ranks the states based on their policies and outcomes in several areas focused on asset building and family financial security. This information is useful for communicating the financial challenges Ohioans face and the need for policy changes. See Ohio's rankings here. |
| Ohio Income Inequality
Ohio's top 1% of wage earners pocketed more than 21 times more than all others in 2012, an Economic Policy Institute analysis released by Policy Matters Ohio found. According to the report, The Increasingly Unequal States of America: Income Inequality by State, 1917 to 2012, which shows a rise in inequality in Ohio and nationally, top earners in Ohio have more than doubled their incomes between 1979 and 2012, while that earned by the bottom 99% grew by just 11%. About half of the state economy's entire growth went to the top 1% during the time period, the analysis found. Nationally, the country is even more unequal than Ohio, the analysis states, with the top 1% collecting more than 29 times all other earners.
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| Ohio Prepares for National Housing Trust Fund
Ohio will begin preparing for the receipt of National Housing Trust Fund (NHTF) dollars, expected to be approximately $10 million a year. The Kasich Administration announced that the Ohio Development Services Agency will administer the NHTF and OHFA will develop the allocation plan and allocate program funds. The NHTF will provide revenue to build, preserve, and rehabilitate housing for people who are extremely low income.
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| Map of Ohio's Free Tax Services to Aid Working Families
A
new interactive map will help families connect to free tax-preparation assistance around Ohio, avoid the unnecessary expense of paid preparers, and keep more of their tax refunds. The map was created by
Ohio CASH, the state's asset-building coalition.
The map features more than 330 free tax sites, and includes information about making appointments, hours of operation, household income limits and more. Ohioans not claiming the EITC are encouraged to contact sites about available services. Most sites will complete and file taxes returns for families with incomes below $53,000; others have higher household income limits.
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Advocates Unite to End Sequestration
Actions are underway to end sequestration and prevent further cuts to non-defense discretionary programs, including HUD programs, in the FY16 federal budget. Stopping the sequester cuts is one of the messages in a sign-on letter being circulated by the Strengthening America's Value and Economy (SAVE) for All Campaign. SAVE for All is coordinated by the Coalition on Human Needs. The letter to members of the House and Senate will urge Congress to pass a budget resolution that adheres to SAVE for All's four principles: (1) protect low income and vulnerable people, (2) invest in broadly shared prosperity that raises incomes across the economic spectrum, (3) increase revenues from fair sources, and (4) seek responsible savings by targeting wasteful spending in the Pentagon and elsewhere. Click here to read and sign on to the SAVE for All letter. A new paper from the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities (CBPP), entitled Sequestration and Its Impact on Non-Defense Appropriations, succinctly describes how sequestration came to be and how more cuts would impact non-defense discretionary programs. According to CBPP, "the 2016 cap on non-defense appropriations is roughly at the 2015 enacted level for those appropriations, rising by just 0.2%." Without a reversal of sequestration, as the President has proposed in his FY16 budget request, the "2016 cap would be 17% below the comparable 2010 level after adjusting for inflation," the paper states. |
| President's Proposed Budget For details on the President's FY 2016 budget proposal, see Enterprise's comprehensive overview and budget chart of affordable housing and community development proposals. The White House request would increase funding for HOME, from FY15's $900 million level, to $1.060 billion in FY16. The request seeks less funding for Community Development Block Grants (CDBG) in FY16 ($2.8 billion) than was provided in FY15 ($3 billion). HUD seeks an increase for Housing Counseling in FY16, from FY15's $47 million to $60 million in FY16. These funds are used by HUD-approved housing counseling agencies for direct services. |
| Rural Housing The Atlantic recently reported on the nation's rural housing shortage. |
| Bipartisan Legislation to Permanently Extend the New Markets Tax Credit Introduced in the House
Representatives Pat Tiberi (R-Ohio-12
th
), Richard Neal (D-Mass.-1
st
) and Tom Reed (R-N.Y.-23
rd
) have introduced the New Markets Tax Credit Extension Act of 2015 (H.R. 855) to permanently extend the New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC).
Read more about this legislation
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Thanks for subscribing and reading! Please feel free to email us with any comments or suggestions!
Sincerely,
Lisa Much
Program and Development Manager
Ohio CDC Association
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Copyright � 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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