What's Happening in Ohio Community Development? |
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June 2021 | Vol. 12, Issue 6 |
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Quick List: Ways to Get the Most from your Membership
Have you:
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OCDCA Hiring Two AmeriCorps VISTA Leaders
The VISTA Leader will assist with the support and coordination of the OCDCA VISTA Project, which places over 35 Members at community development corporations throughout the state of Ohio in order to make lasting change through capacity building. Apply here.
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Fundraising Series Launched, Continues in July
OCDCA's Membership and Development Director, Amanda Crawford, is leading a series of live sessions on the topic of fundraising. The next session, How & Why to Develop a Fundraising Plan, is on July 6 at 10 AM. You can register here.
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OCDCA Book Club
7.12.21 // 2 - 3 PM
Are you interested in reading to further your professional or personal development? Maybe it’s a New Year resolution to read more books this year? Join our book club! Our third book as chosen by members who attended the second book club meeting is The Life and Death of Great American Cities by Jane Jacobs. Learn more.
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Competent Communication
7.21.21 // 10 - 11:45 AM
CEDAM and the Ohio CDC Association are excited to be working with Think for Good, Inc. in presenting Competent Communication. During this webinar, participants will be able to identify and understand deep level communication strategies for personal and professional settings as well as learn effective rapport and connection-building techniques. Register here.
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2021 Conference Keynote Speaker Announced
Evelyn Burnett will be the keynote speaker at OCDCA's 37th Annual Conference! The conference will take place in Youngstown, Ohio from October 6-8. Evelyn Burnett is a Co-founder and CEO of ThirdSpace Action Lab and Third Space Café headquartered in Cleveland, Ohio. Evelyn holds a Bachelor of Arts in Business and Organizational Communications & Public Relations with a double minor in Sales & Marketing and Dance from The University of Akron during which time she studied abroad in Ghana, Africa; and a master’s degree in Public Administration from The University of Akron. Read more here.
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Brighton Park Opens in Old Brooklyn
Once a landfill, Brighton Park officially opened in Old Brooklyn last week. The Old Brooklyn Community Development Corporation first identified the land in 2006. The park was spearheaded by OBCDC, Cleveland Metroparks, and the Western Reserve Land Conservancy. Read more here.
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The Well CDC Featured in Spectrum News
The Well CDC was the focus of an article written by Micaela Marshall in Akron. The matriarch of an Akron household recalls The Well's efforts in revitalizing the Middlebury neighborhood, particularly through its Restoring Housing Program. Read the article here.
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Jumpstart your Small Business with Better Money Habits
Every business needs a plan, and Bank of America’s Better Money Habits lesson can help you go from concept to company. Entrepreneurship 101 shows you the financial ins and outs of starting a small business. Whether it's creating a budget or forming an LLC, our Better Money Habit Champions break down the steps that an aspiring business owner needs to know. Bank of America has partnered with KHAN Academy to create an easily digestible, and well received program, teaching people of all ages financial literacy. Whether they are just starting out or planning for retirement we have free lesson plans, Better Money Habit Champions (facilitators) and other resources to empower others and give them the know-how to succeed. To learn more about how you can take advantage of this free program please reach out to Ashley Wasielewski.
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Neighborhood GROWS
This four part series combines the impact of an intensive business development and management series with the personalized attention and detail of one-on-one business counseling sessions to meet the needs of the neighborhood based retail businesses. We'll discuss your business plan, marketing strategies, loans and funding resources, and operations goals. Learn more.
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Fair Housing Foundations
Hosted by OHFA's Single Family Relations Manager, this course will take a historical view at fair housing and civil rights. The course will also go into the details of current housing, advertising and lending laws. Case studies, housing statistics, videos and pictures are used to present the information in an interesting format. Learn more.
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Assistance to High Energy Cost Communities
The Rural Utilities Service (RUS), an agency of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) announces the availability of up to $10 million in competitive grants to assist communities with extremely high energy costs. The grant funds may be used to acquire, construct, or improve energy generation, transmission, or distribution facilities serving communities where the average annual residential expenditure for hoe energy exceeds 275% of the national average. Eligible projects also include on-grid and off-grid renewable energy projects and the implementation of energy efficiency and energy conservation projects for eligible communities. Projects cannot be for the primary benefit of a single household or business. Deadline is July 6.
Statewide Business Funding Available
Ohio Governor Mike DeWine and Lt. Governor Jon Husted announced Friday the launch of four grant programs to help small and medium-sized businesses recover from the impact of the coronavirus pandemic. The programs will be administered by the Ohio Development Services Agency. Program guidelines, terms and conditions, and required documentation for all four programs are available at BusinessHelp.Ohio.Gov. Applications opened Tuesday, June 29, 2021. Funding is limited and interested parties should apply ASAP. For more information about each grant opportunity, click here.
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There are several high-priority AmeriCorps VISTA positions around the state which still need to be filled. Areas with open positions include Columbus, Cleveland, and Athens. Learn more.
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Main Street Job Recovery Program Included in Budget |
The final budget included $500,000 in funding for the Main Street Job Recovery Program that will provide state funds for community development organizations that address the economic needs of low -and moderate-income individuals and families through the creation of permanent business development and employment opportunities. The program will focus on creating jobs for Ohioans while rebuilding neighborhoods by addressing priorities such as blight remediation, vacant properties, housing, and the reentry population. Although the final amount was not the goal this is still positive as it’s rare to have new programs funded on the first attempt. Efforts are underway to increase this amount through American Rescue Plan Act funds. We were pleased with the amount of bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. OCDCA would like to thank all of the members that advocated to their legislators and the organizations that signed on in support!
