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Ad Hoc Massachusetts Small Business COVID-19 Response Coalition Recommends Improvements to the Paycheck Protection Program

May 15th, 2020 by

MACDC joined with community-based organizations, CDCs, CDFIs, and advocates across the state to send recommendations to the Small Business Administration (SBA) for improvements to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP). The recommendations focused on two broad areas: 1) recommendations to simplify and improve the implementation of PPP Rounds 1 and 2; and 2) recommendations for the next phase of small business assistance. Nearly sixty organizations collaborated on these recommendations and sent them in a letter to the SBA and the Massachusetts Congressional Delegation.

The coalition is calling for the following modifications to the program:

  • To provide businesses with more time to use PPP funds and to extend the program until December 31, 2020;
  • To provide businesses with more flexibility on how to spend the funds by reducing or eliminating the requirement to spend 75% of the dollars on payroll;
  • To clarify and simplify the forgiveness requirements;
  • To automatically forgive small loans;
  • To allow businesses to refinance the unforgiven portion of a PPP loan into a longer term loan;
  • To collect demographic and geographic data of PPP participants;
  • To recycle dollars recouped through loan repayments; and
  • To expand language accessibility.

The group further called on the SBA  and Congress to design future small business support efforts in a way that more directly addresses racial inequities and targets resources to the businesses that need it the most.

Read the full recommendations in this letter.


DHCD announces $7.7 million in CITC allocations to 46 CDCs and two Community Support Organizations

May 5th, 2020 by

In April, DHCD announced $7.7 million in allocations to 46 CDCs and two Community Support Organizations (MACDC and LISC Boston) through the Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) Program. (See table below for list of organizations and amounts allocated)

In the program’s first six years, over $55 million was raised for community development programs across Massachusetts. These funds are helping CDCs to work with residents in their communities by providing vital affordable housing options, access to services for families, and support for aspiring entrepreneurs, as well as programs to help ensure that community residents can not only become stabilized, but also thrive and benefit from our Commonwealth’s economy.

Commenting on the 2020 CITC allocation, John Fitterer, MACDC’s Director of Operations, said, “the CITC program is very important to the community development movement in Massachusetts because it’s helping drive support into neighborhoods and town across the Commonwealth. As we navigate the COVID-19 crisis, support for the field is even more critical than before. The CITC program will help ensure that communities have access to the resources they need.”

Organization Credits Allocated
Allston Brighton CDC $125,000
Asian CDC $200,000
CDC Southern Berkshire $150,000
Coalition for a Better Acre $75,000
Codman Square NDC $200,000
Community Development Partnership $200,000
Community Teamwork $150,000
Dorchester Bay EDC $120,000
Fenway CDC $200,000
Franklin County CDC $200,000
Groundwork Lawrence $175,000
Harborlight Community Partners $200,000
Hilltown CDC $200,000
Housing Assistance Corp. Cape Cod $200,000
Housing Corp. of Arlington $125,000
Housing Nantucket $175,000
IBA $200,000
Island Housing Trust $200,000
JPNDC $200,000
Just-A-Start $150,000
Lawrence Community Works $200,000
Lena Park $100,000
LISC Boston  $200,000
MACDC $200,000
Madison Park CDC $200,000
Main South CDC $150,000
Metro West CDC $60,000
Neigborworks Housing Solutions $125,000
New Vue $200,000
NOAH $200,000
North Shore CDC $125,000
Nuestra Comunidad $200,000
One Holyoke $100,000
Quaboag CDC $125,000
Revitalize CDC $200,000
SMOC $200,000
Somerville CDC $150,000
The Neighborhood Developers $200,000
Urban Edge $150,000
Valley CDC $150,000
VietAid $50,000
WATCH $125,000
Way Finders $175,000
WellSpring $100,000
WHALE $200,000
Worcester Common Ground $125,000
Worcester Community Housing $150,000
Worcester East Side $100,000
Total $7,705,000

MACDC Partners with MGCC to Offer Multi-Lingual Translation Resources and Technical Assistance to Massachusetts Small Businesses Applying for the SBA’s Paycheck Protection Program

April 27th, 2020 by

MACDC has teamed up with the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation (MGCC) to support Massachusetts small business owners, including those with limited English proficiency, by providing multilingual translation and application assistance for the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) Paycheck Protection Program (PPP).

