December 2022
Live, Work, Thrive
Your Monthly Update
From the Community Development Partnership
A Word From Jay...

While my daily commute back to my home in Provincetown each evening underscores how quiet life gets on the Outer Cape this time of year, life here at the CDP is very busy! The big news is that the CDP is moving! By the first week in December, we should be settled into our new offices in Orleans at 260 Cranberry Highway – more details below.

For all of us at the CDP, 2022 has been another year impressive accomplishments as we have worked to help businesses manage rising costs and a shortage of labor.  And we supported our community in addressing an even more acute housing affordability crisis. Here are some of the highlights of the past 12 months.

  • In August we gathered at Greenhouse by the Sea in Orleans for our 8th Annual Summer Evening on the Farm. We raised an astounding $350,000 to support our programs and services, shattering last year’s record.

  • Our proposal for 46 units of affordable housing in Wellfleet was approved for a comprehensive permit by the Zoning Board of Appeals, a critical step forward for the project. Before the final ZBA hearing the board received fifteen letters of support for the project from abutters and other community members and ZERO letters of opposition, thanks to the outreach work of our Housing Advocacy staff.

  • We received a 5-year, $1 Million grant from the State’s Healthy Communities Program to support our Lower Cape Community Housing Partnership.

  • We launched our brand-new Lower Cape Housing & ADU Resource Center in partnership with the Homeless Prevention Council this spring. To date, we have already assisted 58 homeowners in considering how they might build an ADU, with at least 6 projects in development.

  • Our Business & Credit Programs continued to seek out new opportunities to support the diverse and shifting needs of Lower and Outer Cape Businesses. In addition to our own loan program, the CDP helped businesses apply for two Mass Growth Capital Corporation Loan Programs. We helped 11 business receive a total of $51,805.

In this issue of our E-news, you will read about other accomplishments from the past year made possible by the generous contributions from individuals and businesses on the Lower Cape. It is my hope that you will be inspired to generously contribute to our efforts to build a diverse year-round community of people who can afford to live, work and thrive here.

Best wishes for a Happy and Healthy New Year,
Jay
Continuing to Support our Local Businesses
This year we continued to expand our Business & Credit Programs with an emphasis on serving more diverse communities such as immigrants, women, veterans and members of the BIPOC and LGBTQ+ communities. We hired an additional staff person to focus on outreach and received supplemental loan capital for our micro-loan program to support underserved business owners.
 
In 2022 the CDP has made nine loans totaling $264,000 and provided technical assistance to nearly 200 different businesses.
 
In their own words, we share their stories:
When Wild Water Collective co-founders Emily Mandirola and Mariah Fidalgo moved to the Cape during the COVID-19 they both threw their time into their side hustles selling handcrafted goods. The two met at a local artisan fair and hit it off, eventually deciding to go into business together. They wanted to create a store showcasing women led, queer, and BIPOC created brands. While they had a passion for their idea, they lacked a lot of the knowledge needed to turn it into a successful business. This is where the CDP stepped in to help!
“We are the first to admit we are still learning, and Pam is always willing to help us review documents and projections before we submit anything.”
Brothers Kevon and Evon immigrated to the United States from Jamaica over a decade ago. To support themselves, they worked multiple jobs in restaurants and landscaping. In 2021 they decided to put that experience to good use and started their own business M&L Landscaping. They worked with the CDP to officially register the business, create a business plan, make cashflow projections, and plan the best course of action for covering their startup costs.
“I got a lot of very useful information, it helped set me on the right path… I would encourage anyone who hasn’t worked with the CDP to at least see what they have to offer.”
Safe, Stable, and Affordable Housing
We continued to manage 100 affordable and community housing rental units, providing safe and stable housing to residents of the Lower and Outer Cape. 
 
We also launched a brand-new program, the Lower Cape Housing & ADU Resource Center, in partnership with the Homeless Prevention Council.
When Laura Pessolano was laid off from her job in Oregon at the beginning of the COVID-19 Pandemic she found the perfect new job as the Executive Pastry Chef at the Blue Monkey Café. She packed up her things and moved across the country. After jumping between Winter and Summer short-term rentals, she began to question whether or not she would be able to remain in Provincetown. Fortunately, Laura was able to apply for and was accepted for a unit at Harbor Hill, Provincetown's market-rate housing development, just before she had to move out of her Summer Rental “If it wasn’t for Harbor Hill, then I probably would have had to leave Provincetown.”
Lance Mirkin moved the Outer Cape in 2001 after being furloughed from his job outside of Boston. He only intended to stay briefly as he got back on his feet, but slowly he began to build a life here. When he suffered a stroke in 2009, he was sure he would be forced to move off-Cape to find suitable housing. Luckily, the CDP was just finishing construction of Thankful Chases Pathway, their affordable housing development in Harwich. Lance was able to apply and move into one of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) certified units.  “The apartment is perfect; it is all on one floor and everything is extra wide and spacious making it easy for me to navigate. Plus, when I moved in it was all brand new!”
Last April we launched the Lower Cape housing & ADU Resource Center in partnership with the Homeless Prevention Council. This partnership is focused on implementing short and long-term solutions to our region’s housing crisis, while providing the more immediate support needed to keep local residents and workers stably housed.
 
The Resource Center assists homeowners in the creation of Accessory Dwelling Units (ADUs), also known as in-law apartments, offers financial incentives to those who plan to rent out their ADU year-round and provides resources to landlords and tenants to ensure a successful relationship between the landlord and their renters. The Resource Center also manages a Housing Stabilization Fund to provide rental assistance.
This is What our Supporters Had to Say
Thank you for supporting the work we do to make the Lower Cape a place where we can all live, work and thrive! Here is what some of our supporters shared about the CDP this year. 

“It just felt right. The agenda and philosophy of the CDP aligned with our own thinking. From just that one event, we could tell the CDP is a serious organization and is going to make a difference in the community and Jen and I have been supporters ever since. We are big believers in supporting local entrepreneurship. Our donations manifest themselves in demonstrable success stories. We actually know many of the people that the CDP helps.”
“Without a home, you cannot have a healthy family. And without a healthy family, you cannot have a healthy community, and that is where my heart was and why the mission of the CDP means so much to me. I want all residents to be able to ‘live, work, and thrive’ on the Cape.”
We are Moving!

The CDP is moving to 260 Cranberry Highway -Route 6A, Unit 1 in Orleans this month. Our offices will continue to be open by appointment only. Staff phone numbers and emails will remain the same. Stay tuned for more news about this exciting chapter at the CDP!
Please consider a donation to the CDP to help us create sustainable futures for more families on the Lower Cape. You can use the donate button below, or mail a check to:

Community Development Partnership
260 Cranberry Highway- Route 6A, Unit 1
Orleans, MA 02653
The CDP still has tax credits available for the 2022 Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) program. Through this program, donors who give $1,000 or more are eligible to receive a tax credit worth 50% of the total donation amount. For example, if you donate $3,000 you would receive a credit worth $1,500.

If you would to make a CITC donation in 2022, or are interesting in learning more about the program, please contact Jason Bertrand, Development and Communications Coordinator at [email protected] or 508-290-0127.
Follow the CDP on Social Media!
Stay up to date with the CDP by following us on our social media channels! Receive the latest news about our programs, upcoming workshops, community partners, and more!

If you miss a workshop or presentation you can catch up on our YouTube channel!
Thank you for supporting the work we do to make the Lower Cape a place where we can all live, work and thrive!