Bright Ideas
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Illinois Protects Homebuyers From Rent-To-Own Scams

Sharon Legenza from Housing Action Illinois talks about rent-to-own protectionsNACEDA member Housing Action Illinois led the charge to pass a bipartisan bill protecting homebuyers from predatory rent-to-own scams.

February 7, 2018



Healthy Places Gather Under One Roof

Frank Woodruff at Under1Roof Conference

The Housing Community & Development Network of New Jersey focused their Under One Roof Conference on "Housing As Health." That was an important milestone for NACEDA Executive Director Frank Woodruff. He reflects on the event and the journey he and the Network took to get there.

October 31, 2017

Sparking Will Into Action

Two days after Donald Trump was elected president, members of the NACEDA network came together for a strategic communications training. Nina Arce of the Housing & Community Development Network of New Jersey says the timing couldn't have been more perfect.

November 22, 2016

Smart Money: Investing in Infrastructure Organizations

JPMorgan Chase's Naomi Camper and NACEDA's Frank Woodruff examine how community development networks can provide the long-term infrastructure needed to improve places and access to opportunity.

November 18, 2016

Creating a Healthy Community Development Ecosystem

Structural racism is a pollutant that threatens the community development ecosystem. How can we confront and defeat this dangerous pollutant? This blog by Joe Kriesberg of the Massachusetts Association of CDCs is part of the Living Cities series, “Closing the Racial Gaps: Together We Can.”

November 9, 2016

Lansing. Just About Right.

NACEDA Executive Director Frank Woodruff sees how government and nonprofits cooperate to increase prosperity – and fun – in Michigan's capital city. This is Frank's last stop in his Goldilocks-themed tour of Michigan.

September 22, 2016

MA, OH and Philly Picked for National Creative Placemaking Initiative

NACEDA and Americans for the Arts selected three partnerships to leverage the power of arts, culture and creativity to revitalize communities.

September 19, 2016

Flint. Cold.

Flint, Michigan has been coping with a cold real estate market due to declining manufacturing and population loss. Then, the water crisis hit. How are the city's neighborhoods faring? NACEDA Executive Director Frank Woodruff took a tour with Flint HOME Administrator.

September 15, 2016

Grand Rapids. Hot.

NACEDA Executive Director Frank Woodruff toured three Michigan cities and describes them Goldilocks style. His first stop is Grand Rapids, where he met with city officials, toured emerging neighborhoods with a local CDC director, and saw how local investment and local values have made Grand Rapids a hot market by Michigan standards.

September 8, 2016

Shared Equity Models: A New Look at Community Development

NACEDA intern Barbara Anne Kozee outlines the place for worker cooperatives and sustainable local economies in the future of economic development.

August 9, 2016

Let's Talk CRA

NACEDA Intern Vaidehi Patel spoke with Paige Carlson-Heim of TD Bank about the Community Reinvestment Act.

April 28, 2016

Christie should restore funds to protect children from lead poisoning

New Jersey Governor Christie's veto of funds to prevent lead poisoning hurts kids and makes no economic sense, explains the executive director of the Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey in The Star-Ledger.

March 8, 2016

Democrats Should Focus on Racial Wealth Divide

Bernie Mazyck of the South Carolina Association for Community Economic Development and Jeremie Greer of CFED call on the next president to close the racial wealth gap. Read their op-ed published in Charleston's The Post and Courier.

February 25, 2016

Growing the Housing Resource Pie

How can Massachusetts community developers get the resources they need to provide quality affordable homes? Joe Kriesberg and Don Bianchi of the Massachusetts Association of CDCs share their legislative priorities.

January 28, 2016

Massachusetts Governor Touts Community Investment Tax Credit

Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick discusses the Community Investment Tax Credit with MACDC President Joe Kriesberg

December 9, 2015

Marriage of Two Economic Sectors Presents Opportunity

Carbon emission trading is becoming a revenue source for affordable, green homes in California. NACEDA Intern Sydney Mann explains how.

August 10, 2015

Seattle Issues Affordability Crisis Action Plan

The Housing Seattle plan backed by Mayor Murray sets a goal of 50,000 units built or preserved over ten years, with 20,000 designated as affordable.

July 15, 2015

$100,000 NEA Grant Sends Significant Signal To Neighborhoods


The fact that NACEDA's first direct federal grant came from the National Endowment for the Arts reveals a lot about the challenges neighborhoods face and how our movement will address those challenges, asserts NACEDA Executive Director Frank Woodruff.

July 15, 2015

​5 Reasons Why CDCs Should Communicate the Health Impact of Their Work

Connecting the dots between community development corporations and healthy communities with Kavya Sekar of Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations.

June 5, 2015

Making Sense of Creative Placemaking

Creative placemaking leverages arts and culture to serve communities. NACEDA Intern Max Brekke provides compelling examples as he makes sense of this growing field.

May 15, 2015