The Department of Treasury announced today that it approved the plans for the first five Hardest Hit Funds states, including Michigan. Below are some links to articles in today’s news with the announcements:
CEDAM and the Michigan Foreclosure Task Force are pleased to announce that CEDAM has been awarded funding by the Corporation for National and Community Service to once again host the Michigan Foreclosure Prevention Corps AmeriCorps program.
In the pilot year of this program, which CEDAM hosted in conjunction with the Michigan Coalition Against Homelessness, AmeriCorps members have served over 18,000 hours on foreclosure prevention focused projects. These projects include but are not limited to: recruiting, training and managing volunteers; community outreach and marketing; developing new systems for intake, resource allocation, partnership development; and financial literacy education.
We are now accepting applications for the 2010-11 service year. If your agency is interested in hosting an AmeriCorps member starting October 2010, please review and complete this application* [122KB .doc] by July 8, 2010. If you have any questions please contact Nichole Greene at 734.363.8113 or at greene@cedam.info.
*Part of the application is developing a proposed position description for the AmeriCorps member. A sample position description[232KB PDF] is available for download. Feel free to use this sample for inspiration, but please do not copy it. Positions will vary depending on the strengths and needs of your organization and community.
Last Friday, President Obama announced that $1.5 billion of Troubled Asset Relief Program (TARP) funds will be allocated to five states that have seen more than 20% declines in home prices: California, Florida, Arizona, Nevada, and Michigan.
While more details about the program are still forthcoming, we know that Michigan will be asked to submit a plan to the Department of Treasury for spending a share of these funds. As the statewide clearinghouse and unified voice to help keep families in their homes, the Michigan Foreclosure Task Force will be seeking your input on how to use these funds in the coming days, to ensure that Michigan takes full advantage of this opportunity to help more of Michigan’s families avoid foreclosure.
The Living in Michigan Coalitionis a group of organizations, including CEDAM, working together to advance Michigan’s Housing and Community Development Fund (MHCDF). CEDAM is proud to announce the launch of a new Living in Michigan website, Facebook page, and Twitter account, where you can learn all about MHCDF, its successes, and how you can help.
The mission of the fund isto create vibrant communities where people want to live, work, and retire. It will accomplish this by providing housing opportunities for all Michigan residents, and helping transform our economy by improving the quality of life in Michigan’s cities, towns, and villages – especially those with high concentrations of poverty.In 2008, MHCDF helped fund 18 great housing projects, leverage public and private funds at an 11:1 ratio, and create new jobs in communities around the state (find out more).
This year, we need your help! Those filing Michigan taxes can contribute $5 or more to MHCDF to invest in jobs and local revitalization in Michigan communities. Donating to the fund means:
creating much-needed jobs and economic stimulation for Michigan’s cities, towns and villages
protecting our communities
investing in Michigan’s economic future
empowering local communities to become more self-reliant, vibrant and healthy through direct support
This brand new 30-second public service announcement encourages all Michigan taxpayers to support MHCDF by checking the box to invest in jobs and revitalize local communities throughout Michigan.
If we don’t invest in Michigan, who will? The future of Michigan’s communities depends on us!
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded Michigan $223.9 million recently as part of the second phase of the government’s Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP2) to rebuild local economies, as authorized by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The program is intended to facilitate and stimulate neighborhood stabilization programs to fight the effects of home foreclosures. Michigan received the single largest grant, 11% of the $2 billion pool. The Michigan State Housing Development Authority (MSHDA) submitted a collaborative application on behalf of twelve local cities and eight land banks.
Left to right: Detroit Mayor Dave Bing, US Representative Carolyn Cheeks Kilpatrick, U.S. Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, and Gov. Jennifer Granholm.
HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan praised the unique application when he visited Detroit to award the grant. Under Michigan’s distinctive plan, local cities will work in conjunction with land banks to create affordable housing, generate jobs, and stimulate property redevelopment in an effort to combat the challenges to the state’s housing sector. Specifically, the money will be used to acquire thousands of foreclosed, abandoned and blighted properties in targeted areas. These properties will be rehabilitated, demolished or placed in land banks for future development. Since Michigan received most of the money it requested, state officials do not expect major revisions to the state spending plan.
CEDAM congratulates MSHDA and the members of the Michigan NSP2 consortium. We look forward to the new collaborative community development this grant will support.
[An announcement on HCAP funding from Lisa Nuszkowski]
HUD recently announced 2009-10 awards for its Housing Counseling Assistance Program (HCAP). While Michigan saw an increase in the number of community-based counseling agencies receiving funding (from 8 agencies in 2008 to 14 agencies in 2009), the funding for counseling is still far under what is needed to serve Michigan’s homeowners (the increase in funding to these agencies went from $433,147 in 2008 to $582,387 in 2009). What’s more, some communities such as Detroit received zero dollars in housing counseling funds from HUD.
In response to the concern that Michigan’s counseling agencies are not receiving their fair share of HCAP funding, the Michigan Foreclosure Task Force started meeting with members of Michigan’s Congressional delegation to inform them about the dire need for additional funding and how little HCAP funds community-based counseling agencies in Michigan receive, despite the extraordinary need. The entire Michigan delegation signed a letter to HUD Secretary Donovan asking questions about how funds are awarded and how Michigan can access more federal resources. We expect to have a response from HUD to share with the Task Force shortly.
We plan to continue meeting with members of the Michigan delegation to make the case that our agencies need adequate funding to meet the need for foreclosure counseling in Michigan. Thus far, we have met with Senator Levin, Congressmen Dingell, Schauer, Camp, and Ehlers. Please let Steve or I know if you have a relationship with your Congressperson or would be willing to help us set up a meeting with them. We will also be participating in a strategic planning session with HUD later this month, where we will continue to deliver the message that Michigan needs more counseling resources.
A few important reminders and announcements:
If you haven’t already, sign up today for Friday’s webinar on What You Need To Know About Michigan’s 90-Day Law. You can do so here.
Detroit HOPE Now will be hosting a foreclosure prevention workshop on Saturday, December 5, 2009 from 9am-2pm at Cobo Hall in Detroit. If your agency is interested in participating, please contact Sheila Squier at ssquier@twcny.rr.com with the following: Agency Name, Volunteer Name(s), Contact Email and Phone Number, and Languages Spoken.
Accidentally delete an email with important Task Force information? My emails to the Task Force will be posted on CEDAM’s blog, so please visit to catch up on any information you may have missed.
