In MemoryThe Community Development Movement Lost one of its legendary leaders on April 28 when Charles "Chuck" Grigsby passed away.
Chuck's contributions to the Community Development field's birth and growth over the past nearly 50 years represent a legacy that will be remembered for a long time. The Massachusetts Community Development movement is incredibly fortunate to have had many great leaders over the decades. Today, we walk on their shoulders and none were broader and stronger than those of Chuck Grigsby. May his memory be a blessing.
Read this reflection on Chuck’s life and legacy by MACDC President, Joe Kriesberg. |
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MACDC NewsMACDC held its Virtual Lobby Day on Monday, May 10 with about 130 people joining us to advocate for our top policy priorities. The event featured remarks from House Speaker Ron Mariano, testimonials from a family that received support from Asian CDC and a small business that received support from Pittsfield Economic Revitalization Corporation. We also presented our Excellence in Public Service Award to the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation for their unwavering support of the Commonwealth’s small businesses during the COVID19 pandemic. Watch the recording of the event here. The Color of the Capital Gap: Increasing Capital Access for Entrepreneurs of Color in Massachusetts. Boston Indicators, and the Boston Foundation, in partnership the Coalition for an Equitable Economy (of which MACDC is a founding member) released this new report on Thursday, May 20. The report analyzes troubling racial gaps in access to small business capital and explores a range of local strategies for expanding access. (read full report) Key Findings include:
MACDC and the other members of the Coalition will be working in the coming weeks and months to implement the report’s policy and program recommendations. MACDC applauds Silicon Valley Bank for creating a substantial and transparent program for building on Boston Private Bank’s outstanding track record for community reinvestment. MACDC worked with Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance (MAHA), the California Reinvestment Coalition (CRC), and The Greenlining Institute to develop a $11.2 Billion Community Benefits Plan for SVB Financial Group. We appreciate their commitment to engage collaboratively with community-based organizations as they enter the market and implement this plan. Read more in this press release. MACDC’s Board of Directors met with Governor Charlie Baker and Lt. Governor Karyn Polito on March 12 as part of our annual Lobby Day event. This was the sixth straight year that we have been able to meet with the Governor as part of Lobby Day and once again we had a wide ranging and substantive conversation about housing, economic development, and more. As always, the discussion dove into complex policy issues such as closing the racial homeownership gap, building climate resiliency and energy efficiency into our residential housing stock, addressing distressed properties, expanding housing production, and supporting small businesses. MACDC hosted a Town Hall Meeting for its members with EOHED Secretary Michael Kennealy and MassDevelopment CEO Dan Rivera on March 11 to provide an opportunity for members to learn about and give input into the state’s economic recovery strategy. This was also an opportunity for members to meet Mr. Rivera who recently was appointed to lead MassDevelopment after serving for several years as Mayor of Lawrence. The meeting covered a wide range of topics, including small business relief and recovery, how to support new start-up companies that emerge following the pandemic, how to revitalize our village centers and business districts, how to support economic development in both Gateway Cities and Rural towns, Brownfields, and more. The Senate Ways & Means Committee released its FY 22 Budget Recommendations and it was a mixed result for MACDC’s key budget priorities (see chart below). MACDC will be advocating with the Senate to adopt amendments to bring the final state budget into line with our recommendations.
BREAKING NEWS: The Senate adopted an amendment to the proposed budget to increase funding for Small Business Technical Assistance to $6 million. Twenty-three Senators co-sponsored the amendment filed by Senator Nick Collins, demonstrating the broad support for this program. MACDC’s Boston Committee invited all the City of Boston’s Mayoral candidates to meet with us. In our meetings, the Mayoral candidates have discussed important campaign issues such as Housing, Small Business and Public health. We would like to thank Councilor Andrea Campbell, Councilor Michelle Wu and John Barros for their engagement with our membership in the past weeks. We look forward to meeting with Jon Santiago, Councilor Annissa Essabi George, and Mayor Kim Janey in the coming months. MACDC’s new Housing Quality & Health (HQH) Initiative sheds light on the link between housing quality and health outcomes. In this blog series, MACDC’s Senior Policy Advocate, Don Bianchi, and MACDC’s Program Director for Health Equity, Elana Brochin, assess what existing interventions exist, and address how to fill in the gaps on these remedies. Read the first article in the series: Surveying the Landscape. We are excited to announce the first cohort of organizational partners in our Solar Technical Assistance Retrofit (STAR) program, a joint initiative between MACDC, LISC Boston, and Resonant Energy. Participants are receiving solar analyses for their respective affordable housing portfolios, along with financing options for on-site solar implementation. Our collective goal is to install 1 MW of solar over the next 18 months in affordable housing statewide. A list of participants can be found here. Community Reinvestment Act (CRA) Update: The Office of the Comptroller of the Currency announced that they will halt the further implementation of the 2020 CRA rule, and will reconsider the rule in its entirety. The 2020 CRA rule would have possibly redirected billions of dollars in lending and investment away from low-income and minority communities. Read more in this article from the National Community Reinvestment Coalition. Follow MACDC on Twitter: Our Twitter Account is a great resource for updates on Community Development news from across the Commonwealth. Jobs in the Field: Are you looking for a job in Community Development, or do you have a job to post that's in the field? If so, MACDC's Jobs in the Field is a resource you shouldn't overlook. MEMBER NEWS: #CDCSWORK Congratulations to Glynn Lloyd, who was named CEO of Mill Cities Community Investments. Glynn