An Introduction to Community and Economic Development

Date:  September 24, 2010
Time:  9:30am – 4:30pm
Location: Urban Edge, 1542 Columbus Ave. Roxbury, MA 02119

The Mel King Institute for Community Building is sponsoring a Full-Day Introduction to Community Development course on September 24th. This training course is intended to support new community development employees, interns, volunteers, and participants by providing a solid understanding of basic concepts and trends that have guided, and continue to guide, progression within the Community Development field.

The Full-Day training will address several fundamental elements of Community Development including:

• The History and Growth of Community and Economic Development
• The Role of Local Community Development Corporations
• The Core Values of the Current State of Community Development
• A panel discussion of Community Development Careers in Action

This training session will be led by Christina Clamp, who has been a Graduate Professor at Southern New Hampshire University’s School of Community Economic Development for over 20 years.

AmeriCorps Member Registration
MACDC Member Registration

This summer Roger Williams University will offer the flagship core course-Elements and Issues in Community Development- in an on-line format. Previously all course work was done in-class and this summer they are launching an on-line version to be more convenient for our local students and to introduce the program to those at a greater distance.

Roger Williams University has a strong tradition of distance learning and the course will be taught by Kathy Dorgan AIA who has piloted the course in-class for several semesters: in 2009 she received the RWU Outstanding Instructor of the Year award.

Elements and Issues in Community Development covers a brief history of the profession and selected classical theories of community development.  Examples of problems faced by community development practitioners as well as opportunities, and novel approaches being tested in the profession, and a survey of best practices.

The Partnership for Community Development was initiated in Fall 2008 by the Housing Network of RI and Roger Williams University, to raise the level of discourse about community development issues, to strengthen the professional skills of Rhode Island’s housing and community development industry, and to attract a new generation of professionals to the field.

Certificate and Bachelor of General Studies: The Partnership offers both a five-course Housing, Economic and Community Development Certificate program (including coursework in community development, non-profit management, economic development, and housing development) and the concentration in Community Development in the Bachelor of General Studies.

ENROLL FOR SUMMER 2010 COURSES NOW!!! In addition to Elements and Issues there is a wide array of electives including Accounting, Strategic Planning, Human Resource Development, Public Administration, Public Policy, City Management and more.

Registration: Contact Pam Downey, pdowney@rwu.edu Director of Advisement and Student Services to register -she is the advisor for every student participating in the program. Application (new students only) and registration (for all) by May 18th 2010.

Scholarship: Scholarships may be available to Housing Network members and staff in related organizations, as well as, to Municipal and State of Rhode Island staff.

Please contact Maria Semedo-Andrade mandrade@housingnetworkri.org or 401-521-1461.

5 Day “Organizing for Social Change”

The Midwest Academy offers a five day, residential, comprehensive “Organizing for Social Change” training throughout the country. Participants come from a wide variety of organizations. Most are working on specific issue campaigns and building powerful, progressive organizations. The training helps them to be more strategic in their fight for social, economic, racial and environmental justice.

March 8-12 (Chicago)
May 17-21 (California)
August 16-20 (Chicago)
October 11-15 (Chicago)
November 15-19 (Washington,DC/Baltimore)

“Supervisors of Organizers” Workshop

Why is it that some organizers seem to catch on naturally while others don’t? Is it genetic or somewhere along the line was there a difference in the supervision they received? This workshop gives supervisors a chance to step back from the missing time sheets and meetings on the run in order to discuss supervision as the major and most consistent form of training that their organizers receive.

March 24-26 (New York City)
July 14-16 (Chicago)
December 1-3 (Chicago)

For more information and registration please visit www.midwestacademy.com or call 312-427-2304

The Mel King Institute for Community Building is sponsoring a Full-Day training, “Basics of Community Organizing in a CDC,” on December 16th. This training course will provide organizers and other CDC staff and leaders with an introduction to the basic principles and practices of organizing within a CDC context.  The Training will be led by Harry Smith, form Community Organizing Director with Jamaica Plain NDC, with more than fifteen years of experience organizing in the community development field.  The Training will address several fundamental elements of community organizing including:

• Basic concepts of community organizing
• Understanding the differences between organizing, direct service, and advocacy models
• Identifying, recruiting and supporting emerging leaders
• A panel discussion with experience organizers sharing their experiences on keys to developing leaders and implementing successful organizing initiatives at their CDC’s

The Training will be an intensive, hands-on session, with a mix of brief presentations, role plays, and small group discussions.

December 16, 2009; 9:30am-3:00pm
The Somerville Family Center
366 Somerville Avenue
Somerville, MA 02143

MACDC member registration

Non-Member registration

Evaluation Information:

Please contact Jay Rosa with any questions:
jayr@macdc.org
617-426-0303 ext. 33
Mel King Institute

Community Development 101
An Introduction to Community and Economic Development

The Mel King Institute for Community Building is sponsoring a Full-Day Introduction to Community Development Course on December 4th.  This training course is intended to support new community development employees, interns, volunteers, and participants by providing a solid understanding of basic concepts and trends that have guided, and continue to guide, progression within the Community Development field.  The Training will be led by Southern New Hampshire Graduate professor Christina Clamp and will address several fundamental elements of community development including; the History and Growth of Community and Economic Development, the Role of Local Community Development Corporations, the Core Values of the Current State of Community Development, and a panel discussion of Community Development Careers in Action.

