Maryland Department of Housing and Community Development (DHCD)’s Post

Did you know that about 45% of renters in Greater Boston are cost-burdened, paying more than 30% of their income on housing? Many communities in Greater Boston face significant challenges related to affordable housing, financial instability, and limited access to education and job opportunities. These issues disproportionately affect low-income families and communities of color, leading to cycles of poverty and limited upward mobility. Several organizations are working tirelessly to address these problems through comprehensive community development programs: Lawrence CommunityWorks, Inc.(LCW)- Offers a broad range of services, including financial empowerment programs, workforce development, youth engagement through the Movement City Youth Network, and extensive real estate development for affordable housing. They also provide community organizing initiatives to build social capital and leadership within the community. The Neighborhood Developers (TND)- focuses on creating affordable housing, economic development, and community engagement in the Greater Boston area. Their services include real estate development, housing counseling, financial education, workforce development, and community building activities to foster a stronger, more resilient community. The Latino Support Network, Inc. - Provides resources and support to Latino communities, including educational programs, cultural activities, and advocacy for social justice. Their goal is to empower Latino families through education, economic opportunities, and community engagement. North Shore Community Development Coalition Inc (NSCDC)- Works on affordable housing development, community engagement, and economic mobility initiatives in the North Shore region of Massachusetts. Their programs include housing assistance, financial literacy workshops, and youth development activities. Be sure to support the highlighted orgs by learning more about their work at the LINK IN COMMENTS. Interested in joining a community of folks working towards equity in Boston? Apply to GenUnity’s Health Equity and Housing Justice Fellowships while spots last via LINK IN COMMENTS.

In depth article 🗞️on a new blueprint for financing community development. I tested out the app "Speechify" and used Snoop Doggs 🐕🦺 voice to read the article 😝. For some reason this seemed most appropriate. 💃🏽😃 --- Patient, flexible leadership and funding will be needed for the field of community development finance to evolve from the principles of market, scale, and self-sufficiency and fulfill its promise of increasing equity and opportunity in historically disadvantaged communities. Philanthropy will be essential for this move, but so will public and private developers, other public- and private-sector partners, and, most important, the empowered community residents and organizations who will be in the driver’s seat. --- Leaders in community development across sectors will need to help the field change deep-seated ways of acting and attitudes, test new approaches, make appropriate incentive and policy changes, and move from a narrow problem-oriented point of view to a systems-change perspective. The technical and political barriers to this shift are indeed substantial, but they can be overcome, as the innovative projects discussed here, from Appalachia to Southern California, demonstrate. --- #realestatedevelopment #communitydevelopment

The California Department of Housing and Community Development (HCD) is pleased to announce the HOME 2024 Notice of Funding Availability (NOFA) of approximately $35 million. Who can apply? State Recipients, as defined by state HOME regulations section 8201(ii), and nonprofit Community Housing Development Organizations (CHDOs) are eligible to apply for HOME funding for rental projects, First-Time Homebuyer projects, and Program Activities. Developers can apply directly for HOME funding for rental projects.     In addition, HCD intends to utilize the authority of AB 1010 (Chapter 660, Statutes of 2019) waivers to enable Native American Entities, as defined in this NOFA, to apply. Federally Recognized Tribes may apply for Program Activities and/or Project Activities; however, other Native American Entities may apply for only Project Activities.   The Department and HOME Program team will provide comprehensive technical assistance to Native American Entities throughout the application process and during implementation of their Project or Program.    Application due dates Application forms, links, and instructions are available on the HOME webpage. The application submission portal, eCivis, will open and accept applications beginning January 24, 2025, for Competitive (non-Tribal) applications, and January 31, 2025, for over-the-counter (Native American Entity) applications.   Native American Entity applications will be accepted on a continuous, over-the-counter basis until September 24, 2025, at 5pm PDT, or until available funds are exhausted, whichever occurs first.   All other applications are due by March 24, 2025, by 5pm PDT

📢💬✍️ 𝗥𝗲𝗾𝘂𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗣𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗼𝘀𝗮𝗹𝘀: 𝗖𝗼𝗺𝗺𝘂𝗻𝗶𝘁𝘆 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝗻𝗻𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗛𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 ✅ The Center for Rural Pennsylvania welcomes proposals to revise its Community Planning Handbook to address community planning and visioning in light of rural population change. As noted in a 2023 report by the Center and the Pennsylvania State Data Center, rural Pennsylvania’s population will shrink by approximately 5.8% by 2050. ✅ Currently in its Fourth Edition (2013), a revised and significantly updated Community Planning Handbook will incorporate new community planning materials consistent with best practices, informed by the scholarly and/or community development literature and the practical experiences of the authors. Furthermore, the revised Handbook will focus on addressing population change within rural communities. ✅ Proposals are welcomed from independent stakeholders, nonprofit groups, and any entities eligible to enter into a contract with an agency of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, in addition to higher education institutions. ✅ The review of proposals will begin on October 21, 2024, and continue until a successful proposal is accepted. Final proposals should be submitted to commission@rural.pa.gov. ✅ Learn more and download a proposal submission form here ➡️ https://lnkd.in/ed5diwfA.

