Almost Home
Shortly after her 18th birthday, Cindy (not her real name) left her group home in the Bronx to live with her mother. Although under New York laws she could have […]
Feeling Safe in the Real World
Foster Care Youth United (FCYU) is a bimonthly magazine published by Youth Communication in New York. Since 1993, FCYU has provided a forum for young people to write about their […]
The Conundrum of Community Development: People vs. Place?
When community development corporations were launched in the 1960s, their mission was clear: to empower the poor and revitalize their communities. In places like Bedford-Stuyvesant, New York, or Cleveland, Ohio […]
East Harlem’s Bottom Line: Hope Community Development Corporation
Mark Alexander has a plan. At 46, he isn’t content with having more than tripled the number of apartments that Hope Community manages in the eight years he’s been its […]
Balancing Business and Mission
“East Harlem’s Bottom Line” casts a spotlight on the work of Hope Community, a well-respected CDC operating in the East Harlem section of New York City. By extension, the article […]
Community Development as Freedom?
Development can be seen as a process of expanding real freedoms that people enjoy. Focusing on human freedoms contrasts with narrower views of development such as… growth of gross national […]
Going Subprime: Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac Consider the Subprime Loan Market
The recent foray into the subprime mortgage market by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has renewed the debate over their role in the affordable housing arena. The subprime market targets […]
Shelter as a Human Right
When the Nobel Prize committee awarded Jimmy Carter the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize, it recognized the former president’s efforts on behalf of international peace and human rights. But for many […]
Shelter Shorts: Community Development News
Out of Reach in California Six California cities are among the top 10 metropolitan areas deemed least affordable by the latest edition of Out of Reach, the National Low Income […]
Profile of a Healthy Fundraising Program
Clients often ask me what constitutes a healthy fundraising program. At first glance, the ability to raise the money you need seems to be the most important criterion, but that […]
Review of Hands to Work: The Stories of Three Families Racing the Welfare Clock, by LynNell Hancock
Hands to Work: The Stories of Three Families Racing the Welfare Clock, by LynNell Hancock, William Morrow/HarperCollins, 2002. 320 pp. $13.95 (Paperback, available December 2002), $25.95 (Hardcover). In 1996, Congress […]
The Legislative Agenda and the Nonprofit Sector
Most community developers do not think of charity and philanthropy as policy issues that fit on the advocacy agendas of CDCs, but they do. Repeal of the estate tax, the […]