Membership Messages

Tennessee and Alabama Member Update December 19, 2019

SAVE THE DATES!

Fahe Spring Retreat – April 22-23, Berea

Fahe Annual Meeting – Sept. 22-24, Kingsport, TN

Fahe’s Research Director Katy Stigers has prepared a report on the impact of rising insurance rates, and other escrow factors on housing affordability.  This report summarizes public data, the results of our email survey, and themes from the follow up interviews.  Before we present it to a wider audience, we want to provide the report to you first. HERE

Fahe will continue to produce new research reports and resources on a regular basis. If you have any questions or suggestions on topics you feel would prove useful to your organization or the Membership in general, please let us know.

View Fahe’s New Annual Report HERE

NEWSLETTERS – Upcoming changes! Beginning 2020, published once/month, improved readability, useful content, and topics chosen by you!    IMPORTANT – new email marketing rules require people to OPT IN to receive the newsletter.  Enter your information and which caucus newsletter(s) you wish to receive.  If you are not the person in your organization who needs to receive these updates or if you have addt’l people who should receive them, please share the sign up link:  www.fahemembers.com/signup

We would love it if those interested would sign up by December 20th to ensure they’re on the list in time to start receiving the new newsletter.

CAUCUS & FAHE CALENDARS – A calendar of events has been set up for each caucus and one for Fahe-wide interest.  When TIME-SENSITIVE funding opportunities, announcements, and calls to action arise, they will be added to the appropriate calendars.  Separate sign-up for these announcements will also be required and we will provide addt’l instructions to make this sign up an easy process at a future date.

FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES:

ARC – POWER Initiative RFP released on December 9, 2019

Jan. 13 – Application portal opens

POWER Initiatives Application WorkshopsJoin ARC staff and other experts to learn how to develop a strong application for POWER 2020 in response to the POWER 2020 RFP (available in early December). All workshops will run from 9am–3pm and are free to attend, lunch provided. Pre-registration required

Tues., Jan. 28, Johnson City, TN Registration info HERE

Feb. 28, 5PM (ET) -Letter of intent due

March 27, 5PM (ET) -Proposal due date

Office of National Drug Control Policy – Per Anne Hazlett, news sent on funding announcements every few weeks- to be added to that list, please email Betty-Ann Bryce

Kaboom grant for playground equipment – rolling deadline, fundraising match required – check it out HERE Frequently Asked questions/answers HERE

USDA – Share your Comments! USDA proposes changes for direct homeownership loans and grants.

Comments are due January 24 on a proposed rule intended to increase the flexibility of the Section 502 direct and Section 504 programs and improve borrower access. The proposal would remove various program restrictions and increase alignment with provisions in the Section 502 guaranteed loan program. Some of the more significant changes remove limitations in the Section 504 program, increasing the program loan and grant limits. For more information, contact Andrea Birmingham, RD, 202-720-1489.

UPCOMING Fahe EVENTS

April 22-23, 2020 – Fahe Spring Retreat – Boone Tavern, Berea

September 22-24, 2020 – Fahe Annual Meeting

TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES

Please remember to send your NWA Online Training certificates of completion to Jackie!

NWA NTI’s:

May 18-22 – Los Angeles – Registration information will be out soon after the New Year. You may have already rec’d notice from NWA but their website information is not yet updated.

August 17-21 – Washington, DC (registration likely in mid-May to mid-June)

Check out the December Calendar of free webinars fromFirespring  – Online promotion of Offline events, Blogging, Captivating Websites, Donor Attrition, Thanking Donors and more!

HUD

Released a new online course called CHDO Opportunities in HOME. This self-paced online training serves as both a comprehensive introduction and an important refresher on regulatory requirements for CHDOs under the HOME Program.

PARTNER UPDATES/EVENTS

THDA Program Reports, Maps & Data HERE

Early registration for the 2020 Tennessee Housing Conference begins Nov. 1! Attendees can register early at a discounted rate through Dec. 31. Just visit the TN Housing Conference website to learn more about the Conference and sign up to attend!

