Housing – Page 3

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin Uses Federal CHOICE Neighborhood Funds to Revitalize Aged Housing Units

Alabama: Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin won a $50 million grant from the Housing and Urban Development CHOICE Neighborhood Program to modernize aged housing units. The project funded by the grant aims to provide 1,000 subsidized, affordable and market-value homes to replace 900 units in one of the nation’s oldest public housing communities. “Since my first day in office my number one priority has been neighborhood revitalization,” added Woodfin. This initial grant of $50 million will kickstart a $294 million investment in these neighborhoods.

Michigan Senator Sam Singh Sponsored Legislation to Improve Affordable Housing with Brownfield Development Expansion

Michigan Senator Sam Singh sponsored a legislative package and signed into law this week will increase the supply of affordable housing in the state. The legislation includes modifications to the “state’s brownfield development fund, expanding it to support housing developments.” The brownfield development program in Michigan provides reimbursements for redeveloping contaminated, blighted, or historic properties through tax increment financing. Singh celebrated the signing, saying, “These bills will give our local communities more tools, and incentive, to invest in affordable housing projects.”

San Diego Councilman Raul Campillo Supported Ordinance that Ensures Protections for Family Child Care Providers

California: San Diego Councilman Raul Campillo championed a new ordinance that strengthens protections for family child care providers operating from their homes. The new protections will prevent landlords from seeking unreasonable eviction or rent increases. “We know that family childcare providers play a vital role in providing essential services for families and that they can be a big part of improving the supply of childcare options in our city,” said Campillo.

Representative Mari Manoogian: New Program Boosts First-Time Homebuyers

Homeownership is vital to building a long-term, stable economic foundation, yet rising prices and stagnating wages have made homeownership unattainable for many young people. On Wednesday, Michigan Governor Gretchen Whitmer signed NewDEAL Leader Michigan Rep. Mari Manoogian’s legislation to establish the state’s First-Time Home Buyers Savings Program. The new program will allow residents to open special savings accounts to save for and eventually purchase single-family homes. Contributions and withdrawals from the accounts will be tax-exempt. “Homeownership is a hallmark of the American Dream,” said Rep. Manoogian. “This new program will put young people and new families on the pathway to success and will help our state retain its best and brightest…” Read more about the legislation here.

Former County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty: Novel Strategy to Address Mental Health and Homelessness

This week, Santa Cruz County, CA Supervisors, including NewDEAL Leader Ryan Coonerty, unanimously approved a new strategy for addressing mental illness among homeless individuals in the county. The “Mental Health Services Act Innovation Plan” aims to enroll approximately 600 people experiencing homelessness. The program will send field teams to meet participants where they are and provide clinical and case management services to both address mental health concerns and help transition participants into permanent housing. The program will help the County plot a permanent response that could serve as a model for other localities. Read more here.

Speaker of the Maine House Ryan Fecteau: Reforming Zoning and Land Use in Municipalities

This week, NewDEAL Leader Speaker of the Maine House Ryan Fecteau is championing a new effort to combat the state’s affordable housing shortage through ending zoning regulations. Among other provisions, his bill would require localities to let private property owners build up to four housing units on their land, rather than restricting them to single-family homes. Fecteau’s goal is to not only quadruple the number of new affordable housing units built in Maine each year from 250 units to 1,000, but also ensure that those affordable housing developments will remain affordable for the next 30 years. Read more about Speaker Fecteau’s bill, which has wide bipartisan support. And for more on solutions for the housing crisis, register to join experts and NewDEAL Leaders for our March 16 virtual event “Implementing the Recovery: Improving Access to Affordable Housing”.

Mayor Levar Stoney: A New Era for Richmond

This week, NewDEAL Leader Richmond, VA Mayor Levar Stoney delivered his state of the city address, highlighting his ongoing equity agenda and how new investments in housing, economic growth, and public safety initiatives will make a difference for his community. In addition, Mayor Stoney laid out new programs to: spur further economic growth, building on infrastructure improvements; support students, including a pilot program to help get high school graduates through community college; and boost public safety with plans to tackle gun violence along with police recruitment, retention and accountability. “Our past is no longer leading our present. Now, we are leading our future,” Stoney proclaimed. “A future that includes all Richmonders, no matter the color of their skin, whom they pray to or whom they love.” Read more about Mayor Stoney’s State of the City address here.

A New Era for Richmond

This week, NewDEAL Leader Richmond, VA Mayor Levar Stoney delivered his state of the city address, highlighting his ongoing equity agenda and how new investments in housing, economic growth, and public safety initiatives will make a difference for his community. In addition, Mayor Stoney laid out new programs to: spur further economic growth, building on infrastructure improvements; support students, including a pilot program to help get high school graduates through community college; and boost public safety with plans to tackle gun violence along with police recruitment, retention and accountability. “Our past is no longer leading our present. Now, we are leading our future,” Stoney proclaimed. “A future that includes all Richmonders, no matter the color of their skin, whom they pray to or whom they love.” Read more about Mayor Stoney’s State of the City address here.

Mayor Justin Bibb: Utilizing ARPA Funding for Housing Projects

AMERICAN RESCUE PLAN – Ohio: Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb will deploy over $20 million in American Rescue Plan Act funds for crucial housing projects. The city will invest $15 million to revitalize Cleveland’s southeast side through the creation of a revolving loan fund for home repairs, commercial corridor improvements, and large-scale redevelopments. Additionally, $5 million will go to Habitat for Humanity, enabling the non-profit to build 50 homes in areas with low homeownership. Those projects are key to a five-year $32.5 million investment to aid 400 households in the Greater Cleveland area with new home builds and repairs.

Mayor Justin Bibb: Ohio Rescue and Transformation Plan

ECONOMIC REVITALIZATION: Ohio – Cleveland Mayor Justin Bibb has unveiled a series of substantial investments aimed at revitalizing the city and expanding broadband access as part of his Rescue and Transformation Plan. Bibb announced a public-private collaboration expected to bring internet access to an estimated 29,000 homes over the next 18 months. He also recently committed $21 million of federal American Rescue Plan Act funding to a Waterfront Activation Fund, set to support nine projects along the city’s shores. In addition, he has pledged to allocate more of the city’s federal aid towards converting “thousands of acres” of brownfields into land ready for development.

Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin Uses Federal CHOICE Neighborhood Funds to Revitalize Aged Housing Units

Michigan Senator Sam Singh Sponsored Legislation to Improve Affordable Housing with Brownfield Development Expansion

San Diego Councilman Raul Campillo Supported Ordinance that Ensures Protections for Family Child Care Providers

Representative Mari Manoogian: New Program Boosts First-Time Homebuyers

Former County Supervisor Ryan Coonerty: Novel Strategy to Address Mental Health and Homelessness

Speaker of the Maine House Ryan Fecteau: Reforming Zoning and Land Use in Municipalities

Mayor Levar Stoney: A New Era for Richmond

A New Era for Richmond

Mayor Justin Bibb: Utilizing ARPA Funding for Housing Projects

Mayor Justin Bibb: Ohio Rescue and Transformation Plan

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