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NeighborWorks America Notes Ongoing Rebuilding Efforts
Three Years After Hurricanes;
Hurricane Gustav Presents Another Test for the Region
Video
Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast with devastating results three years ago on August 29, 2005. Hurricane Rita struck the same region four weeks later. In the end nearly 300,000 families lost their homes and at least 1,836 people lost their lives.
NeighborWorks America made a commitment to support the region’s immediate recovery and long-term rebuilding. We opened offices in Mississippi and Louisiana and have provided $10 million in grant funds to the region. We have trained, provided technical assistance, and supported counseling efforts of hundreds of staff in dozens of organizations. NHSA-CDFI has made over $4 million in loans.
As Hurricane Gustav hit the Gulf region over the Labor Day weekend, lessons learned from Katrina were quickly employed.
Please take a few minutes to view the video that was produced to capture the enormity of the hurricanes and our response to date. The story is clear: we have made progress, but we have lots more to do.
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| Remembering Former NeighborWorks Executive Director George Knight |
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On August 18, 2008, the country lost a giant in the field of neighborhood revitalization, affordable housing and resident empowerment, George Knight. NeighborWorks America lost a former executive director, a colleague, a mentor and a friend.
George passed away after a courageous battle with esophageal cancer. George worked for NeighborWorks America from the mid-1970s (then known as Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation) until his retirement in 2000. He served as executive director from 1990 until 2000.
View tribute to George Knight, including his final message to NeighborWorks. Send your thoughts here and we will include on George's tribute page.
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| Community Strategies represent the shared experience of NeighborWorks America and its member organizations in various topics of community development and affordable housing. |
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| The
NeighborWorks Training
Institute is dedicated to providing the highest quality training
for community development practitioners. Learn about the latest
classes and symposia on leading-edge topics. |
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| Two Million Troubled Borrowers Avoid Foreclosure |
| The Hope Now coalition reports that it completed a record number of mortgage workouts in July — but that was outpaced by the increasing rate of foreclosures. The alliance of mortgage servicers, counselors, and investors assembled to combat foreclosures reports that it has helped more than two million at-risk borrowers stay in their homes during the past 13 months. More than 192,000 problem loans were fixed during July, a one-month record that represents a 6 percent increase over June. Despite this progress, foreclosures continue to climb; 91,752 families lost their homes in July. That represents an increase of 14 percent from June and more than double the number of July 2007, when only 42,043 homes went to foreclosure. Read more on CNN.com. |
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| National Community Stabilization Trust to be Established by NeighborWorks America and Other Nonprofit Organizations |
| NeighborWorks America, Enterprise Community Partners, Inc., the Housing Partnership Network and Local Initiatives Support Corporation are the sponsoring organizations working to form the National Community Stabilization Trust. With support from the Ford and MacArthur Foundations, the sponsors have worked over the past few months to create a national vehicle that will assist local communities to acquire distressed Real Estate Owned (REO) properties from national servicers and investors and to finance and rehabilitate them in a manner that promotes community stabilization and affordable housing. The sponsors expect to form the Trust in the early fall and begin operations in the fourth quarter of 2008. Craig Nickerson, former executive director of the National Homeownership Strategy for the Clinton administration, was recently tapped as the lead consultant and project director to complete the final business planning and formation of the Trust. Read press release. |
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| Seven Ways Foreclosures Impact Communities |
| The negative impacts of foreclosure on communities are far reaching. Although little formal data exists on this subject, local news accounts and reports from local officials paint a multifaceted picture. Not only are people losing homes, but also communities are suffering economically, physically and socially. A new report from NeighborWorks America focuses on areas that are hardest hit: metropolitan areas and their suburbs. |
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| NeighborWorks America Names Fellowship Program in Honor of Former Board Chairman Edward “Ned” Gramlich |
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NeighborWorks America renamed the “Emerging Leaders in Community and Economic Development” fellowship program to the Edward M. Gramlich Fellowship in Community Development in honor of the corporation’s past chairman.
“Renaming this fellowship in honor of Governor Gramlich is a fitting tribute to his many contributions not only to NeighborWorks America but also the field of housing and community development.” said Thomas J. Curry, Director, FDIC and chairman of NeighborWorks America’s board. “Thanks to Ned’s visionary leadership, NeighborWorks America is at the forefront of foreclosure intervention, helping families and communities respond to the current housing crisis.”
NeighborWorks America partners with the Joint Center for Housing Studies at Harvard University in managing the fellowship program. The program provides master's level students with the opportunity to spend a summer on an analytical project suitable for publication as a working paper, while working directly with NeighborWorks staff and Joint Center Faculty. Read press release | View Fellowship Web site.
