Volume 9, Issue 11 / December 12, 2018
Quick List: Ways to Get the Most from Your Membership
  • Have you submitted your interest to receive a partial registration scholarship to the 2019 People & Places conference? All you have to do is email Lisa Much expressing your interest for a scholarship (and be a member).
OCDCA News
Scholarships Available for National People & Places Conference
Ohio CDC Association, with NACEDA support, is pleased to award a limited number of partial registration scholarships to People & Places, which will be randomly selected from interested members. Selected members will pay $125 to attend the conference. The registration rate is currently $375, so this provides selected members with a deep discount to the event. People & Places will be April 15-17 in Arlington, VA.

To be considered for a registration scholarship, please email Lisa Much, expressing your interest, by Friday, January 4th at noon. Only people from current members in good standing may be selected for a scholarship.
AmeriCorps VISTA RFP Now Open

First time applying? Don't miss the TA webinar for the applications. Get all your questions answered! 
Event and Date Location Registration
VISTA RFP TA Webinar
December 18, 2018
10:00 - 11:30 AM
Webinar Register Here!
OCDCA Announces 2019 Ohio Microbusiness Development Program Sites
OCDCA is pleased to announce the 2019 members of the Ohio Microbusiness Development Program. 

The purpose of the Ohio Microbusiness Development Program is to provide funding for community development corporations (CDC's) to further develop a local delivery system that encourages microbusiness development, provides low- and moderate-income households with access to capital for business development and self-employment, and creates and retains long-term jobs in the private sector. Funding for the Ohio Microbusiness Development Program comes from the Ohio Housing Trust Fund (OHTF) through the Ohio Development Services Agency (ODSA).

2019 Members:
Adams Brown Community Action Partnership
ACEnet
Social Enterprise Incubation Program Boot Camp
Join the Social Enterprise Incubation Program (SEIP), a four phase program that provides technical assistance, training, and resources for starting a social enterprise from start to finish.

Organizations must have two staff members attend the boot camp. The boot camp is a two-day intensive training focused specifically on devising a specific social enterprise for your organization.

You don't need to have attended the October training to participate in this training.
Event and Date Location Registration
Social Enterprise Incubation Program Boot Camp
January 15-16, 2019
9:30 AM - 4:00 PM
100 East Broad Street
6th Floor Board Room
Columbus, OH 43215
Register Here!
Cost: Members - $75, $50 for each additional member; Nonmembers - $200

Support for the Social Enterprise Incubation Program is provided by Bank of America:
Member News
Welcome New Members!
Summit Lake Community Development Corporation in Akron, Extended Housing in Painesville, College Hill CURC in Cincinnati, and eMerge in Dayton join OCDCA as our newest 2018 members. Welcome!
Senior Living Community Celebrates Opening in Springfield
A $10 million dollar senior living development on the site of the former Community Hospital is complete after over a year of construction. The project created nearly 50 units and is Springfield' first "pocket neighborhood." "It's the end of long dream of creating a really special senior community for Springfield," said Neighborhood Housing Partnership's Executive Director, Tina Koumoutsos, during a grand opening celebration Tuesday. Read more.
Homes on the Hill's LEAN Program Receives Ohio Nonprofit Excellence Award
Nonprofit leaders from around the state gathered in Columbus on November 8th to be recognized for their achievements at the Ohio Association of Nonprofit Organizations' Nonprofit Excellence Awards. Homes on the Hill's LEAN program received an Ohio Nonprofit Excellence Award after an extensive nomination review process. The LEAN program won in the Central Ohio category. LEAN (Landlord Engagement Action Network) provides educational resources to landlords and tenants, and connects landlords and tenants to local mediation resources. Congratulations HOTH!
Akron Incubator Hopes to Cultivate Food Entrepreneurship
Entrepreneurs who want to start or grow a food business will be able to utilize a certified commercial kitchen in Akron as soon as renovations are complete at a former church on East Market Street that is now owned by The Well Community Development Corp. Read more.
What Happens When a CDC Pivots to a Health-First Focus?
Old Brooklyn CDC is one of the first to wholly shift its focus and make positive health outcomes its priority. Its leaders have been remarkably savvy in navigating this new terrain, and the organization has benefited from being an early adopter and leader. At the same time, however, it struggles against doubts on the part of those who are comfortable with the way things have always been done. Read more in the recent Shelterforce article.
Share Your Stories
We love hearing about the awesome work you do throughout Ohio. If your organization is mentioned in the news, please share it with us. We love photos too! If you send it to Lisa Much , we can put it on our blog and in this newsletter. 
Partner News
Initiate Soulful Conversations within Community Development
The values that gave rise to the community development field - equity and opportunity - are as imperative ever. So, how do we raise up these values in conversations that energize our networks and engage a new generation of leaders? 

