Shelby Construction Inc.’s Post

If you haven't already, make sure to check out the latest article from Just Imagine SWLA

Together, we can tackle our most challenging problems. This week I was inspired not by the lofty goals, illuminating research or the theory of change but by the practical, tactical, gritty commitment to get it done. Thanks to the City and partners for hosting the first affordable housing week at city hall and to so many partners in other rooms working on policy change at the state level. A few reflections in the blog linked below.

How cool to be featured in BusinessWest's BusinessTalk podcast with Joe Bednar! Want to learn more about how the Franklin County Community Development Corporation can help your business? Listen in!

For 62 years, Blue Hills Civic Association, or BHCA, has stood alongside the people of Hartford’s North End. With the support of organizations like the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, we are making a tangible difference. Our efforts are further empowered by a two-year, $450,000 grant from the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving, allowing us to build on the progress we have made in recent years. This investment acknowledges the impact of structural racism, which has left Black-led organizations like BHCA with 76 percent fewer assets than their white-led counterparts. Stable, flexible funding like this is critical to advancing our three strategic goals: economic development and housing, community engagement, and workforce development.

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Couldn't agree more. So many doors shut that we can open or start to open by simply scrutinizing tenant selection plans which we too often assume are sound and working for people when, too often, they include onerous application processes and requirements beyond what funding, insurance or context requires that in turn end up explicitly or organically screening out good tenants with the greatest need for immediate, stable housing. Lowering barriers and increasing access requires us to continuously scrutinize our own system, agency and project policies, practices and assumptions. If you haven't looked at your TSP(s) lately this looks to be a great session to get started on that. And if you're a CoC lead, consider making this a collaborative review and improvement process with residents, providers, and our PHA and affordable housing partners to clean out the gunk in your local TSPs, now that there's something of a breather next year CoC competition-wise.

It is AMAZING how many landlords (including large affordable housing ones) are using recycled tenant selection plans they picked up like hand-me-down clothes. They are dated and poorly considered and do an awful job of anything except cutting out good potential tenants. Attend this FREE WEBINAR and learn from my tremendous colleagues and their partners at Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) about how easy it is to do better! Shiri Yadlin, Steven "Kanani" Medeiros, MPP, CSH, the Source for Housing Solutions

I have attended this conference at various times throughout my 21 years as a real estate professional... so it is a real honor to be selected as a presenter/panelist on the topic of proactive, authentic community engagement and integration as an essential aspect of affordable housing development at this year's Florida Housing Coalition Annual Statewide Affordable Housing Conference🏘💥💯. Session Deets: Turn Opposers to Supporters: Tips for Engaging Elected Officials and Stakeholders to Overcome NIMBYs Tuesday, August 27 at 3:45pm Moderator: Suzanne Cabrera, CFRE Speakers: Christic Henry, George Kruse, Jon D. Brown, Ellen O'Conner, John Rodriguez Session Summary: Too often, housing advocates struggle to gain the support of local elected officials as well as neighbors in their plans to increase housing for those most in need. When they do, at times they are met with concerns about public perceptions, lack of funding or the desire to maintain the status quo of neighborhoods. In this interactive session, participants will explore proactive strategies to address NIMBY (Not In My Backyard) opposition in housing and community development projects, emphasizing the importance of community engagement, building trust, collaboration, and understanding with stakeholders, and getting to yes with your local officials by properly framing the request. I look forward to interacting with attendees and co-presenters on this topic... and I promise to go live📸😊. #innovation #affordability #accessibility #attainable #housingforall #community #value #trustbuilding #consensusmatters #annualhousingconference #FHC

REACH Community Development - consider this . . . . Veteran Housing Corp applauds all efforts to build affordable housing but would challenge each and every local, state, and federal housing agency or affordable housing developer to do better in 2024 and beyond. Veteran Housing Corp demands permanent affordability for all projects receiving government funding, subsidies, tax credits, or other incentives! Veteran Housing Corp demands transparency and every local, state, and federal government agency and other stakeholders MUST provide answers to questions about the housing projects that are built with government funding, subsidies, tax credits, or incentives, including the following: 1. How much funding, federal tax credits, or government benefits or incentives from all government sources did the projects receive? 2. What is the affordability period for each project? 3. What guarantees exist that tenants will not be displaced after the "affordability period expires? Every local, state, and federal housing authority and affordable or workforce housing stakeholder should adopt the State of Vermont's "permanent affordability" policy as a model for all future government funded or subsidized housing projects or developments, no exceptions!  https://lnkd.in/eFEUC8c8 Additionally, local, state and federal housing agencies should look to the Helsinki, FINLAND MODEL of ending homelessness by providing affordable housing for all 'It’s a miracle': Helsinki's radical solution to homelessness https://lnkd.in/er9HZSQU

Unique in its breadth and flexibility, the HUD Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) program is a powerful tool to help communities provide decent affordable housing, create a suitable living environment, and expand economic opportunities. The Cloudburst Group began its CDBG work in 2008 by running HUD’s “College of Experts” program, which allowed national experts in CDBG, HOME Investment Partnerships Program (HOME), and McKinney-Vento Homeless Programs to provide technical assistance to address complex programmatic or management problems in communities across the U.S. Under the same contract, Cloudburst’s experts helped some of the cities hit hardest by the 2008 recession to develop market-based strategic plans to catalyze public and private investment and to design housing and economic development programs to carry out housing and economic recovery strategies.  Over the last 15 years, Cloudburst experts have continued to work alongside state and local governments to prioritize their CDBG and other HUD funding to create sustainable, long-term impacts for low- and moderate-income neighborhoods. Cloudburst’s work has helped CDBG grantees strengthen local economies, improve public infrastructure, promote affordable housing, and make their communities more resilient to health emergencies and natural disasters. Cloudburst has helped dozens of communities build strategies to use CDBG funds to recover from the effects of coronavirus and helped their public facilities and businesses build sustainable infrastructure to address future challenges.  Cloudburst has also supported CDBG grantees with grants management and financial capacity building to administer their programs effectively. Cloudburst teams often help grantees understand CDBG and emerging cross-cutting federal requirements, develop policies and procedures, accelerate programs and disbursements to meet timeliness standards, and apply best practices when using HUD systems such as the eCon Planning Suite, Integrated Disbursement and Information System, and HUD Environmental Review Online System. Though not always glamorous, these areas are a critical backbone for CDBG grantees to build viable communities and serve their most vulnerable residents in a complex regulatory environment. The Cloudburst Group is honored to be a part of CDBG’s vital history and joins HUD in commemorating its 50th year. We look forward to continuing this critical work!