Since PPP applications are only available in English, these services are critical for small business owners in Massachusetts impacted by COVID-19, who would otherwise be unable to tap into the SBA’s economic relief resources. All small businesses in Massachusetts are strongly encouraged to use these resources when applying to the second round of PPP at their local, participating bank once available. Please be advised, MGCC and MACDC are not eligible lenders for the program. A list of participating PPP lenders can be found here.

This initiative brings together 49 Technical Assistance (TA) Providers located throughout Massachusetts, and organized under the Small Business Technical Assistance Grant Program to utilize their skills. The PPP application has been translated into 19 languages and is available to download on MGCC’s website, along with a list of TA Providers sorted by language proficiency and communities serviced, that small business owners can connect with for guidance on the application process.

Languages include: Spanish, Portuguese, Mandarin, Cantonese, French, French Creole, Italian, Russian, Vietnamese, Greek, Arabic, Cambodian, Somali, Amharic (Ethiopian), Filipino, Nepalese, Korean, Japanese and Thai.

“When MGCC recognized the opportunity gap for minorities, immigrants and other small business owners with limited English proficiency to access the Paycheck Protection Program, we immediately knew we needed to tap into this strong small business support team of TA Providers,” said Larry Andrews, President of MGCC. “With their participation, access to PPP suddenly becomes inclusive and encourages diverse businesses to explore relief possibilities in this difficult time.”

“Every day we see examples of how long standing racial and economic disparities are disproportionately impacting communities of color. That is why our economic relief and recovery efforts must reach our entire small business community, including communities of color, immigrant, and lower income communities,” said Joseph Kriesberg, President of MACDC. “Thankfully, Massachusetts has a network of dozens of community-based organizations with trained staff who can deliver culturally competent and multi-lingual assistance to help these business owners access public and private resources to help them survive and recover from this crisis.”


MACDC Achieves Solid (albeit insufficient) Progress on our COVID-19 Response Policy Recommendations

April 26th, 2020 by Joe Kriesberg

On March 23, 2020, MACDC issued a set of initial recommendations for state policy makers with respect to helping small businesses, tenants, homeowners, and communities deal with the economic fallout from the pandemic. While there is much more to be done at the local, state and federal level, we have seen some important progress over the past month. Some of the key policy wins include the following.

  • The Federal CARES Act provided essential funds to address the crisis that were consistent with our initial recommendations.

    • Unemployment Insurance:  The CARES act made important expansions to our Unemployment Insurance program both to ensure more generous benefits (an extra $600 per week) and coverage for contractors and self-employed individuals.

    • Small Business Assistance: The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), despite its flaws, will help thousands of businesses and nonprofits across the state, including dozens of CDCs (and other nonprofit organizations) who have (or will) received funds to help stabilize their operations during the crisis and to avoid layoffs.  More than 47,000 loans totaling over $10 billion were made in Massachusetts in the first round and we expect to see similar numbers in the second round.  Unfortunately, the program has not done enough to support very small businesses and businesses of color and this needs to be addressed both in the implementation of Round 2 and in future small business relief efforts.

    • Community Development:  Congress provided an additional $5 billion in Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) resources that can be used for a variety of purposes, including emergency grants to small businesses.  Indeed, several cities across the Commonwealth have already begun to offer such grants using CDBG dollars, including Boston, Worcester, Cambridge, Northampton and others.

  • Eviction & Foreclosure Moratorium: The legislature has passed, and Governor Baker has signed, a strong eviction and foreclosure moratorium that will protect residential tenants, homeowners and small businesses during the health emergency.

  • Housing assistance: Governor Baker was able to secure $5 million in new funding from MassHousing to provide an immediate boost in funding for the RAFT program, which helps lower-income households cover their housing expenses.  Several cities are also using public and private dollars to help tenants pay their rent.

  • State Small Business Assistance: Governor Baker secured $20 million for emergency loans to small businesses.

  • Mortgage Assistance: Mayor Marty Walsh secured commitments from 12 mortgage lenders in the City of Boston to provide borrowers impacted by COVID-19 with forbearance on their loans.  Meanwhile, state and federal banking regulators issued guidance encouraging lenders to provide forbearance and other relief to homeowners.

The above actions represent good progress, but there is more to do.  Clearly, the federal government needs to lead the way because it can provide substantially more money than local or state governments. We are advocating with our Congressional delegation on a range of issues related to small business support, affordable housing and community development.  We have also issued an updated version of our policy recommendations for state policy makers.