replaces replace founding executive director Frank Carvalho who is now consulting and remains active in MACDC’s small business network. Read more here. Congratulations to the CDC of South Berkshire on the opening of Bentley Apartments. CDCSB held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on May 11th to celebrate the completion of the 45-unit affordable housing complex in Great Barrington. Dorchester Bay EDC’s Indigo Block project is on track to be completed this summer. The six-story complex includes a mix of 80 residential units – 44 of them designated affordable – and about 20,000 square feet of industrial commercial space. Read more here. WATCH CDC transitioned its ongoing Housing Clinic to respond to the needs of clients upended by the COVID-19 pandemic. WATCH created a tenant assistance fund to raise money for individuals and families that were behind in rent and utilities due to income loss because of COVID-19. Read more in this article. Asian CDC recently distributed PPE care packages, COVID-19 vaccine information, and restaurant gift certificates to 400 households in Boston’s Chinatown. Vaccine information was available in English and Chinese, and helped residents understand how they can access the vaccine. Island Housing Trust broke ground at the site of the old West Tisbury Community Hall and former Firehouse. Two permanently affordable year-round rental homes in a duplex building will be built at the site. Fenway CDC was featured in a Shelterforce article about health care institutions investing in tenant protections. Fenway CDC was the lead agency for a $500,000 “focused investment” grant from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in December 2020. Read the article here. NewVue Communities’ Carter School Apartments was honored by Preservation Massachusetts with its Paul and Niki Tsongas Award, which recognizes the very best in historic preservation efforts, individuals, and achievements across the Commonwealth. Learn more about Carter School Apartments here. Community Teamwork's Middlesex Mechanics Association Hall was recognized by the National Park Service for its role in the Underground Railroad Network. Historically, the building housed a barbershop that employed freedom seekers Nathaniel Booth and Edwin Moore from 1845-1851. Read more in this article. VietAID is working with the Asian Outreach Unit at Greater Boston Legal services to launch a new report “From Our Voices: Vietnamese Nail Salon Workers’ Experiences in Massachusetts’ Nail Salon Industry Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic.” . VietAID’s Executive Director, Lisette Le, talked about the organization’s work in Fields Corner, Dorchester in this Boston Globe article about the need for new development in the area. In his article in Banker and Tradesman, Urban Edge’s CEO, Emilio Dorcely says that a top priority for Boston’s next mayor should be investments to build opportunities for Black and Brown communities. Read the article here. Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción’s CEO Vanessa Calderón-Rosado was named one of the 100 Most Influential Bostonians for her advocacy on housing issues, and her work fighting for greater protections against eviction and foreclosure during the COVID-19 pandemic. Check out the list, which also features many of MACDC’s friends and allies. IBA’s Chief Operating Officer, Mayra I. Negrón-Roche, was appointed to the Boston Industrial Development Financing Authority’s Board of Directors. Read IBA’s blog article here. NeighborWorks Housing Solutions’ Executive Director, Rob Corley, and Way Finders CEO, Keith Fairey, participated in CHAPA’s Emergency Rental Assistance Programs Forum on May 13. If you missed it, you can watch the video on CHAPA’s Facebook page. Congratulations to Groundwork Lawrence’s Development Director, Sharon Mason, who was honored at the YWCA Northeastern MA’s Tribute to Women. Watch a recording of the event here. RESOURCES/OPPORTUNITIES GenUnity Community Leadership Programs: GenUnity is launching two community leadership programs in Boston in Fall’21 and Spring’22. GenUnity supports young adults (18-34 years old) to connect how lived experiences are shaped by local systems and power structures and develop their capacity to affect change. Sign up for an info session here, and register here.
Fundamentals of Leasing First Floor Commercial Space June 9, 10:00-11:30AM EST This course will provide an understanding of the sequential steps in bringing space to market, establishing rent, tenant selection, negotiating lease terms, and space delivery condition. The course will also bring students through to the final stage of lease execution and tenant move-in.
Community Meditation Night (FREE) June 10, 5:00-6:00PM EST Please join us on the evening of June 10, 2021 for a free Community Meditation Night, led by Gena Bean of Mindful Boston.
Hiring a Broker: Bringing Your Commercial Space to Market June 16, 10:00AM-11:30AM EST This course will provide an understanding of the sequential steps in broker selection, identifying the attributes to seek in a broker, steps and timing in hiring a broker, setting brokerage fees payable to a broker, understanding the responsibilities of your broker versus your attorney, and overseeing a broker’s work from project start to tenant move-in.
Racial Equity Facilitators Feedback Circle (FREE) June 16, 2:30-4:00PM EST The Racial Equity Facilitator Feedback Circles are a series of free events to foster community for an inclusive group of racial justice-minded professionals. We discuss topics, skills, and experiences that are helpful for facilitators as well as share resources amongst the group.
Be a Group Facilitation Pro in an Age of Meetings July 14, 9:00-11:30AM EST This workshop is designed to help you explore and improve your capacity to manage meetings and to connect with other individuals planning meetings through a combination of active-learning, small groups, and presentations.
Careers in Community Development July 20, 9:00AM-12:00PM EST Confused about how to move forward with your community development career? In this workshop for entry-level community development professionals, volunteers, and students, we will help participants reflect on short- and longer-term career goals, and how they can move towards achieving their goals.
July 22, 1:00-4:00PM EST In this three-hour interactive training, we will continue to explore areas crucial to good supervision and strong supervisors. We will explore how to set and review expectations, best practices in giving feedback and finally the supervisor’s role in providing professional development.
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