Holiday Update
December 20, 2007
CEDAM's 2007 recap and 2008
preview | |
|
| Jingle Bells and CEDAM
News... |
|
Here at CEDAM, we're proud of all the
achievements of 2007.
So, in a holiday rendition, here's a recap of some of
what we've been
doing:
Ten lords a leaping (involvement
with Advocacy Day - May 2nd, 2007 - over 1000 people
assembled on the Michigan Capitol lawn)
Nine ladies dancing
(formation of the Michigan State
Foreclosure Task Force -
nonprofit professionals from around the state working in
coordination to help Michigan families retain their
homes)
Eight maids a milking
(coordinating the establishment of the Michigan Rural
Network, leading to the creation of
the Legislative Rural Caucus)
Seven swans a
swimming (providing testimony and representing our
members in these areas and more)
- Michigan Housing and Community
Development Fund
- State Earned Income Tax Credit
- Qualified Allocation Plan for the
Low-Income Housing Tax Credit
- Supportive Housing bills
- Development bills (ex. Grocery
Store tax exemption, see state policy)
- Predatory lending bills
- and mortgage refinancing
bills
Six geese a laying
(Surveys dispersed to our members and the Industry Report
completed - with case studies featuring members from all 6
regions)
Five golden rings
(Re-establishing CEDAM Committee Structure - Executive,
Finance, Fundraising, Policy, and Rural)
Four calling birds (Upgrades of
communication - email updates, online surveys, member
visits, and website additions)
Three French hens (the hiring of an
Executive Director, a Policy Analyst, and a Program
Manager)
Two turtle doves (Regional
Policy Caucuses took place and a draft 2008 Policy
Agenda has been released for comment)
And finally,
a partidge in a pear tree ($2.2 million
allocated in the state budget for Michigan's Housing and
Community Development Fund!)
Looking for interest in
Mentor/Mentee program - CDC
sustainability
The word "sustainability" became a
real buzz word in 2007. This concept applies to many aspects
of community and economic development, from green building and
energy efficiency to increasing the exchange of ideas
between leaders in the field. CEDAM is possibly
considering facilitating a mentor/mentee program for leaders
in the field - by placing like-minded individuals
together to exchange ideas, give advice, and learn from each
other, it could really make a difference for CDCs that
are working to get off the ground. If you interested in
such a program, either as a mentor or a
mentee, please let Emily
know.
|
| Major 2007 Success: Asset Building
Policy Project is back |
The past year has been a time of transition for the Asset
Building Policy Project (ABPP). With changes in leadership and
staffing, it was necessary to build the knowledge and capacity
of the new staff at CEDAM. With the hiring of Angie Gaabo as CEDAM Executive
Director and Alicia Quintero as
Policy Analyst, the foundation is in place to build upon the
success of the ABPP. It is planned to hire a full time ABPP
Director in January 2008 and
the job posting
is now available online at CEDAM's Career
Corner.
As the foreclosure crisis worsens and threatens
perhaps the single most significant asset that American
families have, their homes, CEDAM will continue to address
this issue as a priority. The Asset Building Coalition will be
meeting early next year and we look forward to working with
everyone in moving forward the asset policy agenda in
Michigan. Please contact Alicia with any
questions.
State Asset
Building Policy Success
There are many
state level asset building policy achievements that
individual members and policy partners can be proud of.
The continued success of the Michigan
IDA Partnership is one to point to. Recent
figures show that participants have saved $1.046 million and
mortgages leveraged is $69.767 million.
Additionally, Michigan joined 18 other states
in enacting a state level EITC to supplement
the earnings of the working poor. Although the funding of the
state EITC has been threatened with SB 662, we all sent
letters back in September in opposition.
Thirdly, we can look to the funding
of Michigan's Housing and Community Development Fund
for the first time as an accomplishments.
Finally, Michigan has continued to be
represented as a state leader with CFED and
the recently published 2007-2008 Assets and
Opportunity Scorecard.
National Asset Building
Policy Progress
 In October, a bipartisan group
of U.S. Senators and Representatives unveiled the America
Saving for Personal Investment, Retirement, and Education
(ASPIRE) Act of 2007. The proposed legislation will create a
KIDS Account for every American child at birth, which the
savings in the accounts can be used later for paying for
college, retirement, or for buying a home. The ASPIRE Act (H.R. 3740) has been
introduced by Representatives Patrick Kennedy (D-RI), Phil
English (R-PA), Jim Cooper (D-TN), Rahm Emanuel (D-IL), and
Tom Petri (R-WI). Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) will be
introducing it in the Senate. To read more about the
ASPIRE Act please visit the New America Foundation's Asset
Building Program webpage on the ASPIRE
Act/KIDS Accounts.
