Neighborhood Stabilization at 3



Sarah Greenberg
Senior Manager, Community Stabilization
NeighborWorks America

Sitting in a roomful of community development practitioners brought together by the Center for Community Progress, the Greater Ohio Policy Center, and Enterprise Community Partners to create a new toolkit for neighborhood change, I was struck by how a new subset of community development has grown up over the past three years.  Venerable names in community development mixed with young leaders in the field like those on my staff, providing an interesting study on both continuity and change in the field.

We should not underestimate the stimulus effects of the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.  The program, a response to the foreclosure crisis, has stimulated new thinking and new leadership in the field.  National intermediaries like NeighborWorks, Enterprise, LISC, and the Housing Partnership Network began as early as 2007 to redeploy existing staff and add new staff to focus on community stabilization and foreclosure response.  I have been privileged to lead these efforts at NeighborWorks America.  These programs grew rapidly, both catalyzing and documenting key trends in the field, including:

• A new national intermediary designed to facilitate the efficient transfer of foreclosed properties to local stabilization efforts through the National First Look Program.
• The growth of a regional or sometimes local intermediary function that can provide the leadership needed to coordinate stabilization efforts - providing real estate development capacity; creating real property data systems; land banking properties for future disposition; branding and marketing distressed communities as places of opportunity; and generating or supplementing end buyer financing products through the creation of new loan pools. 
• Attempts to intervene earlier in the cycle of distress through purchasing delinquent mortgage notes, short sales, and fast-track foreclosure processes for vacant units.
• A return to a more comprehensive, place-based approach to community development that mobilizes residents and stakeholders towards a common goal.

And the field has risen to the challenge.  NeighborWorks alone has trained thousands of practitioners through a new community stabilization curriculum offered through the NeighborWorks Training Institute and online; HUD has trained thousands more in NSP-specific areas with the help of a small army of technical assistance providers, many of whom have been in the field for several decades.

Sunbelt communities that have never dealt with stabilization issues learned from Rust Belt communities that pioneered neighborhood revitalization initiatives.  Communities devastated by the foreclosure crisis learned from the response to other recent crises like Hurricane Katrina and the EF5 tornado that leveled Greensburg, KS.  Old programs were reexamined and lessons gleaned from their execution, such as the Resolution Trust Company, HUD’s Asset Control Area program, and the 203(k) loan program.

More than 9,500 units have already been returned to productive use through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program, with programmatic projections in the hundreds of thousands of units.  In the NeighborWorks Network at least 130 local organizations have taken advantage of NSP funding to support their stabilization efforts, many adding staff and capacity in the process.  For all of these reasons I believe that even with all of its challenges, as a field we will ultimately consider NSP a success as a stimulus program.

How will this work continue when NSP funds are gone, especially given recent cuts to essential long-term programs like CDBG and HUD Housing Counseling?  This is but the latest in a series of challenges in community development, and sitting in that room yesterday reflecting on the community of stabilization practitioners that has grown over the past three years, I have faith that we will again join together as an industry to craft creative responses.

Earth Day 2011: Underscoring NeighborWorks America’s Green Commitment

by Michelle Winters,
Senior Manager, Green Strategies,

NeighborWorks America

On this Earth Day 2011, it’s time to step back and look at how far we have come in our green practices. Over the past year, NeighborWorks America has moved forward with a variety of initiatives to support the environmental efforts of the NeighborWorks network and nonprofit housing and community development since Earth Day 2010. Among these is the recent national symposium – Green Choices, Green Value: For the Communities and Families We Serve – where green issues ranging from the health implications of green building, sustainable community planning and organizing efforts, and the benefits of green jobs were discussed and debated. In addition, NeighborWorks America has expanded its offering of green courses – offered both on-line and at the NeighborWorks Training Institutes – providing nonprofit developers and community leaders with up-to-date information on environmentally friendly practices.

Our network organizations are leaders in green building, but their commitment to greening stretches beyond the bricks and mortar to all of their programs and the families that they serve. NeighborWorks America supports incorporating green strategies into all business lines and in the day-to-day operations of the organizations because of the financial, social, and environmental benefits that greening can bring. We believe that green housing and education can help residents thrive in their homes and communities, and that comprehensive green strategies are the best way to deliver these benefits. For more see news release.