MACDC collaborates with Massachusetts Community-Based Organizations to call for Small Business Relief and Recovery Program

April 23rd, 2020 by

MACDC has partnered with community-based organizations, community lenders and advocates to form a statewide Small Business Coalition, which is calling on state leaders to adopt a Small Business Relief and Recovery Program to address urgent and unmet needs in the small business community. 

Seventy-nine organizations, including dozens of organizations that work every day at the local level with entrepreneurs impacted by this crisis, made this request in a letter to Governor Charlie Baker, Senate President Karen Spilka, and House Speaker Robert DeLeo.

MACDC has been convening weekly discussions with community-based organizations that work with small businesses from across the commonwealth on strategies and best practices to support small businesses in this time of crisis, as well as collaborating on advocacy for state policies that would help these businesses weather the pandemic.

“We are heartbroken watching hard working men and women fight to save their business and their families from economic ruin – a situation that has nothing to do with their skills as business owners, but is entirely due to COVID-19, and the public health necessity to close their businesses. They are suffering immense economic harm to help keep all of us safe, so we believe all of us have a shared responsibility through our state government to help keep them in business,” the letter states.

The proposed Small Business Relief and Recovery Program is particularly focused on those small businesses that are most vulnerable during this economic crisis, including those from historically underserved communities, such as African American, Latinx, Asian, people of color, immigrant, and women, as well as businesses located in rural towns, Gateway Cities, and other low-income areas. 

The letter recognizes that the federal government is providing significant resources to small businesses through the Payroll Protection Program, but points out that many small businesses, especially very small business, and those owned by people of color, are not benefiting equitably from that program.  In a survey of nearly 500 small and micro businesses released by the groups with the letter, 58% said they did not think the Federal CARES Act would meet their needs over the next three months.  Further, “42% said they were surviving on personal savings, an unsustainable strategy, especially for many people of color who, on average, have significantly less accumulated wealth than their white counterparts”. 

The letter calls for a “state-level strategy that is focused on reaching those who continue to be left behind” both to better access federal dollars and to strategically use state resources to plug gaps in the federal response.  Segun Idowu, Executive Director of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts and one of the signatories of the letter, noted “If Washington can’t get it right, our leadership needs to.”

The Coalition includes many organizations from rural communities, which are struggling. “Our economy is built on small businesses, including many very small enterprises, that have trouble accessing federal resources,” said Amy Shapiro from Franklin County CDC.  “By providing customized technical assistance at the local level, flexible financing, and small grants, we can help more of our rural businesses access federal dollars, survive the shutdown and recover in the months to come.”

The coalition offers the following recommendations for programs and policies that should be part of the state’s Small Business Relief and Recovery Program:  

  1. $10 million in funding to support community-based organizations that deliver culturally competent and multi-lingual technical assistance and coaching to small businesses;
  2. $30 Million in emergency relief grants to help businesses cover rent, mortgages, and other fixed costs;
  3. $35 million to Community Development Financial Institutions, Community Development Corporations, and other community-based lending programs to help them offer grants, zero/low interest loans, loan deferments, and other assistance to small businesses;
  4. $75 million to the Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation for a revolving loan fund to help businesses unable to access SBA financing, with a focus on communities of color, immigrant communities, rural towns, and Gateway Cities;
  5. A statewide Small Business Assistance Task Force charged with ensuring the effective delivery of support to small businesses during the economic shutdown and through the recovery; the task force should have a laser focus on equity and inclusion.

Read the full letter to Governor Baker and Leaders of the General Court


MACDC's COVID-19 Policy Agenda: Moving Forward

April 7th, 2020 by Joe Kriesberg

On March 23, 2020, MACDC issued a set of initial policy recommendations designed to mitigate the economic fallout from the COVID-19 crisis.  Our recommendations focused on helping tenants and homeowners remain safely housed now and in the future, helping small business owners survive the shutdown of the economy, helping people who are out of work receive adequate unemployment insurance, including those who are (or were) self-employed, receive sufficient unemployment coverage, and ensuring the affordable housing system remains financially capable of providing safe housing to its current residents while continuing to build the desperately needed affordable housing in the pipeline. Read our full initial policy recommendations.

