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Are CDFIs Too Risk-Averse?

Week of September 2
In This Issue: Residents Take Ownership Into Their Own Hands ● Are We Diluting the Mission of Community Land Trusts? ● Is Success Making CDFIs Too Risk-Averse? ● Also: Jobs ● Events ● In Case You Missed It +
Olivia Williams, writer
As CLTs have matured and professionalized in many ways, are they susceptible to mission creep? Are there alternatives that can bring them back to their original missions? Read Full Article
Interview by Miriam Axel-Lute, Shelterforce
Shelterforces Miriam Axel-Lute in conversation with Ed Gorman of the National Community Reinvestment Coalition on whether community development financial institutions are taking enough risk, and therefore, falling short of their mission. Read Full Article
Ryan Briggs, freelance reporter
Residents who live in manufactured housing communities across the U.S. are under threat of skyrocketing property values, predatory investors, and limited financing options. Can resident-owned communities stem the tide? Read Full Article

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Industry News
Sam Marks has become the chief executive officer of FJC: A Foundation of Philanthropic Funds. He was formerly the executive director of LISC NYC.
Eva Neubauer Alligood will serve as acting interim executive director for LISC NYC. She has served as LISC NYCs deputy director for the last five years.
Micha Josephy has become executive director of the Cooperative Fund of New England (CFNE)  He first joined CFNE in 2010 as a program manager.
You Said It!
Judith Levine: Good piece. Here’s a bit more ... Larger cities, like Burlington, provide assistance to tenants to pursue lawsuits, but in smaller towns if the tenants cannot afford to sue and the town is unwilling or unable to do so, housing stays awful and no one fixes it . . . Read More

Aspen Institute Community Strategies Group: Great article by @Shelterforce on the housing crisis in rural America, and ways to protect and increase the number of affordable housing units across the country. Via Twitter

State College Community Land Trust: A lack in one part of the housing spectrum can lead to a lack along the whole spectrum, and we encounter that here. Via Facebook

Centre County Affordable Housing Coalition: Most of Centre County is rural, and we encounter many of the issues described in this piece. Via Facebook

Michael Parkhurst: So much that resonates here. Via Twitter

Kristi Albertson: “Part of the issue is that those boxes are being drawn up by people who have little to no experience having lived in a place of less than 500,000 people, which is one of the definitions that we heard recently for a study on ‘smaller communities.’” I would love to bring the people who came up with that definition to Lake County. Area the size of New Jersey with less than 8,000 people. Nearest city with more than 500,000 people is 350 miles away. Via Twitter

Erik Reader: . . . A very resilient bunch lives in the hard to reach areas. Definitely need some easier to obtain capital in these places. Via Twitter

Dr. Akilah W. Butler: Enjoyed the article . . . Via Twitter
Looking for a Job? Scroll Down...
In Case You Missed It
Jobs
Cooperative Housing Director, Work from Home, Northeast U.S. This director-level position oversees the Cooperative Development Institute's largest and fastest-growing program, serving rural and suburban communities throughout New England and upstate New York, with 5 direct reports. Read Full Listing
Executive Director, Chapel Hill, NC The Community Home Trust's Executive Director is responsible for building relationships across diverse cultures and stakeholders. These stakeholders include local government staff and elected officials, donors, staff, community partners, developers, tenants, and homeowners. Read Full Listing
Executive Director, San Luis Obispo, CA The San Luis Obispo County Housing Trust Fund's Executive Director is responsible for all aspects of the corporation’s operations, management, and success. They identify the opportunities and challenges that the corporation may face and develop strategies for optimizing both. They will guide the HTF’s growth and maturation as an organization. Read Full Listing
Policy Analyst, Boston, MA Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association (CHAPA) is the nonprofit umbrella organization for affordable housing and community development activities in Massachusetts. We are seeking a Policy Analyst to work on federal and state housing policy issues, including analyzing and coordinating housing policy, writing policy papers and briefs, and evaluating research and data to . . . Read Full Listing
Executive Director, Louisville, KY The Center for Neighborhoods is seeking a motivated, skilled Executive Director with experience in nonprofit administration and grassroots community planning and development. We are seeking someone to lead the organization into its next chapter of growth through the implementation of a newly adopted strategic plan– a visionary leader to inspire . . . Read Full Listing
Executive Director, Montclair, NJ Launched in 2011, The Essex Community Land Trust (ECLT) strengthens communities by providing permanently affordable housing and financial empowerment opportunities for low- to moderate-income individuals and working families throughout Essex County. ECLT is looking for an executive director to manage the day to day activities of the organization . . . Read Full Listing
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