Within our organization, we are working hard to reduce our carbon footprint, and in honor of Earth Day our staff have also stepped up and pledged ways they can individually make a difference toward a greener work and home environment. These include everyday things that can have a large impact when taken as a whole, like using reusable mugs and water bottles, recycling, and using public transportation more often. Some are going further with things like composting, bicycling to work, installing rain barrels, and volunteering at local recycling facilities.

A year from now, we anticipate more successes to share with you in the green arena, the kind of changes that reduce our impact in the environment while creating more green jobs and sustainable communities.

Manna, Inc., Holds Groundbreaking for New Affordable Housing in Washington, D.C.

by Erin Angell Collins, Deputy Media Relations Manager, NeighborWorks America



Front Row (L to R): George Rothman,

Oramenta Newsome (Washington DC LISC),

Mayor Vincent Gray, Diana Meyer (Citibank),
Lawanda Prather (future Bexhill homeowner)

Back row (L to R): Jack Gilbert (Community Housing Capital),

District Councilmember Harry Thomas, Jr. (Ward 5-D), Chris Helmers,

Rev. Jim Dickerson (Manna Founder), Robert Trent (DHCD),

Jacqueline Manning (Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner);



Today Manna, Inc., a member of the NeighborWorks network and Washington, D.C.'s leading developer and builder of for-sale housing for low-income individuals, celebrated the groundbreaking of the Bexhill Townhome Condominiums, part of the District of Columbia's Ivy City Initiative. Upon completion, the Bexhill will feature 20 new townhouse condos, ranging from 2-4 bedrooms and one-and two-levels.

The groundbreaking featured several speakers including The Honorable Vincent Gray, mayor of the District of Columbia; George Rothman, Manna, Inc.; Rev. Jim Dickerson, Manna, Inc., Robert Trent, Department of Housing and Community Development (D.C.); Jack Gilbert, Community Housing Capital, Diana Meyer and Courtney Ward, Citibank/Citi Foundation; Stephen Briggs, Wells Fargo; and Tim Adams, NeighborWorks America, among others.

The Ivy City demonstration project is a redevelopment initiative designed to increase the number of quality affordable housing opportunities for families in Ward 5 of the District of Columbia. As with any Manna project, the Bexhill Condominiums would not have been possible without the support of others. Manna has been fortunate to receive substantial support from financial institutions, including Citi Foundation's Partners in Progress award and Wells Fargo Housing Foundation's Leading the Way Home Priority Markets award. Financing for the Bexhill is being provided by Community Housing Capital, a direct lender to the NeighborWorks network.

Trends from the 2011 Nonprofit Technology Conference

by Tom Austin Content Development Manager NeighborWorks America

NTC Keynoter Dan Heath tells nonprofits
"how to change things, when change is hard."
credit: JD Lasica/Socialbrite.org



At the Nonprofit Technology Conference (NTC), sponsored by Portland-based NTEN, one is reminded how technology is transforming the nonprofit sector. Held this year in Washington, D.C., the conference attracted more than 2,000 nonprofit staff from the U.S. and around the world, all trying to glean the best ways to put technology to good use in their missions.



Here are seven trends from the conference with an eye on impact on affordable housing and community development nonprofits:

Video is hot. Clearly nonprofits are finding it more challenging to engage folks in their mission just by using explanatory text. Compelling videos that “show” rather than “tell” have a way of cutting through the information overload we all experience. Check out these award winning nonprofit videos.

E-mail marketing is also hot. Can your website visitors subscribe to an e-newsletter where you send them the latest news and events? E-mail marketing is getting more sophisticated by the day, giving nonprofits the ability to customize communications to different audiences and track open and click-through rates.

Google rolls out suite of products for nonprofits. The Google kiosk was packed at NTC and it wasn’t just the free chocolate bars they were giving away. The tech giant used the conference to announce a package of products for nonprofits to improve operations, raise awareness, reach donors, and improve website performance. My favorite is Google’s Fusion Tables, where you can upload a spreadsheet and view as a map or a chart and share with others, even on a webpage. Imagine how useful this might be in illustrating abandoned properties or other neighborhood challenges. http://www.google.com/nonprofits

Release of E-Nonprofit Benchmarks Study. An annual survey on nonprofit use of e-communications was released at the 2011 NTC by M+R and NTEN. The study shows a 14 percent growth in online nonprofit fundraising last year, mainly driven by relief organizations that have overseas operations. If you want to compare your nonprofit’s digital performance with others, this report is a good place to start.