Since issuing our recommendations, we have seen some positive developments at the local, state, and Federal level that advance our recommendations: 

State nears enactment of an Eviction and Foreclosure Moratorium

  • On Thursday, April 2, the House of Representatives passed a strong eviction and foreclosure moratorium bill that would ensure:
  • Landlords are prohibited from terminating residential or commercial tenancies until 30 days after the COVID-19 emergency declaration ends; this includes notices requesting or demanding that the tenant vacate the premises;
  • There is an exception for “emergency cause” evictions where there is criminal activity or lease violations that are detrimental to the health or safety of others; 
  • Pending eviction cases are frozen, except those under the exception, with a pause both in court and in enforcement of eviction orders by sheriffs;
  • Similarly, there is a moratorium on foreclosures until 30 days after the COVID-19 emergency declaration ends;
  • Landlords may not charge a late fee—nor provide negative information to a consumer reporting agency relating to non-payment-- if a tenant provides notice and documentation that the non-payment was because of financial impact related to COVID-19.
  • MACDC supports the House bill and urges the Senate to adopt a similar or identical bill quickly, so legislation can be signed into law as soon as possible.

Governor Baker announces $5 million in new rent relief funding

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Baker-Polito Administration has announced steps to ensure housing stability for vulnerable populations, including a new $5 million special fund under the Residential Assistance for Families in Transition program for eligible households who may face eviction, foreclosure, loss of utilities, and other housing emergencies. Read more about the RAFT program here.

Funding for this program has been high on MACDC’s advocacy agenda. While we are grateful for this $5 million, we believe there is need for much more. MACDC is advocating for at least $50 million in emergency funding and probably more in FY 21.

City of Boston Rent Relief Fund

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh on Thursday announced a $3 million Rent Relief Fund to assist Bostonians who are at risk of losing their rental housing due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The funds will help income-eligible tenants achieve housing stability by providing direct financial relief to assist with rental payments. Applications to the Rental Relief Fund will be available on Monday, April 6th. Read more here.

In MACDC’s initial policy recommendations in response to the public health and economic crisis, we called on local, state, and federal policymakers to adopt emergency efforts to ensure housing stability during this crisis. Thank you to Mayor Walsh for putting this much needed resource in place.

Governor Baker and Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation deploy $20 million in emergency loans to small businesses

The Massachusetts Growth Capital Corporation first announced $10 million in loans and subsequently offered another $10 million in loans to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 crisis.  This program was designed to be a bridge to federal loans now being made available under the CARES Act through the SBA.

CDBG Funding is Providing Emergency Grants to Small Businesses

MACDC is pleased that more and more cities are launching emergency grant programs for small businesses.  Worcester, Fitchburg, Cambridge, and now Boston have announced programs using Federal CDBG money to assist businesses that are not able to take on new loans.  We are advocating for more cities to do the same and for DHCD to use its CDBG money to offer similar grants in smaller towns and rural communities.  With significant new CDBG funding included in the Federal CARES Act, there is an opportunity to help more businesses across the state.

Federal CARES Act provides important relief but falls short of what’s needed

  • The CARES Act included important provisions that respond to our recommendations, but it has left gaps that must be addressed in subsequent Federal Legislation: 
  • The $600 weekly boost in unemployment insurance will help millions of people across the state and country.  We were also very happy to see this coverage extended to self-employed people and independent contractors, one of the core recommendations in our policy recommendations;
  • The Payroll Protection Program Loan offers forgivable loans to small businesses and nonprofits, but lack of criteria, priorities, and the chaotic roll out will likely mean that smaller businesses, nonprofits, and those facing the most challenges are unlikely to receive their fair share of the program.  With $350 billion available nationally and funds being deployed on a first come first served basis, many businesses may get shut out of the program and those are likely to be smaller, underserved businesses from low-income, immigrant, and communities of color.  Moreover, the program fails to drive dollars to those who most need it – businesses and organizations that have been ordered shut completely due to the crisis. Indeed, the program is much better suited to businesses that are experiencing a modest reduction in revenue (or even just facing “uncertainty”) who can reasonably retain their workforce. Going forward, this program will need more money and better targeting to ensure a more equitable outcome.
  • The CARES Act provides $12 billion of critical funding for housing and community development, but more will be needed to deal with the looming crisis in the Low Income Housing Tax Credit Program.  Congress needs to extend deadlines in the program and provide funding to fill the growing financial gaps in projects facing delays in construction and lease up.

