Your Monthly Update
from the Community Development Partnership
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A Word from Jay...
During a panel discussion among business and housing leaders on the Cape, State Senator Julian Cyr called for “a fundamental reimagining of what we are willing to do” if we are to solve our housing affordability crisis and ensure that we have sustainable year-round communities.
At the CDP we have been working with the eight Lower and Outer Cape Towns for the past four years to take big and bold action because, at the end of the day, our housing crisis will be solved – or not solved – by town leaders.
I’m pleased to report that, for the fourth Town Meeting cycle in a row, our communities have stepped up with major commitments of local funds and approved changes to zoning that will facilitate the creation of more affordable housing.
Orleans Town Meeting approved $2.8M in funding to acquire the 5-acre Gov. Prence Motel site and $2M for the redevelopment of the Cape Cod Five Operations Center into 62 units of rental housing. Towns transferred funds into their affordable housing trusts and Truro, Eastham and Wellfleet all voted to increase their local option rooms tax to 6% using additional revenue for housing.
Wellfleet and Truro revised their Accessory Dwelling By-laws to allow units to be created with less permitting and other restrictions. Wellfleet voted to spend $1.9M on a wastewater treatment facility that will serve the school, public safety facilities, and 46 units of affordable housing currently planned for Lawrence Road. Chatham and Wellfleet established new Affordable Housing Trusts. We will feature a more comprehensive listing of all the actions taken in next month’s E-news.
While this is significant progress, for the hundreds of families being displaced as their rental homes are sold out from under them, time is running out. That’s why we continue to call for dedicating the Town’s short-term rental tax revenue to housing initiatives. With additional local funding, our communities can leverage federal and state resources to create more housing, which is the only way we will solve our housing shortage and protect the economic diversity of our communities.
Thanks for your continued support of our efforts, and for helping us to lead the Lower Cape in building a diverse year-round community of people who can afford to live, work and thrive here.
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Jay Coburn
Chief Executive Officer
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Supporting Local Business
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Ann Ellis: Learning to Receive Assistance
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"It’s so wonderful to see a program like this that helps small entities like myself, lovingly ministered by kind people like you, allowing me to help others.”
Ann Ellis
CDBG Loan Recipient
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Throughout the course of the COVID-19 health crisis, the Community Development Partnership worked to respond to the rapidly changing needs of the Lower and Outer Cape business community. One lifeline offered to businesses was the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Micro-Enterprise Loan. This program, funded through a regional CDBG grant to the Town of Truro through the US Department of Housing and Urban Development, awarded qualified low-to-moderate income small business owners up to $10,000 in forgivable loans.
Businesses could use these funds to pay rent, utilities, staffing costs, or to pivot their business due to COVID-19. Over the past year, the CDP awarded over $400,000 in forgivable loans to 40 local businesses, representing all eight towns on the Lower and Outer Cape. Three businesses were even able to receive additional funding of up to $15,000, and all are on their way to having the loans forgiven. One CDBG loan recipient is Ann Ellis, a massage therapist from Brewster.
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Chatham 365: Building Support for Affordable Housing
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“To turn the tide of the crisis, it’s not going to happen in one town meeting or two town meetings. This is work that needs to be done over 5, 10, or even 20 years.”
Brett Tolley
CDP Board Member and Chatham 365 Volunteer
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What does an affordable housing crisis look like? Its friends or relatives leaving good jobs and moving off Cape because the home they rented for many years is being sold to a second homeowner, or a business being unable to find employees during the busy summer months as well as for year-round positions.
In Chatham, the crisis is exemplified by the ongoing discussion of closing the local elementary school due to a lack of students. The potential loss of the school became a rallying point for Chatham 365, a recently organized grassroots advocacy group.
The Chatham 365 Task Force was formed in 2018 as an official town advisory board. Chatham town leaders recognized the lack of young families in town and their importance in building a vibrant year-round community. To gain a deeper understanding of the issues, the Select Board created a task force to identify why people were leaving and what the Town could do to retain year-round residents.
*Photo: The original Task Force preparing their report, including Brett Tolley in the baseball cap.
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Watch our Latest Community Conversation:
Chatham 365
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Every Month the CDP hosts a virtual chat to keep supporters and community members up to date with our work. Last month CEO Jay Coburn was joined by guests Brett Tolley and Karolyn McClelland to discuss Chatham 365.
You can watch the full discussion below:
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We will be taking a break for the Summer, but Community Conversations will resume in September!
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Supporter Spotlight: Marin Reinhardt
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"Because we live in this affluent community, we have created this misleading sense of identity and we all have to act like we are more than we are."
Marin Reinhardt
CDP Board Member
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This spring the CDP welcomed Marin Reinhardt to its Board of Directors and she is on a mission to help make a difference for young families on the Lower and Outer Cape. Marin, her husband Matt, and their three children live in an affordable home owned by the Eastham Affordable Housing Trust and managed by the CDP. Her first-hand knowledge of affordable housing and the local fishing communities will bring a unique and compassionate perspective to her work on the Board.
