U.S. Economic Development Administration’s Post

Don't forget to register to join us NEXT WEEK! NEW REDEVELOPMENT TRAILBLAZERS WEBINAR: Shaping Our Appalachian Region: A Nonprofit Driving Population Growth in Eastern Kentucky – Nov 1, 2024 12:00 pm Register Here: https://lnkd.in/gzgGbqnP For decades, the coal industry was the backbone of regions like Eastern Kentucky, driving the economy and providing livelihoods. But, with the industry's decline, many communities have faced significant challenges like job loss and economic downturn. So, how do you recover from long-term reliance on an extractive economy? Join us for an insightful webinar with Appalachian leaders Colby Hall and Will Warren, CEcD, EDP from Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. (SOAR). Recently awarded $40 million through the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Recompete Challenge Grant, they will share their plans to revitalize Eastern Kentucky by focusing on job creation, rebuilding social infrastructure, and helping individuals believe they are worthy of sustainable employment. Don't miss this opportunity to hear about SOAR's vision for reducing barriers to employment, revitalizing communities, and creating a more resilient future. #RedevelopmentInstitute #RedevelopmentTrailblazers #SOAR #CoalCommunities #EnergyCommunities #EnergyTransition #Appalachia #Kentucky #CommunityRevitalization #EconomicDevelopment #WorkforceDevelopment

Don't forget to register to join our partner organization, Redevelopment Institute, NEXT WEEK! NEW REDEVELOPMENT TRAILBLAZERS WEBINAR: Shaping Our Appalachian Region: A Nonprofit Driving Population Growth in Eastern Kentucky – Nov 1, 2024 12:00 pm Register Here: https://lnkd.in/gzgGbqnP For decades, the coal industry was the backbone of regions like Eastern Kentucky, driving the economy and providing livelihoods. But, with the industry's decline, many communities have faced significant challenges like job loss and economic downturn. So, how do you recover from long-term reliance on an extractive economy? Join us for an insightful webinar with Appalachian leaders Colby Hall and Will Warren, CEcD, EDP from Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. (SOAR). Recently awarded $40 million through the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Recompete Challenge Grant, they will share their plans to revitalize Eastern Kentucky by focusing on job creation, rebuilding social infrastructure, and helping individuals believe they are worthy of sustainable employment. Don't miss this opportunity to hear about SOAR's vision for reducing barriers to employment, revitalizing communities, and creating a more resilient future. #RedevelopmentInstitute #RedevelopmentTrailblazers #SOAR #CoalCommunities #EnergyCommunities #EnergyTransition #Appalachia #Kentucky #CommunityRevitalization #EconomicDevelopment #WorkforceDevelopment

Reminder to register today! NEW REDEVELOPMENT TRAILBLAZERS WEBINAR by our partner organization, Redevelopment Institute: Shaping Our Appalachian Region: A Nonprofit Driving Population Growth in Eastern Kentucky – Nov 1, 2024 12:00 pm Register Here: https://lnkd.in/gzgGbqnP For decades, the coal industry was the backbone of regions like Eastern Kentucky, driving the economy and providing livelihoods. But, with the industry's decline, many communities have faced significant challenges like job loss and economic downturn. So, how do you recover from long-term reliance on an extractive economy? Join us for an insightful webinar with Appalachian leaders Colby Hall and Will Warren, CEcD, EDP from Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. (SOAR). Recently awarded $40 million through the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Recompete Challenge Grant, they will share their plans to revitalize Eastern Kentucky by focusing on job creation, rebuilding social infrastructure, and helping individuals believe they are worthy of sustainable employment. Don't miss this opportunity to hear about SOAR's vision for reducing barriers to employment, revitalizing communities, and creating a more resilient future. #RedevelopmentInstitute #RedevelopmentTrailblazers #SOAR #CoalCommunities #EnergyCommunities #EnergyTransition #Appalachia #Kentucky #CommunityRevitalization #EconomicDevelopment #WorkforceDevelopment