What Comes Next?

We recognize that our state and local leaders are facing an unprecedented public health emergency that is consuming nearly all their time and energy. We are grateful for the leadership we see from Governor Baker, Mayor Walsh, and other local and state leaders across the state.  Caring for the sick, flattening the curve and slowing the spread of this disease must be our number one priority.  The Community Development Movement is doing its part by helping our residents stay safe, delivering food to those in need, reaching out to residents who may need assistance, or simply making a friendly call.

While we all work to stem the health crisis, the economic crisis looms larger every day – especially for vulnerable and marginalized populations. Now that we see what the CARES Act will and will not do, it is imperative that we take bolder and swifter action at the state and local level, while we also fight for another round of Federal Relief Legislation.  We urge the legislature and the Governor to immediately begin working on an additional Economic Relief and Recovery Package that meets the magnitude of this crisis. We also recommend that the Baker Administration create a Covid-19 Small Business Response Task Force, to coordinate efforts to help small businesses survive the immediate public health crisis and recover during the longer economic crisis.

The need for active and vocal advocacy has never been greater.  We hope you will join with us in that effort, including on April 28 when MACDC will hold its first-ever (and we hope last) Virtual Lobby Day.  Stay tuned for more details!


MACDC News

April 7th, 2020 by

February 2021

Thank You, David: MACDC bids farewell to our Director of Advocacy, David Bryant, who left MACDC at the end of January. Over the pass six years, David was instrumental in leading many policy wins for the community development field, including the reauthorization and expansion of the Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC), increased funding for the Small Business Technical Assistance program, funding to launch the MA Food Trust program, increased state-level funding to CDFIs, and the recapitalization of the "Get the Lead Out" lead paint abatement program. We will miss David. We wish him well in his future endeavors. Read David's letter here.
 
MACDC Partners with LISC Boston and Resonant Energy to Launch Solar Technical Assistance Retrofit (STAR) Program:The STAR Program, launched on January 28, will provide financial and technical resources to help affordable housing organizations explore solar opportunities for their buildings, with the goal of installing 1 Megawatt of solar power (2,500 solar panels) over the next 18 months, in partnership with CDCs and other mission-aligned organizations across Massachusetts. You can review the presentation slides and listen to the recording from the launch. Applications are due by February 26th for first round solar feasibility grant consideration. Learn more in this blog article.
 
MACDC's members are mobilizing to help business owners apply for additional relief dollars, following the launch of a new round of the Federal Payroll Protection Program for small businesses. Massachusetts SBA Director Bob Nelson joined our Community Business Network meeting on January 6 to summarize key elements of the program, so our members would be ready to go. Many CDCs, CDFIs, and business support organizations are collaborating through the Equitable PPP Initiative that is being facilitated by LISC Boston. The program is working hard to ensure that people of color, immigrants, micro business owners and others have full and equal access to this important program.
 
MACDC has quickly turned to mobilize for the 2021 Legislative session. One of our top priorities this year will be the Housing & Environment Revenue Options (HERO) Campaign that seeks to raise the deeds excise tax to create a new permanent funding stream for housing and climate investments. Over the past two weeks, the HERO Coalition reconvened and began planning for an aggressive campaign. We have worked on finalizing the legislation that will be filed this month by Senator Jamie Eldridge and Rep. Nika Elugardo. You will be hearing a lot more about this campaign in the coming days.
 
MACDC President Joe Kriesberg became Instructor Joe Kriesberg when he taught an Introduction to Community Economic Development class for the Mel King Institute on January 27. The course covers some of the core values and founding principles of the field, as well as a review of the primary activities undertaken by community developers such as affordable housing development and economic development. Watch a recording of the class.
Pam Bender facilitated a meeting of financial coaches and their supervisors for the United Way about community outreach and community engagement. It was one of their monthly Community of Practice meetings for organizations, such as housing authorities, CDC's, CAP agencies, shelter programs, and other multi-service agencies. The group discussed best practices on reaching out to community members during the pandemic as well as how to retain clients.
 

January 2021

Sign the Eviction Diversion Pledge! In November 2020, MACDC, in partnership with the Baker-Polito Administration, MassHousing, and CHAPA announced a five-point Eviction Diversion Pledge, a commitment from Massachusetts property owners and operators to working with tenants facing financial difficulties because of the pandemic and supporting housing stability during the ongoing fight against the spread of COVID-19. As of January 5th, 67 organizations, including several CDCs, signed the pledge.  If you own rental housing, please join these affordable housing owners and developers in signing this pledge to work with tenants who have fallen behind on rent.

