Advocacy Stories | Community Development Digest

White House Highlights Data in Response to Recent Tragedies

In the wake of recent tragedies in Baton Rouge, St. Paul, and Dallas, the White House has sought to provide resources that help communities address racial disparities in criminal justice, build trust between police and communities, and reduce unnecessary use of force. The Office of Social Innovation and Civic Participation this past week called on community leaders to help support these efforts by engaging residents, police forces, and policymakers in the conversation.

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Former HUD Bosses Agree: Affordable Housing is 'The Glue'

Former HUD honchos Mel Martinez, a Republican, and Henry Cisneros, a Democrat, describe an affordable place to live as “the glue” that holds together the necessary services and supports for enabling America’s growing senior population to age with dignity and comfort.

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Group to Release Report on Alleged Baltimore Police Abuses

A resident-led advocacy organization in Baltimore is about to release a report that the group claims documents more than four dozen separate incidents of police misconduct in West Baltimore.

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Coalition Spawns Hope in West Baltimore ‘Food Desert’

A new place to buy fresh produce is opening in the middle of the West Baltimore food desert. Launched by the No Boundaries Coalition, “Fresh At the Avenue” is a weekly produce stand operating every Saturday. The produce stall is a community-driven solution and was created by a resident-led health committee. It is being staffed by volunteers.

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Liberal Group Blasts GOP Lawmakers for Infrastructure Cuts

Michigan Gov. Rick Snyder (R) embraced the Republican mantra of “all budget cuts are good cuts” when he broke Flint away from Detroit's water system in 2014 to save an estimated $15 million a year, contends the Washington, DC-based left-leaning public advocacy group Agenda Project. Snyder reportedly pursued the plan despite reports showing Flint’s river water was contaminated with lead and unsafe for drinking.

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Mead Tapped for Head Post at CDF

The Cooperative Development Foundation’s (CDF) board of directors has named Leslie S. Mead executive director of the foundation. Mead has 30 years of experience with cooperative organizations, most recently serving as president of The Cooperative Foundation, a private foundation based in St....

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NACEDA Hails Obama’s SOTU Address, Urges Congressional Action

Community and economic development practitioners and advocates who work at the neighborhood level to advance community prosperity praise President Obama's focus on opportunity inequity in his State of the Union address, says Frank Woodruff, director of the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA).

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Equitable Development Requires Dialogue, Advocates Say

The intersection of health and economic justice and how to create more equitable and sustainable communities is the focus of a panel discussion at the Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies' National Health Equity Conference in Washington, DC.

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NACEDA Summit to Focus on What’s Working in Detroit

Community development professionals from around the country gathered in Detroit on Wednesday (Oct. 2), beginning a three-day summit examining what's working to transform distressed communities into places of opportunity.

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Advocates Push for Finance Reform, Tax Credit Policy Changes

The expanded use of tax credits and innovative infrastructure financing top Smart Growth America’s policy recommendations regarding the federal government's involvement in private development.

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