Member Update
CEDAM News & Views: June 8,
2007 | |
|
| State Policy &
Politics... |
URGENT ACTION ALERT:
Michigan's Housing & Community Development Fund Needs
You!
 The campaign to fund Michigan's Housing and Community Development
Fund needs all CEDAM members to contact their State
Representative and Senator this coming week
to urge support for the Fund. Sample text of a letter
can be found here and should be printed on your
letterhead for mailing or copied into the body of an
email. Phone calls are also great. Use these helpful
links to identify your State Representative or State Senator. Please let Brian
McGrain know when you've done this so we can keep track of
CEDAM's legislative contacts. Thank you for
making this a priority!
Governor Signs Budget
Bill
On Wednesday, Governor Granholm signed SB 436, a
key component of the FY 2007 budget agreement that would use
spending cuts, budgetary maneuvers, and a multi-million dollar
tobacco settlement securitization to address the approximately
$800 million state budget shortfall. The rest of the 2007
budget will be finalized in the days ahead. Attention now
turns to 2008, where an estimated $1.8 billion dollar
shortfall looms. Those wishing to learn more about the state's
budget may want to attend Following the Dollars: A Guided Tour Through the
State's Budget Process hosted by the Michigan Nonprofit
Association in Detroit on June 26 from 1pm to 3pm.
Green Urbanism Gathering
Steam in Michigan
Green and urban. At first glance the two go
together like balloons and thumbtacks. But combine green
building concepts and urbanist ideals and you've got just
that, "green urbanism," a growing movement toward walkable
communities that are not just nice to live in but good for the
environment, too. Read the complete text of the article
on-line at MetroMode.
Legislative Tracking Service Available
On-line
 Visit CEDAM's Public Policy Portal for current legislative
information affecting our industry. |
| National Outlook... |
|
SuperNOFA Funding Competitions Reopened,
Extended
Due to errors on the www.grants.gov site, HUD is reopening
or extending all SuperNOFA funding competitions. It is also
providing supplementary information and making corrections to
the SuperNOFA's general section and many of the program
sections. HUD recommends that all applicants who have already
submitted applications should submit entirely new, revised
applications using the corrected Logic Models. New deadlines
are available via a summary table.
GSE Reform Bill Passes
House |
Although legislation
tightening oversight of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has passed
the U.S. House, it is unknown whether a similar bill will be
introduced in the Senate, reports www.multi-housingnews.com.
Currently, HUD and Treasury oversee aspects of the
two government-sponsored enterprises (GSE) operations. The
House bill, HR 1427, would replace OFHEO with the Federal
Housing Finance Agency, a new, independent regulator. Also
under the bill, the GSEs would contribute to a new National Housing Trust Fund, which would
support housing opportunities for very low- and low-income
families and sunset after five years. Industry groups such as
the National Association of Home Builders and the Mortgage
Bankers Association support the bill, particularly the
provision creating an independent regulator. However, the Bush
administration reportedly favors giving the regulator a
greater level of control of the GSEs' mortgage portfolios than
that reportedly authorized under the House bill.
|
| Members & Partners
Spotlight... |
| Infrastructure
Conference Planned in West
Michigan |
 The idea of an all-day
conference dedicated to the topic of 'infrastructure' might
sound as exciting as a root canal. But quality roads,
ubiquitous internet connections, affordable homes, and other
so-called 'infrastructure' play an essential role in our daily
lives. Investment in these public assets also increasingly
shapes Michigan's economic competitiveness, environmental
health, and cultural well-being. CEDAM member Lori Stanton, of
Southwest Area Neighbors, will be presenting at the conference
on how infranstructure issues affect neighborhoods. Click here to learn more about this upcoming
conference, hosted by the Grand Valley Metro Council on June
14 in Grand Rapids. |
| Resources, Trainings, &
Events... |
| CEDAM's 2007 Real Estate Development Training (REDT)
Reaching Mid-way Point, Looking to Future
Trainings |
|
CEDAM's 2007 REDT participants will be embarking on
their third 3-day session of the year between June 19 and
21. Nearly 30 people are participating in this year's program,
bringing the number of people who have completed any of
CEDAM's multi-day real estate training program up to 200
individuals. Beginning in July, CEDAM will be convening a
committee to assess the current curriculum and also work on
developing an advanced training curriculum. If you
have suggestions on improvements to the existing
curriculum or additions to a new one, please email Brian
McGrain.
Rural Funding Available
USDA has
funds currently available to support the work of rural
community groups. The Rural Utilities Service has funds
available for revolving loans to finance water and sewer
projects. The deadline to apply is June 21. Visit www.grants.gov for information. $99 million
is also available for Section 515 Rural Rental Housing loan funds.
Applications are due by June 29.
Michigan Downtown Conference
Planned
 Coming to Traverse City September 18-20,
2007 -- the Michigan Downtown Conference!
Keep your eyes open for more information to follow in the next
month. In the meantime, information on conference sponsorships
is available here.
Funding resources available in SE
Michigan
The Development Corporation of Wayne County has
announced the availability of pre-development funds for
community groups who wish to provide affordable housing in
Wayne County. The RFP will be due on July 2, 2007, by 4:30pm.
Call Amoree Joe at (313) 962-2215 for more information. Also,
the City of Detroit Department of Environmental Affairs is
seeking applicants to receive site assessment funding.
Applications are due by June 20, 2007. Contact CEDAM for
further information on either.
CEDAM sites for Industry Trainings,
Careers
Don't forget to visit MITTAC - the Michigan Training and Technical
Assistance Collaborative - for current training
opportunities.
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
|
 | | |