 

A very warm and special thank you to all who donated through the Community Investment Tax Credit program in 2020. This past year was unquestionably the most challenging ever for the Community Development field as all of us worked to support our residents and communities. Fortunately, the CITC has helped CDCs secure significant and flexible funding to enable them to pivot their approach and help meet the immediate needs of residents. While we don't have full data yet, we believe  that the CITC program generated over $12 million in 2020, and will yield the most funding ever in the history of the program. We thank everyone who donated to a CDC in 2020, with or without CITC.
 
MACDC released the CITC: 2020 Program Impact Report in December. This report highlights how CDCs participating in the CITC program are applying these funds to their strengthen their organizations and expand the programs and services the offer.

 

MA Legislature Adopts Conference Agreement to Approve Economic Development Bond Bill: On January 6, legislators approved the conference report to advance a comprehensive economic development, housing assistance and pandemic relief bill to the Governor's desk. MACDC was very pleased that the legislature was able to enact this bill that will support small businesses, promote affordable and equitable housing opportunities, provide additional tenant protections across the Commonwealth, especially to our neighbors most disproportionately impacted by COVID-19. Read more in this blog article by MACDC Director of Advocacy, David Bryant.
 
MACDC's President Joe Kriesberg had an op-ed published in Commonwealth Magazine outlining his "holiday wish list" for housing legislation before the end of the session. Thankfully, all the recommendations included in that op-ed were approved by the Legislature on January 6, including passage of the City of Boston's Home Rule petition to strengthen its linkage program and inclusionary zoning, and passage of the Economic Development bill mentioned above.
 
Supporting our small business community: A story about the power of relationships, collaboration advocacy and persistence. Read this blog article by MACDC President, Joe Kriesberg, about MACDC's small business work in response to the pandemic. The article details some of the history of our small business work, what we are doing now to support small businesses, and what we envision moving forward.
 
MACDC hosted its first Small Business Network Zoom meeting of the year on January 6, with 66 participants from across the state in attendance. The group met with Bob Nelson, the Massachusetts Director of the SBA. Mr. Nelson provided a briefing on the new Payroll Protection Program and other small business programs in the Federal COVID-19 Relief Bill. We also heard from Larry Andrews of the Mass. Growth Capital Corporation about the rollout of the state's $668 million small business initiative.

 

MACDC prepared an interactive map showing the number and total amount of Payroll Protection Program (PPP) loans for each zip code in Massachusetts made during 2020 (Rounds 1 and 2). The zip code 01801 (Woburn) had the most loans of any zip code in the state with 1,358 loans. By contrast, zip code 01367 (Rowe) had just 2 loans. You can also access a complete list of all 117,772 PPP loans in Massachusetts in this excel file. You can sort the list by zip code to find the businesses in your area that received PPP loans in 2020. As the SBA prepares to launch PPP 3.0 in January, this tool might be useful to organizations that want to reach out to businesses and offer assistance in receiving more financial support.

 

MACDC began meeting with other housing advocates and state housing officials to discuss plans for deploying approximately $460 million in new federal housing assistance to help families impacted by COVID-19 and the economic crisis. This new funding - if efficiently and quickly deployed - could go a long way to mitigating an eviction crisis across the state.
 
MassHousing and the Baker-Polito Administration launched the CommonWealth Builder Program, a $60 million fund  intended to spur the construction of single-family homes and condominiums that are affordable to households with moderate incomes, particularly in communities of color. Learn more about the program in this video, featuring many familiar faces, including MACDC President Joe Kriesberg.
 
MACDC Staff Update: We are thrilled to announce that Nadine Sanchara, our Communications and Operations Fellow for the past sixteen months, accepted a position with us as MACDC's Communications and Operations Specialist. From her first day with our team, she has worked to expand our organization's capacity and shown incredible talent and dedication in all her efforts. You are familiar with her work as she sends out the MACDC Notebook, is quite active on MACDC's social media accounts, and works with John Fitterer on fundraising. Congratulations, Nadine. We're excited for you to continue working with us.