AHFA NEWS/UPDATES Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube Sign up for newsletters HERE

Check out this article on Neighborhood Concepts Construction Training Program!

Help Community Heroes Purchase a Home – New Program! Community Heroes, in partnership with FHLB-Atlanta helps law enforcement officers, public school educators, firefighters, and other first responders purchase a home.  Learn more HERE

JOB POSTINGS  – New posting for a Public Humanities Coordinator at the International Storytelling Center (ISC) in Jonesborough, Tennessee~ Fahe, Member and Partner job postings HERE  Jobs available: MACED, ReFrame Job Board HERE

OF INTEREST?

Reference data/resources from Katy on recession forecasting as requested at the Member Town Hall Meeting – As the economy continues its record breaking streak of growth, it becomes more and more likely that growth will eventually plateau and, eventually, hit a period of decline. A recession is defined by many economists as two consecutive quarters of falling Gross Domestic Product (GDP). It is not the only measure of economic health, but it is a widely used benchmark. The National Bureau of Economic Research uses a slightly different definition, “a significant decline in economic activity spread across the economy, lasting more than a few months.”

Annually, the National League of Cities conducts a City Fiscal Conditions Survey. In the 2019 survey, city finance officials report declining confidence in the economy and an expectation that a recession will occur in the next two to three years. The majority of those surveyed expected to see a recession within the next 1-5 years. Smaller cities (less than 50,000 or less than 100,000 in population) skewed toward a 3-5 year timeframe while larger cities (with 100-300,000 or 300,000 plus population) skewed toward a 1-2 year timeframe. The negative expectations are most prominent in the Midwest. The report covers a number of factors that play into these assessments, and it discusses regional indicators and trends.  Approximately 40% of the respondents are from cities smaller than 50,000 in population.

This report from spring 2019 by the Economic Policy Institute, a non-partisan left-leaning think tank, discusses the challenges faced by government when a recession hits. 

In 2010, the Stanford Social Innovation Review published an article on how non-profits can successfully prepare for recessions, an in January 2019, The Chronicle of Philanthropy also covered preparedness for non-profits in this article.

Fannie Mae Energy Efficiency Resources Presentation

Fahe Annual Meeting & Rural Initiatives Conference – Resources including presentations, materials and photos are available on the website check it out HERE and HERE

Fahe President Jim King and Members, Duane Yoder (Garrett Co. CAC, Maryland), and Rob Goldsmith (People, Inc., VA) were recently interviewed by the Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group (CSG) as part of their research that identified “Rural Development Hub” intermediaries as effective community and economic development partners in rural America. CSG has now published the final report of this research, with support from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The final report can be found here: Rural Development Hubs: Strengthening America’s Rural Innovation Infrastructure

We encourage you to read the report and share it with your wider networks.

Partners for Rural Transformation Update (formerly Persistent Poverty Working Group)

From Jim: Driven by a vision of a future where persistent poverty no longer exists in our nation, six CDFIs located in and serving regions with a high prevalence of persistent poverty came together to advance that shared vision. Called the Partners for Rural Transformation, the CDFIs, Community Development Corporation of Brownsville (CDCB), Communities Unlimited (CU), Fahe, First Nations Oweesta Corporation (Oweesta), (HOPE) Hope Enterprise Corporation and Hope Credit Union, and Rural Community Assistance Corporation (RCAC), represent three quarters of the nation’s persistent poverty counties and have records of accomplishment spanning multiple decades. With a shared ethos of investing in both people and place and informed by the voices of local people, the organizations seek to unify around diverse opportunities in communities of Native people, Latino individuals, and rural white and black residents in a time of great division in our nation. Our recent white paper “Transforming Persistent Poverty in America” can be found HERE

Fahe Annual Meeting & Rural Initiatives Conference – resources including presentations, materials and photos are available on the website check it out HERE and HERE