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Ohio's New Budget Invests $500M in Brownfield Revitalization, Vacant Commercial & Residential Property Demolition |
From Greater Ohio Policy Center…July 1 marks the beginning of the State of Ohio's new fiscal year, with the enactment of the new biennial budget. The budget, passed earlier this week by the Ohio General Assembly and signed just before midnight by Governor Mike DeWine, includes $350 million in one-time spending for the clean-up, remediation, and revitalization of brownfields, as well as $150 million for the demolition of vacant and abandoned commercial and residential sites around the state by county landbanks.
Under the newly enacted budget, each of Ohio's 88 counties will receive $1 million which can be spent in the next year on the remediation of brownfields, and a further $500,000 for the demolition of commercial and residential buildings and the revitalization of surrounding properties on sites that are not brownfields. The remaining funds for both programs ($262M for brownfields, $106M for demolition) will be awarded to projects on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Both programs will be administered by the Ohio Department of Development, which will need to write rules governing the program and must ensure the program is running by the end of September 2021.
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Affordable Housing Tax Increase Measure Removed from Budget |
From COHHIO…The legislature backed off a disastrous budget proposal that jeopardized the continued viability of one-third of Ohio’s affordable housing properties! Thank you to everyone who spoke out on this issue and the nearly 350 organizations that joined our sign-on letter to defend affordable housing.
Instead of increasing taxes on affordable housing developments, the final state budget would create a 16-member study committee charged with making recommendations about the valuation process of federally subsidized rental properties. The panel, which includes legislators and representatives of the housing industry, banks, insurance, auditors, and local governments, will be required to finalize their report within a year.
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Some miscellaneous state budget items of note…
- Appropriates $250 million for broadband access
- New school funding formula would establish new individualized base costs per pupil for each of the state's school districts and determine every district's capacity for generating revenue locally based on property and income wealth factors within a community.
- For taxable years beginning in 2021, reduces tax rates by 3%. There is no further reduction in 2022. And unfortunately increases the income level at which the first tax bracket begins, from $22,150 to $25,000 in 2021.
- Regarding eligibility for safety net programs, the budget removed Senate-added language that would have: prohibited income and asset limits for the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program, previously known as food stamps, from exceeding the types and allowable amounts allowed by the U.S. Department of Agriculture; required the Department of Job and Family Services to conduct asset tests; required recipients to cooperate with the child support enforcement program; and mandated ODJFS to submit reports on certain information regarding SNAP.
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House Follows Senate to Repeal Rent-a-Bank |
Following a 2018 bipartisan reform in Ohio, a few banks have partnered with payday lenders that are unlicensed in Ohio to issue loans at prices nearly double those charged by state-licensed payday lenders. These loans are purportedly exempt from state laws because they are originated by banks — the “true lender” also known as Rent-a-Bank — before being transferred to high-cost lenders, and they have been the subject of legal disputes. The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency’s 2020 rule allowed these nominal partnerships, the primary purpose of which is avoiding state laws. Following the Senate repeal on May 11, the House voted 218 - 210 through Congressional Review Act authority to repeal this misguided rule.
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CDC Extends Eviction Moratorium for One Month |
From NLIHC…The Biden administration announced on June 25 that it will extend through July 31 the federal eviction moratorium issued by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and it will implement a whole-of-government approach to prevent an historic wave of evictions this summer, as NLIHC has urged the administration to do. The moratorium was set to expire next week. These actions from the White House extend an essential lifeline to millions of renters who remain behind on rent and would be at heightened risk of eviction when the moratorium expires. Read more of this article here.
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Bipartisan Infrastructure Agreement Leaves Out Housing and Community Development |
From NACEDA…The President and Senate negotiated a bipartisan agreement that does not include any of the President’s proposed $200+ billion in spending to rebuild neglected communities through the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act, advance homeownership among communities of color, and invest in public housing improvements, among many other programs for which the White House released details earlier in June. NACEDA is hopeful that these investments will advance in a separate legislative vehicle, potentially reconciliation. NACEDA and our partners continue to work with Congress and the Administration to make these investments and to include set-asides for community-based development organizations serving the hardest-to-reach communities.
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White House Reiterates Support for the Neighborhood Homes Tax Credit |
From Enterprise…On June 1, the White House reiterated its support for the Neighborhood Homes Tax Credit with the release of a fact sheet outlining its broader efforts to reduce the racial wealth gap through the American Jobs Plan. This follows the May 28 inclusion of the tax incentive in the President’s Budget and corresponding Green Book from the Treasury, which details the President’s tax priorities and plan to pay for the budget proposal. The tax credit, which aims to help revitalize historically marginalized communities, would help attract additional private investment in the rehabilitation of older homes and increase homeownership rates in low- and moderate-income communities. The administration’s support for the tax incentive mirrors the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act (NHIA), which was reintroduced in both the Senate ( S. 98) and the House ( H.R. 2143) this Congress by Senators Ben Cardin (D-MD) and Rob Portman (R-OH) and Representative Brian Higgins (D-NY) respectively. |
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OHIO CDC ASSOCIATION | www.ohiocdc.org |
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