 

MACDC welcomes new CDCs: Congratulations to the Southeast Asian Coalition of Central MA (SEACMA), the African Community Economic Development of New England (ACEDONE), and the Latino Support Network](LSN) on becoming Certified CDCs!

 

December 2020

Community Investment Tax Credit (CITC) program participants aiming to have another record year.  In 2019, through the CITC program, $12.3 million was raised for community development in Massachusetts (Check out the CITC Investment Dashboard for more detailed information). This marked, to date, the most funds raised in a single year through the program. Last year, 32% ($3,974,510) of donations came from individuals. Furthermore, in 2019, 35% ($4,342,392) of all donations were received in the month of December. There's still plenty of time to make a CITC donation before the year ends! All donations just need to be received by the organization participating in the CITC program by 12/31/2020. CLICK HERE to view the list of organizations participating in the CITC program.
 
MACDC Calls on Legislature to Provide More Small Business Relief: MACDC is urging legislators to enact Governor Baker's Supplemental Budget, H.5177: An Act Making Appropriations for Fiscal Year 2021Read the full statement.

 

MACDC and Allies Weigh in on Commonwealth's 2022-2024 Energy Efficiency Plan: The planning process for the Commonwealth's 2022-2024 Three Year Energy Efficiency Plan is underway. The Energy Efficiency Advisory Council (EEAC) has commenced its listening sessions and is soliciting input on the upcoming plan. MACDC is collaborating with LISC Boston and other allies on submitting two comment letters:
 
  • request for strategic changes to the LEAN Multifamily Program, to better support energy retrofits to existing multifamily buildings.  These changes will ensure a pipeline of projects that more meaningfully address carbon emissions across the affordable multifamily housing sector. 
  • request to allocate resources in the 2022-2024 budget for workforce development associated with Green Jobs. These investments will meet the growing needs of the green energy sector while providing sustainable, well-paying job opportunities for low-income residents and communities of color. 
We will continue to monitor progress in development of the three-year plan and provide feedback as this process moves along.
 
MACDC's CITC Peer Group was joined by DHCD's CITC team, Mark Southard, Kathryn McNelis, and Nathan Delude on December 10th. The session focused on changes to the NOFA and any questions CDC staff may have concerning the CITC application for 2021 credit allocations. Sixty-two people attended the peer group meeting. MACDC's CITC peer group meets throughout the year. This year, MACDC augmented the peer group meetings with a series of fundraising trainings for CDC Resource Development staff. 

 

The CDC Tech Table: MACDC launched a new Member Services program on Friday, December 11th. The monthly convening of MACDC's members on all things tech aims to help our members understand and resolve challenges they may be facing and to build I.T. and knowledge management systems that provide opportunities for growth well into the future. Twenty-six people were in attendance to share best practices and to discuss how they are addressing myriad of tech topics. Two topics dominated the conversation: Streamlining reporting to HUD on housing counseling services and how organizations have migrated to the cloud. Meetings will be convened monthly and will be hosted by John Fitterer, MACDC's Director of Operations, and Stefanie Archer, Founder of Archer Consulting, which focuses on Salesforce implementation for nonprofits.
MACDC's Senior Organizer, Pam Bender, spoke about virtual advocacy as a panelist at a brown bag lunch event held by the Maryland Affordable Housing Coalition and the Community Development Network of Maryland on Friday, December 11th. The event was attended by members of the two groups, as well as a state senator and a state delegate. 
 
MACDC President Joe Kriesberg was quoted in a few articles recently as MACDC advocates for tenants and small businesses:
MACDC's Program Director for Health Equity, Elana Brochin, was quoted in this article on the Build Healthy Places Network blog: Interconnected: Public Health and Community Development Fit Together like Pieces of a Puzzle

 

MACDC applauds the Legislature and the Governor Baker for enacting  an FY 21 budget that includes significant funding for small business support, including the $5.1 million for SBTA. The budget also includes $46.3M for Small Biz grants & support, including $17.5 million for grants, $17.5 million for CDFIs, $7.5 million for matching grant program and $3.8 million for a new program to close digital divide. 

 

November 2020

MACDC released a new report on health-related work among Massachusetts CDCs. The report details Massachusetts CDCs' growing engagement in the health equity space and creates a foundation on which we can further develop our field's work - as individual CDCs and as the Community Development movement overall. Read more in this blog article, and read the report here.
 