From January 28, 2019... "Community Wealth is all the monetary and non-monetary capital (relationships, respect, trust, environmental, energy, knowledge, etc.) that create the basis of shared experiences leading to wisdom, empathy, and community. It is these capital elements that transform a neighborhood from a collection of individual families sharing a ZIP code to a real community in which every member understands the purpose of Community is to produce the individual and mutual well-being of all the participants, in an ongoing way." ~ Cornerstones of Community Wealth https://lnkd.in/gd5bfttr

Today, HUD makes $10 million available to support minority-serving institutions to research critical housing and community development topics. These funds will advance knowledge in the field while strengthening these anchors of Black, brown, and Native communities.

Mascoma Community Development (MCD) is pleased to announce the closing of $9 million in New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation to finance the redevelopment of the DyeWorks Building, a historic mill building in Lawrence, Massachusetts. With the support of MCD's allocation, Lawrence CommunityWorks is set to transform this historic mill into a hub of activity and growth. "MCD is pleased to provide NMTC funding to support the DyeWorks project, which will create jobs and offer fundamental resources crucial for community well-being. The development of the long-underutilized mill building is an opportunity to help foster healthy and resilient Lawrence residents by improving access to healthy food, health and pharmacy services, options for physical activity, meaningful youth engagement, and spaces for people to gather and connect," says Michelle LeClair, Chief Investment Officer of MCD. Read more: https://lnkd.in/eeBCp7_X.

We are proud to be featured in the latest edition of the Stanford Social Innovation Review, in an article by Center for Community Investment about how to shift the field of community development finance towards more community input, accountability, and creativity with capital approaches. It's an honor to be included as a case study of innovative organizations pushing the community finance field, alongside Inclusive Action for the City and Lift to Rise's Housing Catalyst fund. “A New Blueprint for Financing Community Development” https://lnkd.in/eaYGbpgk (Stanford Social Innovation Review, Winter 2025) highlights an emerging and overdue paradigm shift in community development finance. It analyzes the successes and limitations of the last 40 years of community development finance practice, offers a set of principles for a new way of doing business, and describes how innovative organizations and partnerships are putting those principles into practice. In prior decades, an overreliance on markets to drive social solutions led to investment practices that too often mirrored market conservatism in prioritizing scale over social mission and devaluing customized, community-based solutions. The new paradigm, by contrast, prioritizes equity, flexible responses to local needs, and community involvement. It calls for community development finance to reframe the role of capital technicians and the market, rebalance power relationships, and prioritize community voice. It holds that the field should actively embrace power sharing with community development practitioners who are not financiers. Finally, philanthropy will need to support these strategic shifts with patient, long-term capital that places trust in the communities it aims to serve.

"Having strategic partners makes a lot of sense. Credit to Nancy VanReece who had a vision for that area when she was councilperson, credit to LDG Development, LLC for having the foresight to say, hey look, here's something we can do that has a good impact on the community, and then credit to the team over here at Urban League of Middle Tennessee for raising a hand to say we want to be a partner,". -Aron Thompson, Vice President of Housing & Economic Development. Check out this article to learn more about Madison Station Blvd. #CommunityDevelopment #MiddleTennessee https://lnkd.in/eimZAgUA

Your Voice Matters, Mecklenburg County! Mecklenburg County is launching its 5-Year Consolidated Planning process, a key step in shaping how federal dollars are allocated to improve housing, living environments, and economic opportunities for our communities—especially for low- and moderate-income individuals. What’s this all about? This is part of the HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program, and it’s all about gathering public input to build a brighter future for our community. How can you engage? Join a Community Visioning Workshop to share your ideas, learn more about the planning process, and help create a stronger, more equitable Mecklenburg County.  Workshop dates, locations, and registration are in the link.   https://lnkd.in/eFe2KZd5 Whether you’re a resident of the towns or the unincorporated areas of Mecklenburg County, your input is vital. Let’s work together to create a plan that reflects the needs and aspirations of everyone in our community. **Get involved. Share your voice. Help shape our future!** #LivableMeck #CommunityDevelopment #MecklenburgCounty #PublicParticipation #EconomicOpportunity #Equity