Reminder to register today! NEW REDEVELOPMENT TRAILBLAZERS WEBINAR: Shaping Our Appalachian Region: A Nonprofit Driving Population Growth in Eastern Kentucky – Nov 1, 2024 12:00 pm Register Here: https://lnkd.in/gzgGbqnP For decades, the coal industry was the backbone of regions like Eastern Kentucky, driving the economy and providing livelihoods. But, with the industry's decline, many communities have faced significant challenges like job loss and economic downturn. So, how do you recover from long-term reliance on an extractive economy? Join us for an insightful webinar with Appalachian leaders Colby Hall and Will Warren, CEcD, EDP from Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. (SOAR). Recently awarded $40 million through the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Recompete Challenge Grant, they will share their plans to revitalize Eastern Kentucky by focusing on job creation, rebuilding social infrastructure, and helping individuals believe they are worthy of sustainable employment. Don't miss this opportunity to hear about SOAR's vision for reducing barriers to employment, revitalizing communities, and creating a more resilient future. #RedevelopmentInstitute #RedevelopmentTrailblazers #SOAR #CoalCommunities #EnergyCommunities #EnergyTransition #Appalachia #Kentucky #CommunityRevitalization #EconomicDevelopment #WorkforceDevelopment

NEW REDEVELOPMENT TRAILBLAZERS WEBINAR: Shaping Our Appalachian Region: A Nonprofit Driving Population Growth in Eastern Kentucky – Nov 1, 2024 12:00 pm Register Here: https://lnkd.in/gzgGbqnP For decades, the coal industry was the backbone of regions like Eastern Kentucky, driving the economy and providing livelihoods. But, with the industry's decline, many communities have faced significant challenges like job loss and economic downturn. So, how do you recover from long-term reliance on an extractive economy? Join us for an insightful webinar with Appalachian leaders Colby Hall and Will Warren, CEcD, EDP from Shaping Our Appalachian Region, Inc. (SOAR). Recently awarded $40 million through the U.S. Economic Development Administration's Recompete Challenge Grant, they will share their plans to revitalize Eastern Kentucky by focusing on job creation, rebuilding social infrastructure, and helping individuals believe they are worthy of sustainable employment. Don't miss this opportunity to hear about SOAR's vision for reducing barriers to employment, revitalizing communities, and creating a more resilient future. #RedevelopmentInstitute #RedevelopmentTrailblazers #SOAR #CoalCommunities #EnergyCommunities #EnergyTransition #Appalachia #Kentucky #CommunityRevitalization #EconomicDevelopment #WorkforceDevelopment

The Critical Role of Workforce Housing in Resilience and Recovery in the Southeastern U.S. At WEC Development Group, our commitment to affordable workforce housing goes beyond simply providing a roof over people's heads—it’s also about rebuilding communities that can be designed to help lessen the effects of the unexpected, such as the recent devastation caused by Hurricane Helen and other natural disasters in our future. As we continue to witness the growth and development of the Southeastern U.S., we also face the increasing threat of severe weather events. In times of crisis, affordable workforce housing becomes more essential than ever. Ensuring that working families have access to secure, well-built homes is a vital part of both short-term recovery and long-term resilience. Through careful planning, strategic partnerships, and a focus on sustainable development, WEC is not only addressing the housing affordability crisis but also designing communities that can better endure the region's environmental challenges. By integrating disaster resilience into our housing solutions, we are building the foundation for stronger, more prepared communities. We stand by our mission to provide housing that supports both economic stability and physical safety, helping families rebuild and thrive in the face of adversity. Stay tuned for more updates as WEC continues to support the future of housing and community resilience in the Southeast. #AffordableHousing #WorkforceHousing #SoutheastResilience #SustainableCommunities #RealEstateInvesting #WECDevelopmentGroup #DisasterRecovery #ResilientHousing #CommunityDevelopment

Last week, I had the privilege to attend HOPE's Economic Mobility Forum in Selma, Alabama. The topic of discussion was Seizing the Moment: Maximizing Federal Investment in Under Resourced Communities. Communities like those in the small towns in the Black Belt of Alabama, have often faced barriers in accessing the kinds of federal funds that large cities and wealthier communities have had access to for decades. These small towns have very limited staff to write grants and manage complex grant programs and yet have great need for water, road and sewer improvement, disaster recovery, housing and community development, among others. Without intentional support and accessible program design, the new historic federal programs in infrastructure and greenhouse gas reduction would likely perpetuate the current disparities. What are federal agencies doing to ensure access to underserved areas? Read more about the discussion in my new piece on the Hope Policy Institute blog.

