Member Update
CEDAM News & Views: December 3,
2007 | |
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| CEDAM News... |
CEDAM Testifies on Predatory
Lending before House Committee
 Last Tuesday, November 27th, the
House Banking and Financial Services Committee held a second
hearing on predatory lending from the consumer perspective.
CEDAM brought in Jim
Rokakis, Cuyahoga
County (Ohio) Treasurer, to testify about the impacts
foreclosures have had on many Ohio neighborhoods leading to
decreased property values and increased crime. Additionally,
he discussed the Ohio
legislation that was
passed and urged Michigan legislators to pass legislation to
curb predatory lending practices. CEDAM's Angie Gaabo
also testified, speaking about the impact
foreclosures have had on the development and maintenance of
assets for low-income families and vibrant communities in
Michigan. Both sets of remarks can be found on the
committee
website under
"Committee Testimony."
Following the hearing, CEDAM gathered a group of
leaders working to address our state foreclosure crisis to
discuss the issues with Mr. Rokakis. If you have any questions
or concerns please contact Angie.
New Michigan Representation Added
to FHLBI Affordable Housing Advisory
Council
In January, Angie Gaabo (of CEDAM), Tim Lemanski (of
Kalamazoo Neighborhood Housing Services), and Tahirih Ziegler
(Michigan LISC) will be joining the Affordable Housing
Advisory Council for the Federal Home Loan Bank of
Indianapolis. The council works closely with the FHLBI
board of directors and staff to identify community issues in
Michigan and
Indiana.
Past CEDAM E-Updates Now
Available On-line
Remember reading something in a past e-update from CEDAM,
but can't find it anywhere? Our past e-updates are now
available on-line! Visit our e-updates archive
folder to view the documents in HTML
form. |
| State Politics &
Policy... |
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QAP Vote Tabled Until this
Week
On
November 28, the MSHDA Board of Directors postponed a vote on
the QAP to a special meeting on December 6. This postponement
was due in large part to concerns being expressed by the
Governor and members of the legislature. CEDAM will be
continuing to work at this time to ensure that the views of
our members are represented during this process. Please
email Angie should you have questions about
the process or wish to provide further feedback.
Attorney General Aims to Help
Homeowners
According to the Detroit News, Attorney
General Mike Cox is aiming to help Michigan homeowners by
organizing the "Avoid Foreclosure"
forum, set for December 13 from noon to 8pm. The Forum is
open to everyone, and is intended to give homeowners
facing foreclosure will have a chance to talk face to face
with their lender
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| National Politics &
Policy... |
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Rural Voices and Rural
Policy
The current
issue of Rural Voices is devoted
to the problem of rural homelessness. In it, the Housing
Assistance Council (HAC) announces a new initiative to address
rural homelessness. It will be launched in January,
2008.
The Rural Housing Preservation Act of 2007, HR 4002, is
a bill currently before the US Congress. This bill addresses
the need to renovate Section 515 multi-family developments.
Some of the nation's poorest rural families live in this
housing. Nearly 60 percent of these homes are occupied by
seniors or disabled persons. Average annual household income
is about $10,000. This bill would provide voucher assistance
for tenants displaced by renovations. A more detailed analysis
of the bill is available. |
| Members & Partners
Spotlight... |
|
Mexicantown CDC's
Mercado nets 4 new tenants, and a coffee shop is coming soon.
Check out Metromode's
coverage.
Old Town Main Street
in Lansing is turning over a new leaf, and is seeing a new
influx of businesses and investment, courtesy of their win in
a recent nation-wide contest sponsored by IKEA. Featured
articles by NOISE and the Lansing State
Journal.
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Resources, Trainings, and
Events... |
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MSHDA Announces
2008 Housing Resource Fund grant
availability
 MSHDA's Office of Community Development
is announcing the availability of funding for 2008 grants from
the Housing Resource Fund (HRF). Through this fund, OCD
supports projects designed to create healthy neighborhoods and
to provide quality affordable housing for low and moderate
income households in communities and neighborhoods offering a
quality of life that they otherwise couldn't afford. For more
details (including notice of regional information meetings
regarding 2008 funding), please see the attached NOFA.
Foreclosure Prevention
Trainings
The Oakland County CRA Association
and the Macomb County CRA Association are sponsoring an "open
and frank discussion of solutions to prevent and eliminate the
foreclosure epidemic in Michigan." The program will take place
in Southfield on December 7 from 10am to 2pm -- view the front and back of the brochure
for more information.
MacArthur Foundation
Announces New Awards
The MacArthur Foundation is providing
$35 million in new funding for innovative public sector
initiatives to preserve and improve the existing stock of
privately owned affordable rental homes. This funding is part
of MacArthur's "Window of Opportunity" national initiative.
Applications to the program are due by January 29, 2008.
Information about the program and how to apply can be found on-line.
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
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