Policy Update

TAKE ACTION - Sign On To Protect HUD Funding

The President’s fiscal year FY 2019 budget request calls for slashing HUD funding by 14 percent from current funding levels to $41.2 billion. It proposes to eliminate funding for the HOME Investment Partnerships Program, Community Development Block Grants, Section 4 Capacity Building for Affordable Housing and Community Development, the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund, Choice Neighborhoods Initiative, and the Public Housing Capital Fund. Now, Congress is considering 

The Campaign for Housing and Community Development Funding (CHCDF), a coalition of more than 70 national organizations including NACEDA, is circulating a sign-on letter asking Members of Congress to ensure that affordable housing and community development programs receive the highest allocation of discretionary funds possible. The deadline for your organization to sign the letter is March 16. Sign on to protect HUD funding. Another sign-on letter focuses specifically on Section 4 Capacity Building for Affordable Housing and Community Development. The deadline is March 1. Sign on to protect Section 4 funding. Please consider signing these two letters on behalf of your organization and sharing these letters with your networks. 

NACEDA Members Strategize Around Opportunity Zones

Opportunity Zones are a new community development program established by the recent tax bill to encourage long-term investments in low-income urban and rural communities nationwide. The program provides a tax incentive for investors to re-invest their unrealized capital gains into Opportunity Funds that are dedicated to investing into Opportunity Zones. Chief executives of every U.S. state and territory must submit their Opportunity Zone designations to the Treasury Department by March 21 or request a 30-day extension. Census tracts approved by the Treasury Department will retain an Opportunity Zones designation for 10 years.

Matt Hull of the Texas Association of CDCs facilitated a discussion among members about Opportunity Zones. NACEDA members shared information about how they're working with their states and their members to identify census tracts Opportunity Zones. The process was significantly more transparent in some states than others. NACEDA members expressed concern that states are required to designate Opportunity Zones months before the Treasury Department issues regulations. For example, it is unclear whether there will be protections to prevent displacement as investment causes gentrification in low-income communities. 

Mapping tools for identifying Opportunity Zones:
Enterprise Opportunity Eligibility Zone Mapping Tool
CDFI Fund Opportunity Zone Resources 

Thriving Networks

Prosperity Indiana Helps Kill Payday Lending Bill

The Indiana Senate decided on February 27 not to hear a bill that would have allowed payday lenders to offer new types of high-interest loans. NACEDA member Prosperity Indiana was part of a coalition of community developers, consumer advocates, and faith leaders that has spent three years working to block the expansion of predatory payday lending. Kathleen Lara, Policy Director at Prosperity Indiana, wrote a column in the Indianapolis Business Journal opposing the legislation. 

"Prosperity Indiana was active in gathering data and examples from our members illustrating payday lending’s devastating consequences for borrowers and for our communities," said Lara. "We found that while our member network is focused on neighborhood revitalization and economic empowerment, payday debt is leading to increased bank account closures, housing instability, bankruptcies and foreclosures. We shared those findings with legislators, worked to engage the media and testified against the measure. We highlighted the payday loan alternative Community Loan Center model our members have effectively implemented here in a significant portion of Indiana that we learned about through a NACEDA partner in Texas."

Lara wants to collaborate with other state and regional associations. “We hope to talk to other NACEDA members working to push forward bills to cap payday lending about their efforts and are happy to share data we have gathered and strategies we employed in this recent effort if it is helpful to others." This year, Prosperity Indiana is moving beyond just opposing damaging payday legislation to actively advocate for a payday loan cap, which 15 other states now have in place. Their coalition plans to continue pushing the Indiana General Assembly to cap payday loans at 36 percent.

Call for Presenters - NACEDA 10th Anniversary Summit 

The Summit Committee invites proposals for sessions at NACEDA's 10th Anniversary on September 12-14, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This dynamic peer-learning event is designed by and for community development association professionals.  The summit will include sessions on: professional development for association staff; local, state and federal policy; and place-based community development models. NACEDA surveyed members to identify summit topics of greatest interest. View the survey results. Submissions are not limited to the topics identified on the survey. Submit your proposal by March 21.

NACEDA Hosts Midwest Caucus and Pacific Coast Caucus Covenings

The Midwest Caucus featured a conversation with David Erickson of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco on how to engage the health sector to increase community development’s ability to influence the social determinants of health. Participants also discussed gentrification and urban/rural dynamics in Midwestern community development. Co-hosted by Prosperity Indiana, the convening was held in Indianapolis, Indiana and was attended by staff of Housing Action Illinois, the Ohio CDC Association, Community Economic Development Association of Michigan, Community Builders Network of Metro St. Louis, and the Metropolitan Consortium of Community Developers in Minnesota.

The Arizona Housing Coalition co-hosted the Pacific Coast Convening in Phoenix. Participants from Housing California, the Housing Development Consortium of Seattle-King County, Council of Community Housing Organizations, and Center for Community Change engaged in deep discussions and peer-learning around key issues in this region — including recent community development policy wins in California, what Phoenix can learn from displacement dynamics in other cities, and the principles of mission-driven network leadership. 

At both convenings, NACEDA gathered themes to guide the 10th Anniversary publication set to be released at this year's Summit. The Eastern Caucus convening is scheduled for April 24-25 in Baltimore, Maryland. Thank you to JPMorgan Chase for their generous support of NACEDA's 2018 caucus convenings.

NACEDA's Midwest Caucus discusses health equity with David Erickson of the San Francisco Fed.

Healthy Places

MA Announces New Guidelines for Hundreds of Millions of Dollars in Community Benefits

The Massachusetts Attorney General released revised Hospital Community Benefits Guidelines that strongly encourage hospitals to partner with community-based organizations to address the social determinants of health, including the lack of stable, safe, affordable housing. Joseph Kriesberg, president of the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC), served on the Attorney General's Task Force along with leaders from health care institutions, health insurance companies, community health centers, and public health advocates. 

“We believe these new guidelines will add significant momentum to the growing movement to connect the community development field to the health sector,” said Kriesberg. “Community developers across the country can and should advocate for their state Attorneys General to use their oversight responsibilities over non-profit hospitals to drive investments in the social determinants of health.” Kriesberg noted that the new guidelines promote community engagement, regional collaboration, and transparency.

Shelterforce Provides Resources for Health Partnerships

The latest edition of Shelterforce Magazine is a great resource for community developers who are interested in engaging in partnerships with health providers. The magazine focuses entirely on the health equity, providing insights on making the case to partners and potential funders, innovations in metrics and evaluation, model partnerships, and policies that supports this work, among other topics. NACEDA Executive Director Frank Woodruff serves on Shelterforce's Health & Community Development Advisory Board.

Creative Places

Check Out NACEDA's New "Creative Places" Webpage

We have curated a Creative Places webpage with resources for placemakers who are interested in embedding arts and culture in community development. We are always looking for creative placemaking resources to add to the webpage, so continue to watch this space. If you have suggestions, contact Jeremy Brownlee at [email protected].

Resources

Free Capacity Building TA For Rural Communities

The National Association for Latino Community Asset Builders (NALCAB) delivers free technical assistance to rural-serving affordable housing and community and economic development organizations. Their Rural Capacity Building Program provides services including program design and implementation, organizational strategic planning, resource development and financing planning, partnership development, and a revolving loan fund. Learn more about this opportunity on their March 15 webinar.

Job Postings

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Funding Opportunities

Go to our website for current grant opportunities. They're updated throughout the month.