This is a full day training including lunch and refreshments.

December 4, 2009; 11:00am-5:00pm
95 Berkely Street, Boston, MA
Boston LISC Conference Room B
1st Floor

MACDC Member Registration

Non-Member Registration

Please contact Jay Rosa with any questions:
jayr@macdc.org
617-426-0303 ext. 33
Mel King Institute

Community Development 101 powerpoint (PDF)

The Mel King Institute for Community Building is sponsoring a two-day training on the Nuts and Bolts of Asset Management.  This training is part of a six-course series that will award successful participants with a Certified Housing Asset Manager (CHAM) Diploma from the Consortium for Housing and Asset Management.

The Nuts and Bolts of Asset Management is an interactive training session that focuses on hands-on opportunities to explore the full range of an asset manager’s roles and responsibilities, which shift in each stage of a project’s life cycle.

The two-day training will include:

• Discussion of the relationship between the various life stages of an affordable property-development, lease up, management and exit strategy, and how an owner’s actions in every stage can impact the other stages;
• Tools and techniques to understand financial reports and audits, vacancy rates, debt coverage ratios and trend analysis;
• Investigation of best practices of nonprofits in developing  internal and external reporting systems;
• Use of performance measurements and performance standards to plan for property success and strengthen property management oversight (both in-house and contracted);
• Completion of a group exercise of a property “workout”

This training session will be led by Jack Geary, who has over 25 years of housing management experience, as a property and asset manager, administrator, consultant and trainer.

December 10 & 11, 2009; 9:00am-5:00pm
735 Shawmut Ave, Roxbury, MA
Haynes House, Madison park CDC

MACDC Member Registration

Non-Member Registration

Registration fees include both training days and lunches.

Please contact Marcus Haymon with any questions:
MHaymon@lisc.org
617-338-0411 ext.231
Mel King Institute

Boston, MA | presented by TSNE | $79 | More Info

This workshop will provide participants with an overview of what key financial and operational indicators are – and why they are essential to maintaining a healthy organization. We will review certain basic financial tools and metrics that every nonprofit manager should be familiar with, including the data to look for in the 3 basic financial reports: balance sheet, cash flow statement and income statement.

In addition, we will cover ways that nonprofits can identify indicators specific to their organization, including sources and timing of revenues and the nature of an organization’s activities and spending patterns, paying particular attention to growth trends and seasonal fluctuations.

Participants will be provided with an overview of how to capture and use performance metrics on a regular basis. We will also review how finance functions and tools should be integrated within the organization, touching on budgeting and forecasting, personnel and operations decisions, resource management, fundraising and marketing.

The objective of this workshop will be for participants to leave with some very practical ways of helping their organizations not only stay fiscally healthy, but increase their ability to plan for the future and help their organizations thrive.

Since the passage of the US Housing Act of 1937, the US Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) has mandated that housing receiving federal assistance be “safe, decent and sanitary.” Over time, the Department’s Housing Quality Standards (HQS) came to represent the guidelines for determining whether a dwelling unit met this threshold.

HQS was always a Public Housing-related rule, however. Until HUD project-based Section 8 contracts began to expire in the 1990s, the privately-owned, senior/multifamily HUD-assisted sites had little in the way of inspection requirements imposed on them from HUD. The Uniform Physical Condition Standards, initially called the Uniform Physical Inspection Standards, were established to assist HUD in determining whether a property’s HUD housing assistance payments contracts should be renewed. Today, with the advent of Management and Occupancy Reviews, compliance with UPCS takes on additional importance.

NCHM’s one day UPCS program provides more than information on the protocol elements. Through the use of case studies and participant interaction, we identify potential pitfalls that come from rushed assessments, subjective methods, or misunderstanding
of the guidelines.

This course is provided by the National Center for Housing Management and fulfills the community and housing management pillar of NCHM’s RHM certification.

Location: Boston, MA

For additional information, download the seminar description.
Register at http://www.nchm.org/

On January 27, 2009, HUD anounced in the Federal Register a final ruling known as Upfront Income Verification (UIV). UIV comprises a sweeping set of changes that would impact core aspects of occupancy management such as eligibility, income calculations, and verifications. To help housing professionals get up to speed quickly on this and other new rules, NCHM has developed UI V Plus, a special one-day workshop that examines the many ways UIV may alter the definitions and rules of occupancy management. In addition to UI V, the program will focus on other important regulatory and policy issues such as the Violence Against Women Act (VAWA), IMAX/202C, and Fair Housing policy.

The Final Rule originally established March 30, 2009 as the rule’s effective date. Although HUD has recently indicated the possibility of a 60-day delay in the rule’s implementation, UIV Plus will give housing professionals the training they need to ensure that their occupancy practices are compliant today and tomorrow.

Location: Boston, MA

For additional information, download the seminar description.
Register at http://www.nchm.org/

As federal housing dollars have dwindled, the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) program has become the most viable way to create and preserve affordable rental housing. Managing such properties presents a unique set of challenges. NCHM’s Tax Credit Specialist covers the history and background of the LIHTC Program, focusing on the accurate calculation of assets and income; verifications; eligibility; program threshold components including the minimum set-aside and applicable fraction; tenant screening annual recertification; and Fair Housing.

This course is provided by the National Center for Housing Management and fulfills the occupancy pillar requirement of NCHM’s RHM certification.

Location: Boston, MA

For additional information, download the seminar description.
Register at http://www.nchm.org/