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| State Farm and NeighborWorks Mark 30 Years of a Unique Partnership |
| This year marks the 30th anniversary of a remarkable community revitalization partnership between State Farm and the NeighborWorks system. With the support of State Farm, NeighborWorks has helped thousands of families of modest means purchase or improve their homes, strengthen their communities and learn to make informed financial decisions. Read feature article. |
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| NHS of New Orleans to be Featured in New Sundance Channel Program |
| Neighborhood Housing Services of New Orleans, a member of the national NeighborWorks network, will be highlighted in Sundance Channel’s Architecture School, a six-part series that follows a group of students at Tulane University's URBANbuild program as they design and build a low-cost sustainable home for a family returning to New Orleans. The show premiered on the Sundance Channel on August 20 and will continue through October 2. Learn more. |
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| Communities Become Homebuyers to Fight Decay |
| As a wave of home foreclosures courses through the United States, some of the nation’s hardest hit cities have found a way to ease the blight left on their communities by the crisis. Using taxpayer and private money, Boston, Minneapolis, San Diego and a handful of other places are buying foreclosed properties to refurbish and resell them to developers and homeowners in an effort to prevent troubled neighborhoods from sliding into urban decay. Read more in the New York Times. |
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| Businesses Honored for Contributions to Lower-Income Communities |
| NeighborWorks has announced the most generous contributors to its work in affordable housing, foreclosure intervention and community development for FY 2007. The organizations were presented with the annual NeighborWorks Partner Awards at a ceremony in Chicago on August 19. The contributions supported a variety of NeighborWorks programs and activities nationwide, aimed at creating and preserving affordable housing opportunities and building stronger communities. Read Press release. |
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| Two New York City Nonprofits Join Forces to Reduce the City's Energy Use |
| The Pratt Center for Community Development and Neighborhood Housing Services of NYC (NHS), NYC’s largest homeownership counseling organization and a NeighborWorks member organization, have joined forces as the coordinators of New York Energy $mart
Communities Program for Brooklyn and Queens. NHS and Pratt will be working together to develop partnerships and projects to reduce NYC’s energy use, particularly in low- and moderate-income housing and neighborhoods. Learn more about $mart Communities. |
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| Summary of Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 |
| The Housing and Economic Recovery Act, which the President signed into law on July 30, contains elements of many bills considered by the House and Senate over the past year. The 694-page bill is divided broadly into three parts: Division A - housing finance reform; Division B - foreclosure prevention; and Division C - tax-related provisions. Read the Citizens' Planning and Housing Association's summary of the bill. |
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| OCC Interim Final Rule Encourages Public Welfare Investments by National Banks |
| On August 21, the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency issued a banking bulletin on an interim final rule to implement the changes to national banks’ public welfare investment authority enacted in the Housing and Economic Recovery Act of 2008 (HERA), which the President signed into law on July 30, 2008. This provision in HERA restored national banks’ full authority to make investments designed primarily to promote the public welfare, including in low- and moderate-income communities, communities affected by foreclosures and targeted for revitalization, designated disaster areas, and underserved rural communities. The OCC recognized the need to implement this provision promptly. Read Final Rule. |
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| FDIC Announces Help for Distressed IndyMac Borrowers |
| On August 20, the FDIC announced a loan modification program to provide help for troubled borrowers in the wake of the July 11 closure of the IndyMac Bank of Pasadena, California. Also on July 11, the FDIC was named as conservator for a new institution, IndyMac Federal Bank. This bank is now helping IndyMac borrowers with mortgages that are delinquent or in default and IndyMac borrowers who are unable to pay their mortgages due to changes in their repayment capacities. Read FDIC announcement. |
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| Enterprise Community Partners Green Grants, Deadline September 18 |
| Enterprise Community Partners has announced availability of grant funds of up to $50,000 per project for developers committed to providing green affordable housing. The application process begins August 5 and must be received online by September 18. Awards are expected to be made the first week of November. Grant guidelines and application are available here. |
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| Green Building Initiative Planning Grants from Kresge Foundation |
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The Kresge Foundation awards planning grants on an ongoing basis for the renovation and historic preservation of existing structures – as well as new green construction. Grants range from $50,000 to $100,000 to support the integrated design process for the following projects:
- Renovation
- Historic preservation
- New construction designed to achieve LEED – Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design – certification at the Platinum level from the U.S. Green Building Council
- New construction designed to meet the Cascadia Region Green Building Council’s Living Building Challenge (also endorsed by the U.S. Green Building Council)
- New construction designed to be net-zero energy efficient (the facility produces as much energy as it consumes each year)
The Foundation recently announced grant awards totaling nearly $43 million. Visit the Kresge Foundation online for more information on the costs covered by the planning grants, as well as application and eligibility criteria.
