Policy Update:
MACDC pushes for amendments to strengthen senate budget:
As the Massachusetts State Senate prepares to debate its proposed FY 2020 state budget, MACDC and its members are mobilizing support for several budget amendments. We are urging our senators to support the following:
- Senator DiZoglio's amendment (#19) to line item 7002-0040 to increase the Small Business Technical Assistance program funding to $4 million;
- Senator Cyr and Senator DiZoglio's amendment (#845) to provide $5 million to recapitalize the Get the Lead Out Loan Program;
- Senator Crighton and Senator Lesser's amendment (#766) to increase funding for MassDevelopment's Transformative Development Initiative (TDI) to $1 million to enable the program to support neighborhood stabilization efforts;
- Senator Creem's amendment (#3) to raise the deeds recording fee from $20 to $50 to improve the state's match to communities from the CPA Trust Fund.
MACDC's President Joseph Kriesberg submitted testimony to the Joint Committee on Housing in the Massachusetts Legislature this week in support of Governor Baker's Housing Choice legislation.
"We see this legislation as a critical step forward in tackling our immense housing challenge," said Kriesberg. "We also believe that the Legislature and Governor need to move forward with other key steps, including more protections for tenants facing displacement, more revenue to build and preserve affordable housing, and additional strategies for putting vacant properties back on line."
MACDC's Organizers Peer Group got a chance to tour the Punto Urban Art Museum in Salem on Thursday, May 9.
The tour was facilitated by Jake Lefker, Director of Community Engagement at North Shore CDC. The Punto Urban Art Museum, located in "El Punto" neighborhood in Salem, features more than 75 murals by local and international artists. It aims at fostering neighborhood pride and increasing economic opportunity for local businesses. The museum is a project of North Shore CDC. To see pictures from the tour, visit our
Facebook page
.
MACDC's Peer Learning Network has been busier than ever this fiscal year. Since July 1, 2018, MACDC has hosted 29 peer learning sessions attended by 283 people - and this does not even include the MACDC Convention last October that was attended by 700 people and included eight different workshops.
MACDC's Groups Sponsored Insurance Program completed its annual renewal last month with 14 CDCs now buying property & casualty or other insurance products through our program. In partnership with Eastern Insurance and Vermont Mutual Insurance Company, our members are aggregating their purchasing power (over $1.5 million in premiums) to obtain lower rates and better coverage.
The Mel King Institute turns 10! Join us on June 25 for the MKI 10th Anniversary Breakfast celebration. President and CEO of PolicyLink, Michael McAfee, is set to deliver a powerful keynote address. Michael has more than 20 years of experience working towards advancing equity and fostering a just and fair society in which all can participate and reach their full potential. This is an event you won't want to miss!
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LISC Boston convenes Next-Level Housing Solutions discussion: On May 6, LISC, The Boston Foundation, Bank of America, and CHAPA brought together leaders, including MACDC President Joseph Kriesberg, from both the public and private housing field to discuss and identify solutions to the housing crisis. At this meeting, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Housing Partnership, Clark Ziegler, made an excellent presentation on four big housing challenges faced in Metro Boston. Check it out
here
.
Check out MACDC on Twitter:
Our Twitter account is a great resource for updates on Community Development news from across the Commonwealth.
Jobs in the Field
: Are you looking for a job in Community Development, or do you have a job to post that's in the field? If so,
MACDC's Jobs in the Field
is a resource you shouldn't overlook.
Member News
After serving as Executive Director of Madison Park Development Corporation for 20 years, Jeanne Pinado prepares to step down. WGBH's Saraya Wintersmith recently took a driving tour of MPDC's real estate in Roxbury with Jeanne, during which they talked about the CDC's accomplishments under her leadership, as well as her plans and MPDC's plans for the future.
MassDevelopment provides funding for CDCs to clean up contaminated sites: MassDevelopment announced recently that 1
3 municipalities and organizations, including four MACDC members, were
awarded over $2.6 million in Brownsfield Redevelopment Fund grants
.
The grants will be used to support the environmental assessment and cleanup of contaminated and challenging areas across Massachusetts. The four CDCs awarded are: Codman Square NDC, Dorchester Bay EDC, NewVue Communities, and Lawrence CommunityWorks.
Harborlight Community Partners has received an award of $900,000 from the state's Department of Housing and Community Development for the construction of six family units in Beverly. The funding comes from the Community Scale Housing Initiative that the Baker Administration created in response to advocacy from MACDC. The project has also received local support with additional funding from Beverly HOME, Beverly Community Preservation Committee, and the Beverly Affordable Housing Trust. North Shore HOME has also committed federal funding of $75,000. The project is expected to cost $2,310,000 and construction is set to commence this summer.
Oak Hill CDC continues to be instrumental in the improvement of local schools in Worcester.
Recently, Oak Hill CDC Executive Director, Mullen Sawyer, joined Ben Forman of MassINC on the Gateway Podcast to talk about how the community of Union Hill in Worcester managed to transform the once struggling Union Hill elementary school, and how Oak Hill CDC was involved. Listen
here
.
Congratulations to B'nai B'rith Housing on breaking ground for The Coolidge at Sudbury, Phase 2. The community will provide 56 one-bedroom affordable apartments for seniors and older adults.
Asian CDC recently celebrated 32 years of community building
with a dim sum breakfast at the China Pearl restaurant. Vivien Li, a nationally recognized Waterfront Expert, in her keynote speech, urged people to get involved in service in their communities. "Individually and collectively, we can make a difference," she said. President of Bunker Hill Community College,
Pam Eddinger,
was presented with the Neil Chin Community service award.
Community Development Partnership recently celebrated 28 years of service in the Lower Cape region. Following its Annual Meeting on April 25, CEO Jay Coburn said the event was a great reminder of "the powerful role our community plays in helping entrepreneurs build a business to create jobs and in ensuring that all of our residents, regardless of income, have a safe stable and affordable home from which to build a successful life on the Lower Cape." Congratulations to CDP!
Opportunities
Applications are invited from n
onprofits that provide technical assistance and training programs to small businesses and start-ups with an emphasis on under-served businesses and entrepreneurs. Proposals are due on June 19.
Upcoming Trainings:
May 29, 2019
9:00am - 4:00pm
Learn how to drive more economic progress for people of color by creating more inclusive and equitable construction projects and work environments.
June 17, 2019
12:00pm - 4:00pm
Learn how to tell the public narrative stories of self, us, and how to make your organization's campaigns for change more powerful and effective.
Community Event:
May 22, 2019
5:00pm - 6:30pm
Join the Mel King Institute for a free meditation session where we will discuss meditation and mindfulness, learn how to meditate, and try meditating together!
This report is an examination of how and why the governance gap exists, with the aim of giving leaders actionable strategies for increasing board diversity.
As we continue to prepare for the effects of climate change, The Democracy Collaborative proposes that the answer does not lie merely in infrastructure investment, but also in applying a framework of community wealth building. Guided by this framework, many cities are integrating more green infrastructure strategies into their climate resiliency planning. Learn more
here
.
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