If CDFIs adopt the standard of using appraisals to determine our loan amounts, we would make very few loans in the communities we were founded to serve.
Buying Power: Why Nonprofits Should Own Their Space
Four reasons why organizations should consider owning property in the neighborhood they work in.
Closing Liquor Stores, Hoping to Gain Public Health
A new code in Baltimore will reduce the number of liquor stores in the city. Will the change result in a drop in violence? What will happen to store owners?
Poetry on the Panel
Attendees at the 2015 PolicyLink Equity Summit experienced something unexpected when they walked into many of the panels and workshops: a poetry performance.
Q: Why don’t low-income families save?
A. Actually they do! However, they tend to be saving for the short term, rather than the long term.
Reawakening “Courageous Philanthropy”
A review of Courageous Philanthropy: Going Public in a Closely Held World, by Jennifer Vanica.
“So, what do you do?” How to Have Conversations about Homelessness
Conversations about homelessness with those outside the field’s bubble can be exhausting, but there are several strategies and techniques that can help steer the conversation in a productive way.
The Rural Difference in Natural Disasters
There are distinct differences between natural disaster response and recovery in rural and urban communities. How can community-based organizations better respond to disasters and help rural communities prepare before disaster strikes?
From Sustainability to Resilience
My first reaction to the emergence of “resilience” as a lens for viewing community development was mostly informed by skepticism.
Resilience 101
Community development fits well within the growing resilience movement—and connecting the two more explicitly could make their work even more powerful.
Disaster Aid Perpetuates Inequality
After natural disasters, recovery efforts tend to lift up those who have resources to bounce back quickly, but cement poverty for those with modest means.
The Uncertain Flood Zone
Communities need accurate maps and more access to data to increase flood resilience—but right now FEMA's not providing that.
NOLA Brings a Holistic Focus to Resilience
Cities cannot weather the effects of climate change without going beyond infrastructure to address institutional racism, historical inequities, and access to physical and mental health services.
Designing for Climate Change
How can affordable housing be more resilient to extreme weather and better prepared to deal with the consequences of climate change?
To Build Affordable and Green, Consider Passive Houses
By building energy-efficient properties, Habitat reduces heating costs and frees up more than $100 each month for homeowners.
Moving Beyond Place-Based Community Organizing
How to train organizers to work across various communities, not just neighborhoods.
Shelter Shorts
The Week in Community Development—May 17
Facial Recognition Tech and communities | The trauma effects of Hurricane Maria on children in Puerto Rico | Ithaca offers childcare at council meetings | A new healthcare partnership | Rural America | A blow to gig economy workers | More...