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Community Improvement Project Assistance from Lowe's
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| The Lowe’s Charitable and Educational Foundation (LCEF) funds community improvement projects and home safety initiatives, including building repair and renovation, community clean-up, landscaping and painting projects, construction and trades related initiatives and playground enhancements. Applications are awarded on an ongoing basis. An eligibility test is available on their Web site. |
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| NeighborWorks to Hold Its Next Training Institute and Symposium in Washington, D.C. |
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The next NeighborWorks Training Institute will be held December 8-12 in Washington, D.C. More than 100 courses
on community revitalization will be offered, including affordable housing, asset management, community building and organizing, economic development, neighborhood revitalization, construction and production management, homeownership, community lending, management, leadership and Native American development.
The Symposium, The Future of Rental Housing: Policy to Preserve Choice for American Families will be held on December 10, where national policy leaders and practitioners in the area of multifamily housing will be featured.
Registration is open now and available online. Further information and a downloadable, faxable registration form are also available at www.nw.org/training.
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| Wells Fargo Sponsors Native American Community Development Scholarships |
| The five-day Native American Community Development training program is being offered at the Washington, D.C., Training Institute December 8–12. Through a grant provided by Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, NeighborWorks America is able to provide full scholarships for this program. To learn more about how you or one of your staff can apply for one of these scholarships, go online to www.nw.org/training, or call or email at (202) 220-2454, (800) 438-5547 or nti@nw.org. Deadline for application is September 29, 2008. |
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| Chicago's Community Organizing Symposium on Foreclosures Becomes Online Resource |
| During the Community Organizing Symposium at the Chicago Training Institute, numerous resources and links were gathered to help organizers, counselors, community leaders and others counter the effects of the current foreclosure environment. Now, this valuable resource is being made available to everyone. Bookmark the Community Organizing Symposium and visit often for news items, expert articles, links to background information and resources, highlights from the symposium, and best practices. More will be added in the coming weeks and months. |
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| Have You Taken the New Online E-Learning Foreclosure Basics Course - HO109el? |
| Those who haven’t yet taken advantage of the convenience of the new online E-Learning Foreclosure Basics course should sign up now. The cost is only $195! The course introduces the tools and skills needed to make a difference in the lives of residents, while still being close to home and the tasks at hand. Plus, the online HO109el satisfies one of the requirements for counseling certification and is equivalent to the popular two-day Foreclosure Basics course taught at the NeighborWorks Training Institutes and regional training. Register today. |
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| NeighborWorks America Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Resources |
| As we reflect upon the third anniversary of Hurricane Katrina on August 29, and a new storm threatens to strike the Gulf Coast, much of the region is turning its attention to disaster preparedness and recovery. NeighborWorks America has a number of resources available online to help communities prepare for and recover from disaster. Learn more at www.nw.org/disaster. |
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| Beyond Housing: Commercial Loans and Community Success |
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Across the 240 community-based organizations that are chartered members of the national NeighborWorks network, a growing number of programs offer commercial loans as a direct way to support entrepreneurs. With this inaugural edition of Beyond Housing, NeighborWorks showcases five stories from around the country that are testaments to the enormous impact that access to affordable capital for commercial enterprise can provide. From a $7,000 loan to a bi-lingual day care provider on Long Island, to a $35-million vision for a revitalized downtown Bowling Green, Kentucky, these stories reflect the diversity that has always fueled the strength of America’s communities. Learn more.
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| NeighborWorks Consumer Home Buying Guides |
| The newest additions to our growing range of valuable practitioner resources are the Consumer Home Buying Guides, a set of four consumer-focused guides to various stages of the home buying process. Developed by Fannie Mae Foundation, these guides deliver practical, specific and concise information in a user-friendly format. For more information on the guides, including translations into a number of languages and ordering details, click here. |
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| Several Resources Available to Avoid Foreclosure Rescue Scams |
| While the national housing crisis has put hundreds of thousands of Americans in danger of losing their homes, it has also created a fresh opportunity for scam artists. The so-called foreclosure rescue scams promise to “rescue” homeowners from foreclosure. But what these scams often do is take their money, ruin their credit record, and wipe out any equity they have in their home. Get tips to avoid these scams from the Office of the Comptroller of Currency, U.S. News.com and Los Angeles Neighborhood Housing Services. |
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