NACEDA's new publication, Talking Values: Soulful Conversations within Community Economic Development, has a unique structure to facilitate group discussions on five vital topics: Racial Equity, Organizing, Scale & Accountability, Identity, and Emerging Leaders.

Each chapter begins with a provocative essay on one topic, followed by responses to the essay from members of the NACEDA network, then questions to spark discussion. There's also a Discussion Guide to help you strengthen your facilitation skills. 

Talking Values is now available online in a format that makes it easy to share a chapter at a time to initiate group discussions. So, pick a topic. Get a conversation going with your colleagues, your board, your supporters, and community.
Going Live! The Ohio Housing Locator adds Lead-Safe Option
The Ohio Housing Locator, which makes it easy for those living in Ohio to find safe affordable rental homes, will now have a lead-safe option included. A property is considered lead-safe if it was constructed after January 1, 1978 or has passed a lead clearance examination and determined to be lead free if it was built before 1978. The lead-safe option is anticipated to be available as one of the searchable filter options of the Ohio Housing Locator beginning in February of 2019. If you are interested in listing your rental properties free of charge and would like more information, please contact ayesha.heffner@odh.ohio.gov or wait for the next edition of this newsletter for details of how to list your rental units on this no cost statewide resource. The Ohio Department of Health, partnered with the Ohio Department of Medicaid, seeks to educate families seeking rental housing of the availability and the features free to users of the Ohio Housing locator statewide.
Bank of America Student Leaders
Bank of America is helping develop the next generation of community leaders through Student LeadersĀ® which recognizes community-minded high school students and connects them to employment, skills development, leadership training and service. Student Leaders will work at a local nonprofit this summer and join other students from around the country in Washington D.C. for a national Student Leadership Summit. They are currently recruiting high school juniors and seniors from Cuyaoga, Geauga, Summit, Franklin, and Hamilton counties. The pay is $15/hour. Deadline to apply is February 1.
AmeriCorps VISTA Spotlight
Edward Patrick Akinyemi recently finished his AmeriCorps VISTA term with the North End Community Improvement Collaborative in Mansfield, Ohio. He published a book about his experience as an AmeriCorps VISTA member.

His book is called Community Heroes: What a year as an AmeriCorps VISTA member taught me about community development. Inspired by his year of service, his aim is to give readers tools and information they need to make a positive difference in their communities. "

It's for people that are about to become (or already are) nonprofit professionals, which specifically includes AmeriCorps VISTA members, but is certainly not limited to them. It's for those that care deeply about social impact, community development, and nonprofit work. Finally, it's for people that don't necessarily want to change the world but do want to learn how to change their communities."

Events
Season Creation Workshop
Join Green Edge Organic Gardens and Rural Action for a highly acclaimed, on-farm workshop. This training focuses on the use of gabled high tunnels for winter production, focusing on multiple aspects of the Green Edge Organic Gardens model of year round high tunnel farming. The workshops include both on-farm and classroom portions, all taught by Green Edge staff.
The workshop is $20, which includes a locally catered lunch. Interested attendees please
register in advance by contacting Joe Barbaree at 740-677-4047 or joeb@ruralaction.org.
Downtown Redevelopment Districts & Historic Preservation Webinar
Developing certified historic structures can be a complicated and complex task. Join Heritage Ohio to learn more about it during this free webinar on December 19th.
An Economy for Everyone: Bold Strategies to Build Racial and Economic Equity
To learn more about the report and economic insecurity in America, join PolicyLink on January 14th to hear from leading thinkers and advocates as they discuss bold, innovative policy ideas that can transform systems and institutions to tap into the potential of people of color and low-income communities, so we can all share in the benefits of a more equitable and inclusive society.
OCCD Winter Quarterly Meeting
The OCCD Winter Quarterly Meeting will be held at the Embassy Suites Dublin Hotel on January 23 - 24, 2019. Register here.
NeighborWorks Rocking it in Cleveland
The peer networking and the courses and workshops in which you will participate at this NeighborWorks Training Institute from February 18 - 22, 2019 will build the skills and add to the information you need to address not only today's community development challenges, but also to anticipate tomorrow's. It will leave you refreshed, energized, and ready to return home with a "to-do" list. Join NeighborWorks to learn and network in Cleveland -- building your skills, maximizing your effectiveness and enhancing your career. 
Greater Ohio Policy Center 2019 Summit
Join Greater Ohio Policy Center on March 14, 2019 in Columbus. Registration is now open!
NLIHC Housing Policy Forum
NLIHC's 2019 Housing Policy Forum: Seizing the Moment for Bold Solutions will take place in Washington, DC, March 27-29, 2019.  
People & Places - Washington DC - April 15-17
Be part of the event that galvanizes the community development movement! Join people from different regions, cultures, and national networks as we share what's working to strengthen places and advance racial equity. We'll inspire each other, strengthen our skills, and unite our networks. Together, we will go to Capitol Hill to meet with Members of the U.S. Congress about issues facing low-income people and disinvested places. Learn more about this national community development conference.

