Housing Equity’s Future: Moving from Debate to Productive Dialogue
A robust debate erupted on Shelterforce in response to Miriam Axel-Lute’s article, “The Dangerous Rhetoric of Escaping to Opportunity,” with strongly worded opinions flowing from both sides of the mobility and place based debate. As practitioners who were involved in this vigorous conversation and referenced in the article, we had a series of private discussions […]
Let’s Hear From the Field
Investing in What Works for America’s Communities, edited by Nancy O. Andrews and David J. Erickson. Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco and Low Income Investment Fund, 2012, 419 pp. Free ebook.
Let’s Agree to Agree on a Poverty Policy Overhaul
I want to thank Elizabeth Kneebone and Alan Berube for their thoughtful response to my post critiquing their book, Confronting Suburban Poverty in America. In reading their post and the […]
Are Poor Families Stuck in Place?
A few weeks ago, I wrote a review of a new book by the Brookings Institution called Confronting Suburban Poverty in America that highlights the growing number of poor people […]
More Suburban Poor? Think Again
What do Lynn, Brockton, Lincoln, Westwood, Watertown and Revere have in common? According to a new report by the Brookings Institution “Confronting Suburban Poverty in America,” they are all suburbs […]
What Works–and What Doesn’t–in Community Development
“Let’s invest in what works,” is a common and recurring slogan that has gained currency in recent years and why shouldn’t it? Who is going to advocate that we invest […]
Could 2012 Be the Best Year for Massachusetts CDCs in Decades?
Starting in the mid 1970s, Mel King and other visionary leaders of the community development movement worked systematically to build a support infrastructure for CDCs in Massachusetts. They understood that […]
Five Hidden Opportunities in the 2010 Election Results
The new Congress will be enacting major new legislation, and it’s vital that community development leaders retain our tenacious optimism as we move forward.
Ten Ways that CDCs Must Innovate
CDCs need to more effectively balance money and mission to ensure long-term financial viability. CDCs need to develop and implement strategies that respond strategically to the specific local market. Emphasize […]
A 21st Century Vision For Community Development
Today’s economic crisis is devastating neighborhoods and households across the country. Urban, low-income communities that were slowly recovering from the disinvestment of earlier decades are now falling back to where they were in the 1970s. Rural communities, walloped by the collapse of key economic generators, have suffered no less. Families that had begun to break the cycle of poverty and build small amounts of savings are now being plunged back into debt. Yet, at a time when the work of community development corporations is more needed than ever, there are growing questions about their long-term viability and efficacy.