IF YOU ARE NOT PART OF A PERMANENT AND LASTING SOLUTION TO THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING CRISIS AND HOMELESSNESS, YOU ARE THE PROBLEM! THE AFFORDABLE HOUSING INDUSTRIAL COMPLEX IS BROKEN AND NOT WORKING FOR AMERICAN TAXPAYERS Veteran Housing Corp would ask every TAXPAYER to demand and get answers from their elected and appointed government officials the below questions as they relate to any affordable, workforce, or supportive housing project in your community! 1. How much local, state, and federal funding, tax credits, or other government benefits or incentives did the project receive? 2. What is the affordability period for each project? Is the affordability period permanent and in perpetuity? 3. What guarantees exist have your local, state, and federal government officials obtained in writing that rents will not go up or that tenants will not be displaced or evicted after the "affordability period expires? Every local, state, and federal housing authority and affordable or workforce housing stakeholder should adopt the State of Vermont's "permanent affordability" policy as a model for all future government funded or subsidized housing projects or developments, no exceptions! https://lnkd.in/eFEUC8c8 Additionally, local, state and federal housing agencies should look to the Helsinki, FINLAND MODEL of ending homelessness by providing affordable housing for all 'It’s a miracle': Helsinki's radical solution to homelessness https://lnkd.in/er9HZSQU Even the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development AGREES THAT adopting FINLAND'S MODEL OF ERADICATING HOMELESSNESS may be of great value to resolving the affordable housing and homelessness crises in America https://lnkd.in/gkSZWYRU

🚀 Thrilled to share my recent experiences representing BlocPower at two incredible events! 🌱 —> It was terrific to speak on a panel hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco in a webinar “Getting Money to the Ground: Funding Resilience in LMI Communities”. Kirsten Stasio of the Nevada Clean Energy Fund and I discussed collaborations across sectors to advance clean energy solutions and the roll out of the GGRF to help facilitate thousands of clean energy projects in LMI communities across the country. Many thanks to Sarah Simms for moderating the panel! Other standout presenters included Gwen Yamamoto Lau of the Hawaii Infrastructure Bank, and Janice Ikeda of Vibrant Hawaii Resilience Hubs and Robin Romano, of the MariSol Federal Credit Union! —> I also participated in the Workforce Solutions for Community Climate Resilience event at the Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia. Together with remarkable leaders, Claire Kramer Mills, Emily Schapira (Philadelphia Energy Authority), and Rachel Korberg, (Families and Workers Fund), we delved into cross-sector partnerships for green jobs training and employment resources. For more insights into practical solutions for clean energy, resilience, equity, and climate finance, check out the book What’s Possible: Investing Now for Prosperous and Sustainable Neighborhoods. Congrats to Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Enterprise Community Partners Federal Reserve Bank of New York and John Moon and so many contributors to this impactful project, including the essay by Donnel Baird and Siobhan Johnson on BlocPower’s successful workforce initiatives in NYC and Houston. —> Key Takeaway- Public-private partnerships for an equitable clean energy transition are possible now, but they require an umbrella of resources starting with community engagement, incentives & rebates, data-driven strategies for effective fund deployment, and sustained commitment. #CleanEnergy #ClimateResilience #CommunityDevelopment #GreenJobs #Sustainability #Equity #ClimateFinance

Seventy-five percent of the federal funds allocated for climate change resilience in communities require matching funds or prioritize places that can offer a match. This is especially true for rural areas, where most of the money designated for rural communities requires matching funds. Surprisingly, only one-third of these federal grants allow waivers or flexibility to reduce the matching fund demands. Federal agencies prefer the cost-sharing model when doling out grant money, which adds another layer of financial responsibility for low-income communities.