During NeighborWorks Week, local NeighborWorks organizations mobilize tens of thousands of volunteers, businesspeople, neighbors, friends, and local and national elected and civic leaders in a week of neighborhood change and awareness. They rehab and repair homes, paint and landscape properties, conduct neighborhood tours, recognize successful partnerships, and host events that educate, train and inform. Find the nearest event in your neighborhood, by clicking on the Find Events tab at NeighborWorks Week 2007.

Fiscal year 2006 was another successful period for the NeighborWorks Multifamily Initiative with 6,964 new units added to its total portfolio.

“The NeighborWorks Multifamily Initiative is now in its tenth year and is going stronger than ever,” said Frances Ferguson, national director for the initiative. “Members coast-to-coast are finding ways to bring decent, attractive and low-cost housing to thousands of families.”

Ferguson noted that NeighborWorks organizations use a variety of development tools to make their projects work, including aggressively bidding for tax credit projects, mixing market-rate units with below-market rate units and even mixing light commercial use within residential projects. Read more.

A group of about 100 New York affordable housing professionals recently convened to hear three distinguished panelists explore Governor Eliot Spitzer's vision for affordable housing in New York State. The event was sponsored by the NeighborWorks Alliance of New York State (formerly The New York Network) and was billed as a "Policy Panel and Luncheon." Deborah Boatright, district director for the Northeast district of NeighborWorks America, moderated the panel. Read more.

"Homeownership is a significant part of the American dream," writes U.S. Rep. Joe Baca of California, in the Hill newspaper. "For many, it is a great source of pride as well as a major step to accumulate wealth and savings.  Over the past two decades, a record number of Americans have achieved this goal. Unfortunately, millions now face the threat of having their dream turn into a nightmare."
Read the Op-Ed.

Applicants should identify a wide range of innovative and academically rigorous learning environments that address the needs of youth who are at risk of dropping out of school, and youth who have dropped out of school. Read more.

The U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration, announces the availability of approximately $47 million in grant funds for YouthBuild Grants. Read more.

Featured courses offered this summer at the Washington, DC training institute include "green" courses sponsored by the Home Depot Foundation, and new advanced lab coursework on strategies for neighborhood revitalization.

• A forum for experienced community organizers, builders and outreach staff
• A new advanced lab course in neighborhood revitalization strategy development
• A course on disaster preparedness, response and recovery for your organization
• Six "Green" courses sponsored by The Home Depot Foundation

Don’t forget to also sign up for the symposium on August 15. Preparing for Success and Succession: Maximizing Opportunity at a Time of Leadership Change is about getting ourselves, our organizations and the community development field ready for the coming changes such as an increase in leadership transitions; a workforce more diverse in terms of age, race and gender; and changing community demographics and needs.  Those who are looking to become leaders, are leaders, or will lead the field into the future should register for this thought-provoking and highly interactive symposium.

For a full list of course offerings in Washington, DC and registration information, visit us online at www.nw.org/training. Register by July 2 and receive $50 off your registration fee.

Another resource, the NCHEC Consumer Home Buying Guides, is a set of four manuals, available in a variety of languages, which focus specifically on the various stages of the home buying process. Developed by Fannie Mae Foundation, they deliver practical, specific and concise information in a user-friendly format. SPECIAL OFFER! Nonprofit and NeighborWorks organizations are eligible for a large number of complimentary Consumer Home Buying Guides in any combination of languages or titles.

Visit www.nwstore.org to purchase or learn more about each resource and how you can take advantage of the special offer for free Consumer Home Buying Guides.

An annual summary of the first full year of the NeighborWorks Community Building and Organizing Initiative reflects the community impact of 32 initiative members. Here are some highlights:

• Almost $40 million ($39.8 million) of community investment as a result of member activities. These investments were made in the form of community improvements such as playgrounds and community facilities (57 percent), real estate investment (36 percent), and organizational support (7 percent),
  
• 163,000 volunteer hours invested in community work and participation,
  
• 861 partnerships with public and private sector entities, an average of 28 partnerships per organization (31 reporting).

View report [PDF]

According to new research by the Brookings Institution, lending in lower-income markets has radically changed in recent decades, highlighted by a dramatic increase in the supply of credit. However, little is known about lending variations across different lower-income markets, nor the underlying forces affecting borrowing patterns. Read the study.

"If housing policy is to achieve its full potential, it cannot be crafted and executed in isolation," according to Bruce Katz, vice president and director of the Metropolitan Policy Program at the Brookings Institution. During a speech at the Kansas City Housing Matters Forum, April 17, Katz argued that for housing policy to be fully utilized, "it must be shaped in concert with related policies like transportation, land use, economic development, financial services, and even education."
Read the speech.