OCDCA members can receive partial registration scholarships, making their registration cost $125.  To be considered for a registration scholarship, please email Lisa Much, expressing your interest, by Friday, January 4th at noon. Only people from current members in good standing may be selected for a scholarship.
Save the Date: PCRG 2019 Summit
Join Pittsburgh Community Reinvestment Group on May 8-9, 2019 in Pittsburgh.
Funding Opportunities
Aldi Smart Kids
The ALDI Smart Kids Program, which provides funding and gift cards to organizations that promote kids being active and healthy, is available to organizations in an Aldi area. So whether your mission is to support kids through education, arts, athletics or any other program that inspires them to be active and healthy, we say kudos to you and encourage you to apply for support from the ALDI Smart Kids program. Applications are accepted on an on-going basis until December 15.
Kids Gardening Grants
Any nonprofit organization, public or private school, or youth program in the United States or US Territories planning a new garden program or expanding an established one that serves at least 15 youth between the ages of 3 and 18 is eligible to apply. The selection of winners is based on demonstrated program impact and sustainability. Deadline is December 17.
HUD Fair Housing Initiative Program Funding
FHIP funds are used to increase compliance with the Fair Housing Act. This year, funding is available under three Initiatives: Private Enforcement (PEI), Fair Housing Organization (FHOI) and Education and Outreach (EOI) Initiatives. Deadline is December 19.
Peace Development Fund
The Community Organizing Grants program contains PDF's annual grantmaking docket and the De Colores Rapid Response Fund. Any organization that fits PDF's guidelines is eligible to apply for a grant. Currently PDF only funds organizations in the United States, Haiti and Mexico through the Community Organizing Grants docket. Applications are due December 28.
Islamic Relief USA Community Grants
IRUSA provides grants to nonprofit organizations throughout the country, to provide access to quality health care; to promote sustainable socio-economic development; and to elevate the standard of living of those in need. Projects focused on the following areas will be given priority: refugee resettlement, food security and livelihood, disaster response and preparedness, and health services and promotion. Deadline is December 31.
Walmart Community Grants
Community Grants range from a minimum of $250 to the maximum grant of $5,000. Organizations must submit an online application to be considered for funding.
The 2018 grant cycle begins Feb. 1, 2018 and the application deadline is Dec. 31, 2018.
D'Addario Foundation for Music Education
Music education builds self-confidence, creativity, discipline and the ability to reconcile conflicting ideas. LOI is due January 31.
NFL & LISC Funding for Community Football Fields
The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program is a partnership of the National Football League
Foundation, which provides funding for the Program, and the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), which provides technical assistance and manages the Program. The goal of the Program is to provide non-profit, neighborhood-based organizations with financial and technical assistance to improve the quality, safety, and accessibility of local football fields. The NFL Foundation Grassroots Program provides grants of up to $250,000 for capital improvement projects. Deadline is January 31.
Employment Opportunities
Ohio Development Services Agency, Columbus, is hiring a Manager, Weatherization Assistance Programs.

Metro West Community Development Office & Detroit Shoreway Community Development Office, Cleveland, are seeking a shared Digital Literacy Coordinator and First-Time Homeownership Coordinator.