Marin and her mother came to the Cape in the 1980s when she was 7, moving in with her grandmother who lived in Brewster. She spent her childhood on the shores of Pleasant Bay learning about the ecology of the area and sharing her knowledge as a summer kayak tour guide for Goose Hummock in Orleans. “I am part of this third-generation where the parents had a change of situation,” says Marin. “They needed a place to land, so they took their child and moved in with their parents on the Cape.” It wasn’t easy making a living on the Cape or finding an affordable place to stay, so for many, it was out of necessity.
*Photo: Marin and her three children on a day trip to Provincetown
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You're Invited to our 7th Annual
Summer Evening on the Farm
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The Community Development Partnership is pleased to announce our 7th Annual Summer Evening on the Farm! We are excited to be back in person at Halcyon Farm this year and hope to see all of you there.
Early Bird tickets will be available for $75 until August 1st when tickets will be $100.
We are closely monitoring guidance from state and local health officials and will implement necessary health and safety measures if needed.
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August 25, 2021
Halcyon Farm, Brewster MA
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Thank you to our Sponsors!
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SEEDLING SPONSOR ($1,000)
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Join Team CDP for the GASP
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Ride Week Dates: September 5th-10th
Rider Entry Fee: $25
Fundraising Minimum: $250
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This year the CDP is excited to participate in the GASP annual bike ride! The ride will be virtual, and participants will have the option to "do it their way!" Don't want to complete all 62 miles in one day? You can break it down into smaller sessions throughout the week.
Don't like to bike? You can walk, run, or row to reach your goal. The aim is for participants to get outside, get moving, and have fun! If you are interested in joining Team CDP or learning more about the event contact Britt@capecdp.org.
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Thank you to our Sponsors!
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Grand Course Sponsor ($2,500)
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Eastham, Truro, and Provincetown Residents
Apply for our Housing Rehab Program
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Our Housing Rehabilitation Program is available to income-qualified residents of Eastham, Truro, and Provincetown. Qualified residents can receive up to $40,000 per household to pay for critical home repairs (like roofing and siding, electrical, heating, and plumbing work), lead paint abatement, and energy efficiency upgrades to keep their properties in good condition for the long term. And with local contractors doing the work, this means money flowing back into our economy.
The program is designed to preserve existing homes for year-round residents at or below 80% of the median area income.
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"We Can't Afford to Lose the People Who Can't Afford to Live Here"
CDP launches Phase II of Housing Media Campaign
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This spring we launched Phase II of our public media campaign on the housing crisis. To learn more about how housing affects residents here on the Lower and Outer Cape, check out our media campaign!
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Business & Credit Offerings
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Free Small Business Assistance
Summers on Cape Cod can be busy and stressful, especially for small business owners. If you have questions about managing your business or how to get the most out of the tourist season, the CDP is here to help!
Pam Andersen, Director of Business and Credit Programs is available for free small business help over the phone or via video conference. Find a time that fits into your schedule so you can get the assistance you need to prepare your business for success!
Click the link below to schedule a 30 or 60-minute appointment!
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MGCC Announces Two New Grant Programs for
Small Business Owners
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Crowd Funding Matching Grant
MGCC is partnering with a crowdfunding platform, Patronicity, to assist low to moderate-income and underserved entrepreneurs, and small business owners with meeting the capital needs of their business through matching grants. The objective of the BIZ-M-POWER grant is to provide entrepreneurs with new knowledge and skills for growing their business and advancing toward innovative approaches to obtaining capital through the earned support of local residents, neighborhoods, community members, and stakeholders alike by raising funding to match the amount requested in their grant application. Eligible MA-based small businesses that have been nominated by MGCC’s SBTA providers may be funded up to $20,000.
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Digital Capacity Building Grant Program
Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) has just launched its Grant Program for the Development of Digital Capabilities on June 15, 2021. With our support, this grant program can potentially provide funding (up to $5k) for tools and services to develop digital capabilities for your small business. MGCC will make these funds available for eligible businesses until funding is fully disbursed.
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Prospective applicants need to directly partner with an organization from MGCC’s network of Small Business Technical Assistance (SBTA) providers who will serve as a sponsor to eligible small businesses.
The CDP is an approved SBTA provider and sponsor.
Please read more about both programs below and follow the links. If you determine that either of these programs is a fit for your business, please contact pam@capecdp.org or call 508-240-7873 x18.
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Additional COVID-19 Resources for Businesses
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We have created a separate page on our website that is a compilation of resources for local businesses, including various SBA, unemployment, and other federal programs.
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If you or someone you know is interested in receiving weekly updates from our Business and Credit Program that are targeted to small businesses, please sign up for our Inside Scoop.
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Update on Business & Credit Workshops
The CDP continues to offer all trainings, workshops, technical assistance sessions, and appointments virtually.
We remain committed to serving our business clients and our community. Staff is working both remotely and from the office. While we are not taking in-person meetings at this time, we will continue to meet with clients via phone or zoom.
If you would like to schedule an appointment, please reach out to Pam Andersen at pam@capecdp.org or 508-240-7873 x18.
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