Mobile applications are in. Mobile devices are getting traction in disaster relief fundraising, but there’s also a lot of discussion on what will be the next big thing in mobile. NTC hosted sessions called “Best Practices—Communicating and Fundraising Using the Mobile Device” and “Using Location-Aware Web and Mobile Applications for Activism and Engagement.” This NTEN blog explores this arena.

Net neutrality remains issue for nonprofits. Nonprofits continue to have a stake in high speed Internet access to all who benefit from their programs, including those in remote rural areas. Not a surprise to see that issue on the NTC legislative agenda.

Technology and organizational change. Change is hard for nonprofits, as NTC keynote speaker Dan Heath, author of Switch, pointed out. Change is sparked by evoking emotion, not just information, he said and demonstrated by showing some compelling nonprofit video clips.

The next NTC is in San Francisco in April 2012. But the sponsor, NTEN, has fantastic web-based resources year-round. I highly recommend membership in this organization for nonprofits working in the affordable housing and community development field.



NeighborWorks Green Symposium Highlights Benefits of Going Green

by Michelle Winters,

Senior Manager, Green Strategies,

NeighborWorks America

There are a number of reasons that any person or organization would support being green. Some may focus on climate change, global warming and endangered species, but it is clear that these arguments don’t influence everyone. It’s important for the community development field to look at the issue from the perspective of residents. How do residents benefit from greener, healthier homes and communities?

Low- and moderate-income residents – particularly those who pay their own utilities – benefit from green homes through reduced utility bills, improved comfort, health and well-being. They may personally want to help reduce their impact on the environment, or they may just be in it for the long-term financial benefits, which can be substantial. Or they may have a child suffering from asthma who needs a greener, healthier home to help break the cycle of hospital visits.

A community coming together to address an environmental issue locally may be interested in taking action to reduce climate change or its impacts. Or, they might be interested in reducing pollution so their children have cleaner air to breathe, improving access to local foods so they can reduce obesity and other diseases, or simply finding an important issue that brings the community together in a powerful way to address a community priority such as streetscape improvement and beautification, or reducing crime and blight.

An organization may move forward to help develop local green businesses because they want to support a growing and innovative green technology, or they might do it because of the potential to create new jobs for community residents and strengthen a weakened economy, to localize production of needed green goods and services, and to stabilize communities.

All of these themes were covered at NeighborWorks America’s “Green Choices, Green Value,” symposium held at the Los Angeles NeighborWorks Training Institute last week. 


Opening Plenary
from left: Phil Thompson, MIT;
 Dr. Anthony Iton, Calfornia Endowment;
 Cecilia Estolano, Green for All  

 

“If you want to see your community grow greener, plant one window box and other neighbors may catch on with similar ideas,” suggested Shanta Schachter, deputy director of New Kensington Community Development Corporation of Philadelphia, a NeighborWorks member well known for their green practices, including their Sustainable 19125 Initiative.

Panelist Anne Evens, director of CNT Energy, encouraged participants to “build your homes tight and ventilate right” as way to reduce child asthma. These and other issues connecting green buildings and healthy homes are discussed in a National Center for Healthy Housing paper, written for the symposium.

Rick Goodemann from Southwest Minnesota Housing Partnership believes that he improved the competitive edge of his organization through its focus on greening and health in rehabilitation and new construction.

Panelist Tim Smith from SERA Architects presented his firm’s Civic Ecology approach, which focuses on the “software” of community planning and greening efforts. The core driver in this vision is leveraging shared community values, and creating places where active citizens can create and own sustainability.



Green jobs were also a major focus of the day. “If you can link wealth building and ownership opportunities to the creation of green jobs, then you maximize benefits to workers and you stabilize communities,” said Ted Howard, of the University of Maryland and an architect of Cleveland’s groundbreaking Evergreen Cooperatives. “Owning your own job is a beautiful thing,” said Howard.

Keynote speaker Majora Carter, speaking from green building successes in South Bronx, summed up the day’s theme: “You can solve really big problems with local solutions,” she said.

Check out the symposium papers, presentations, and Green Photo Contest winners here: 2011 Green Symposium - Excellent Times for All.