Member Update
CEDAM News & Views: May 31,
2007 | |
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| State Policy &
Politics... |
Larger State Deficits Loom for FY2007 and
FY2008
While officials wrestle with balancing the State
Budget, a recent Revenue Forecasting conference held between
high-level legislative and executive staff agreed that the
FY2007 budget deficit is approximately $800 million. Assuming
agreement is ultimately reached on a revenue-neutral
replacement for the Single Business Tax, officials project a
$1.5 billion deficit for FY 2008. CEDAM will be watching
budget discussions as they continue, and will be bringing you
future updates on how potential budget-balancing solutions
(such as funding freezes or temporary state employee lay-offs)
may affect your organizations and communities.
Michigan's Housing &
Community Development Fund Efforts
Continue
 Efforts to fund Michigan's Housing & Community Development
Fund are heating up following the success of Advocacy Day
on the Capitol Lawn on May 2. CEDAM Members have been meeting
with their legislators to encourage support for the Fund --
and Preservation Wayne, SEMCOG's Community Economic
Development Advisory Council, and others have been added to
the list of coalition members. Talking points for the MHCDF are available
on-line.
QAP
Updates
CEDAM continues to track proposed modifications
to the QAP for the Low Income Housing Tax Credit program in
anticipation of public hearings in July. CEDAM's recent public
statement prepared for a recent listening session can be found
here (in addition to public comment from
many other groups), and the current QAP can be found here. Over the next several
weeks CEDAM will be reaching out to members engaged in LIHTC
development across the state to solicit feedback. Please
contact CEDAM Interim Director Angie Gaabo
if you'd like to participate in a teleconference or work group
on the QAP or have specific areas of
concern.
Legislative Tracking Service
Available On-line
 Visit CEDAM's Public Policy Portal for current legislative
information affecting our industry. |
| National Outlook... |
|
Creating Successful Foreclosure Intervention
Programs
Experts estimate that a
staggering one million families will face foreclosure this
year. However, tens of thousands of homeowners could avoid
foreclosure if they received solid financial advice. Join in
on a free Knowledgeplex
Chat at 2pm on June 7 to hear
several experts discuss successful national partnerships
between counseling agencies and mortgage lenders/servicers.
CEDAM is participating in discussions on foreclosure
prevention and intervention strategies for Michigan. For more
information or to get involved, contact Angie
Gaabo.
HOPE Act Would Help
Ensure Sustainable Homeownership Through
Counseling |
Amending the Housing and
Urban Development Act of 1968, the $615 million
Homeownership Protection and Enhancement Act of
2007 (S. 1386) would provide $50 million for creation
and operation of State Homeownership Protection Centers, $260
million in competitive grants to states operating these
centers, $300 million for HUD-approved counseling agencies,
and $5 million for creation of a federal database on defaults
and foreclosures. The bill was introduced by Sen. Jack Reed
(D-RI) on May 14 and referred to the Senate Committee on
Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs. CEDAM will be following
this legislation through its national partner, the National Alliance of CED Associations
(NACEDA).
Two Rural Housing Bills Advance to House Floor
The House Financial Services Committee on May 23
passed the Rural Housing and Economic Development
Improvement Act of 2007 (H.R. 1982), which would
authorize funding for HUD's Rural Housing and Economic
Development program; and the Housing Assistance Council
Authorization Act of 2007 (H.R. 1980), which would
authorize HUD funding for HAC. Both bills will now be headed
to the House
floor. |
| Members & Partners
Spotlight... |
| Detroit to
spend $225 million on Next Neighborhood Initiative
|
 The City of Detroit plans to
spend $225 million over the next five years on six city
neighborhoods in what Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick describes as a
bold experiment to halt decades of neglect and decay. For
information on the Initiative and the selected neighborhoods,
visit the Detroit News. The Detroit News also recently
highlighted positive accomplishments taking place in Southwest Detroit.
Green
Accepts Position with FHLBI
Marjorie Green, Director of Multifamily
Development for the Michigan State Housing Development
Authority (MSHDA), announced she has accepted a position as a
community investment relationship manager with the Federal
Home Loan Bank of Indianapolis (FHLBI). Next month Ms. Green
will begin work on strengthening relationships with the
FHLBI and its Michigan
customers. |
| Resources, Trainings, &
Events... |
| Brookings Institution Releases Report on America's
Older Industrial Cities |
|
Following on the heals of a recently released report
entitled Restoring Prosperity: the State Role in
Revitalizing America's Cities, the Brookings Institution
has partnered with several other national think-tanks to
create the Restoring Prosperity Initiative. The
Initiative provides a framework for understanding how to
restore prosperity in America's struggling cities,
particularly those in the Northeast and Midwest.
Brownfield Redevelopment Seminar Planned, to be
Repeated
A brownfield seminar jointly presented by
Southwest Detroit Environmental Vision, Michigan Avenue
Business Association, Bodman LLP, AKT Peerless Environmental,
and G.O. Williams and Associates will be held in Detroit on
Friday, June 1. The session is designed to be replicated as a
two-part program -- the first covering the basics of
brownfield redevelopment and the second explaining incentives
in more detail. Email Brian McGrain if your organization would be
interested in hosting a future seminar in another Michigan
location.
Scholarships Available for Executive Certification
Program
The Center for Social Leadership is offering 10
scholarships for nonprofits to participate in their upcoming
Executive Certification Program in Nonprofit
Leadership, which will take place September 24-29, 2007,
at George Washington University. The program teaches hard
skills (fundraising, strategic planning, HR management, board
development) and soft skills (staff/board motivation,
organizational culture development, leadership). Normal cost
to attend is $4500; scholarship recipients will only have to
pay $2000 to attend. Description and application are available
on-line; questions may be emailed directly to Avril
Ampudia.
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!
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Compliments of CEDAM
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