On November
13th, the Aspen Institute
Initiative on Financial Security (IFS) joined the
Mississippi State Treasurer and the Enterprise Corporation of
the Delta to announce a proposal to create the Savings for
Life: Child Accounts in Mississippi, which if approved by
the state legislature will be a five-year children savings
account demonstration project. It would provide
200,000 children born in Mississippi with a $500 certificate
to open an investment account at a private financial
institution and the state would give matches up to
$1,000 in private contributions to the accounts of
children in low- and moderate-income families. To read
more, please visit the Aspen Institute's IFS website.
|
| State Politics &
Policy... |
|
House Republicans
Introduce the Homeowner Relief
Package
On December 17th, the House Republicans unveiled
the Homeowner Relief Package at
several press conferences around the state. In Lansing,
Representatives Rick Jones (R-Grand Ledge) and Paul Opsommer
(R-Dewitt) announced their package designed to address the
foreclosure crisis.
-
The stated main goals of
the legislation are to preserve home values and stabilize
the market.
-
The bills will "lower
property taxes; keep at-risk homeowners in their homes;
stabilize real estate market and preserve home values; [and]
stop harmful lending."
-
SB 294: The Grocery Store Tax Credit Bill Passes
the Senate
Last week CEDAM informed you that
Senator Jansen had introduced the Grocery Store Tax Credit
Bill (SB 294), which aims to
provide property tax exemptions to grocery stores built in
underserved areas.
In order
for the area to qualify for the property tax exemption, the
grocery store, retail supermarket, produce market, or
delicatessen would have to offer:
-
fresh
USDA-inspected meat and poultry products,
-
fresh
fruits and vegetables,
-
and
dairy products.
On December
12th, the Senate passed the bill and it has now been referred to the House Committee on
Commerce for further
action.
HB 5375: Promise Zone Bills Passes
the House
On December 13th, the House passed the Michigan Promise Zone Act
(HB 5375) primarily sponsored by Representative Tim Melton
(D) . The Promise Zone Act is modeled after
the Kalamazoo Promise and will allow for communities
with areas of high poverty to create promise zone authorities
with the purpose of ensuring financial assistance for
postsecondary education to high school graduates living and
attending school within the zone.
There are approximately 125 communities in
Michigan that meet the federal poverty level test to establish
Promise Zones and would help many students to attend college.
Representative Melton stated, "Unfortunately, too many
of our students lack the resources to afford college...We must
give our children the best education possible and then provide
them access to a world-class college education."
The bill is being sponsored in the Senate by
Senator Van Woerkom and has been referred to the Senate
Committee on Education. Please read the bill analysis. |
| Member News... |
Check out these
articles:
Brighton has new downtown
merchants and the Main Street Manager in Scottville discusses the
city's planning successes despite
challenges.
|
|
Resources, Trainings, and
Events... |
|
Request for
Qualifications for Foreclosed Vacant Property
Acquisition
LISC and the City of Detroit Planning and Development
Department have released a RFQ a for Foreclosed Vacant
Property Acquisition, Rehabilitation and Sales Program.
Responses are due by 5pm on Monday, January 7, 2008. For
copies of the RFQ and any questions, please contact Mitch Alexander at Detroit
LISC.
Strategic Restructuring
training - application due January 11
The Michigan
Nonprofit Association, in collaborative partnership with
Battle Creek's Nonprofit Alliance, has spent the last year
working on an innovative pilot program that comprehensively
addresses strategic restructuring for nonprofits.
This training,
which will complement the efforts of the Detroit Executive
Service Corps and SMART Partners, is an opportunity to
strengthen the knowledge and support base of and for
professional consultants serving Michigan's nonprofit sector.
Contact the MNA Leadership
Institute for more details.
Legislative Breakfasts in
Southeast Michigan
The Southeast Michigan
Regional Public Policy Council will be hosting a series of
legislative breakfast meetings at the beginning of 2008 to
provide a space for state legislators and nonprofit staff to
come together and discuss the issues facing their communities.
Five legislative breakfast meetings have been
scheduled for late January - early March, designed for
nonprofits that are located in and/or serveLivingston, Macomb, Monroe, Oakland, St. Clair, Washtenaw and Wayne counties.
Registration is free and open to nonprofits
serving the counties represented at each meeting; however,
space is limited and available on a first come, first serve
basis. RSVP to Deborah Foster at MNA's
Metro Detroit office at
313-309-1650.
Funding
Opportunities
The Michigan League of Human Services
has put out a document listing
available contracts and grants.
The Home Depot Foundation has put out a Request for
Proposals to award funding to nonprofit groups for
community development - due March 1st. There are also other RFPs available in
community development.
Events to put on your 2008
calendar
- Meeting in
Detroit on January 16th - contact Doug
Brown
- Register a
property on the website via for the transaction
forum
- Have your
organization endorse the
conference
- Check out the
brochure and
encourage peers to read
- Register
to attend - it's
free!
Other Resources
For information on other upcoming training
opportunities, don't forget to visit
MITTAC-
the Michigan Training and Technical Assistance
Collaborative.
|
CEDAM's Career Corner is also frequently updated with job openings in
the Community Economic Development industry. New positions are
added
often! |
Compliments of CEDAM
|
 | |
|
| |