View more employment opportunities on our website.  Organizations with employment opportunities in community development may send their notices for free posting to  Lisa Much .
State News
Ohio Housing Trust Fund Expansion
Home Matters to Ohio advocates will be attempting another much-needed expansion of the Ohio Housing Trust Fund in next year's state budget process. In 2017 the coalition was able to have recording fee increases placed in the House budget version but unfortunately were not successful in the Senate. Housing is foundational and impacts success from education to health as explained in this OpEd from the President of Columbus State Community College. OHFA has also updated their economic impact report demonstrating $11.56 in gross state product for every $1 expended from the fund. Stay tuned to sign your organization up in support of expansion.
Lame Duck Session 
Numerous bills have been introduced by the General Assembly in lame duck session. House Bill (HB) 390 sponsored by Representative Derrick Merrin (R - Monclova Township) would unnecessarily expedite evictions and was halted by COHHIO. Senate Bill (SB) 336 sponsored by Senator Matt Huffman (R - Lima) would increase taxes on LIHTC developments and subsequently  increase rents will not move forward this year but will likely be reintroduced next year. On a positive note HB 740 sponsored by Representative Adam Miller (D - Columbus) and Representative Steven Arndt (R - Port Clinton) was introduced and would authorize bonds for loans to port authorities, CDCs, and CICs. House Joint Resolution 19, a measure that would make it more difficult for Ohioans to amend the state's constitution remains mired in committee. HB 598 would provide greater leeway for locals governments to control forfeited land sales. And HB 368 would provide much-needed consumer safeguards for land installment contracts but will not be moving forward this year.
The Brazen Redlining Happening in Cleveland
A real estate agency has made a modern redlining map of Cleveland, but in a time of rising home prices, some say it might have the unintended effect of keeping housing affordable. Read the City Lab article.
Federal News
CRA Reform
OCDCA would like to thank the many members that spoke up and submitted public comments about the importance of the Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) and the need to strengthen, not weaken its intent and impact. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) received 1,486 comments with the vast majority - 1,002 of them - aligned with the National Community Reinvestment Coalition's (NCRC) position on modernization, while just 36 advocated for changes that would strip billions of dollars from communities nationwide. What comes next remains to be seen. The OCC must review public comments before it issues any proposal for new rules and that would be followed by another public comment period.  So the work on CRA modernization is far from over. View a copy of OCDCA's public comment.
Stakeholders Consider the Potential of Opportunity Zones, Urge Transparency of Investments
With a first round of proposed rules for the new Opportunity Zones tax benefit now publicly available, potential investors, fund managers, community groups and other stakeholders are examining the potential benefits and challenges of this new investment tool. An article in The New York Times notes that Opportunity Zones could do a lot of good for people living in the zones and earn investors money or simply enrich investors. Rob Lalka, cofounder and partner at Medora Ventures and Professor at Tulane's A.B. Freeman School of Business, and Scott Shalett, managing partner and head of public affairs at Medora Ventures, write in The Hill that the private sector and communities must lead on impact reporting in the absence of the government requiring reports on metrics like job creation and poverty reduction. Lalka and Shalett write that "embedding an impact focus and seeking community input at the outset is far easier and more effective early on, rather than attempting to retroactively measure such non-monetary results or rebuild trust with communities after investments have been made." 
Short-term Continuing Resolution Funds Government through December 21
President Trump signed a two-week extension to the ongoing Continuing Resolution (CR) last week, providing funding for agencies whose fiscal year (FY) 2019 spending authority has yet to be finalized. The CR, which pushed the expiration of government funding from December 7 to December 21, provides short-term funding for critical government agencies, including HUD, USDA and Treasury. Despite the extension of short-term funding, federal agencies operating under the CR will have to continue to make contingency plans for a potential shutdown later this month, as it is still unclear if lawmakers and the White House will be able to agree on a spending package due to controversial negotiations around funding for border security.
New Report Finds that Homes in Majority-Black Neighborhoods are Significantly Under-Valued
A new report by the Brookings Metropolitan Policy Program and Gallup examines the devaluation of owner-occupied homes in metropolitan areas' majority-black communities, where the share of the population is at least 50 percent black. The report finds that owner-occupied homes in majority-black neighborhoods are undervalued on average by $48,000 per home, amounting to $156 billion in cumulative losses. According to the report, differences in home and neighborhood quality do not fully explain the devaluation of homes in majority-black neighborhoods, which indicates that this challenge stems from racial bias. Finally, the report notes that metropolitan areas with greater devaluation of black neighborhoods are more segregated and produce less upward mobility for the black children who grow up in those communities.
New Report on the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit at Year 30
The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) and the Public and Assisted Housing Research Corporation (PAHRC) released a new report, Balancing Priorities: Preservation and Neighborhood Opportunity in the Low-Income Housing Tax Credit Program Beyond Year 30. The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) is the largest national affordable housing program in the U.S., having contributed nearly three million rental homes to the affordable housing stock since its establishment in 1986. By 2030, nearly half a million current LIHTC homes will reach the end of their federally mandated rent-affordability and income restrictions. Some of these homes will be lost from the affordable housing supply as they convert to market-rate rents. Others may be lost to physical deterioration unless new capital investments are made available for rehabilitation and renovation.
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