MACDC is partnering with CHAPA and MassHousing to organize the Eviction Diversion Initiative Pledge in which CDCs and other affordable housing owners and market housing owners pledge to work cooperatively with tenants and rent relief agencies to prevent evictions and stabilize tenancies during the pandemic. More than 50 owners with a total of over 50,000 units have signed on to the pledge so far. Read more here.

 
The House of Representatives approved its proposed FY 21 Budget last week and included funding for several key MACDC priorities, including: 
  • $5 million for Small Business Technical Assistance (SBTA);
  • $46.35 million for Small Business Relief and Recover; 
  • $1 million for the Transformative Development Fund, including $750,000 for our Neighborhood Stabilization Initiative collaboration with MassINC, MassDevelopment and MassHousing; and
  • $2.805 million Chapter 206 funding for homeownership education and foreclosure prevention counseling.
MACDC is hosting a member-only meeting with the Alliance for Racial Equity on Wednesday, December 2 on how members are working toward racial equity. The goals of this meeting are to have CDCs share their racial equity work, begin to set the context for what the work means, network and engage a diverse spectrum of CDC staff and leadership, as well as understand what people need from MKI/MACDC
 
MACDC hosted a workshop for our members on November 9 about trends in the property and casualty insurance market, how COVID may be impacting insurance premiums, and how affordable housing owners can control losses.  The workshop also provided information about MACDC's Partnership with Eastern Insurance that currently provides coverage for 2,500 apartments and many commercial buildings for 11 CDCs.  The program offers our members an opportunity save money, achieve more stable pricing and better coverage. 
 
MACDC submitted testimony to the Joint Committee on Revenue in support of the "HERO" bill which would generate about $300 million in new funding for climate and housing investments. Read the testimony.  
 
MACDC President, Joe Kriesberg, took a quick tour of Western Mass in late October to visit members in Great Barrington, Pittsfield and Springfield.  It was a rare opportunity to meet in person with two new CDC executive directors, Allison Marchese at the CDC of South Berkshire County and Keith Fairey at Way Finders in Springfield.
 
OneHolyoke CDC and MACDC participated in a workshop on Abandoned Housing at the MHP Western MA Housing Conference this fall. The workshop on Distressed and Abandoned Properties on November 5 featured Mike Moriarty from OneHolyoke CDC and Don Bianchi from MACDC, along with Maja Kazmierczak from the MA Attorney General's Neighborhood Renewal Division. The workshop highlighted three approaches to addressing the problems associated with distressed and abandoned properties. Read more in this article.
 

The National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA) released its 2020 Family Portrait, a publication about its members, which includes MACDC. Check out the report.

 

MACDC hosted three workshops at Strengthening Resilient Communities: The National Forum which was held in partnership with NACEDA and eight other CDC state associations from October 13 to 23. The recordings of MACDC's sessions are now available for viewing:

 

October 2020

MACDC has been working feverishly with our allies to prevent a wave of evictions in Massachusetts. We have called on the Governor to extend the state moratorium on evictions, and we have joined with CHAPA and many others to advocate for over $200 million in eviction prevention relief funding. Ultimately, the Governor declined to extend the moratorium and announced a $171 million Eviction Diversion Initiative that included most of the elements for which we had been advocating (albeit at lower funding levels) such as additional RAFT funding, increased capacity for mediation, more legal representation for tenants and resources to rapidly rehouse families. The Initiative also seeks to preserve tenancies for families through the school year, a goal that we argued was essential.
 
On Friday, October 16, MACDC hosted a briefing for our members with DHCD Undersecretary Jennifer Maddox, so our members can work with their tenants and community members to help them access the resources they need. Check out the presentation made by Undersecretary Maddox. We will continue to fight for resources and legal protections to ensure that everyone can remain stably housed.
 
Since the beginning of the pandemic, MACDC has been advocating for resources that will help small businesses survive and recover from the recession so we were very pleased on Wednesday, October 14 when Governor Baker proposed $100 million in new small business relief as part of his revised FY 21 Budget. The proposal includes:
  • Increase in FY 2021 Small Business Technical Assistance (SBTA) program line item from $3 million to $6 million;
  • $35 million for grants for small businesses, particularly businesses in underserved markets, minority-owned, women-owned, and veteran-owned businesses, and those who have not yet received federal aid. 
  • $35 million for community development financial institutions (CDFI) grants and loans. 
  • $15 million for matching grants for capital investments by businesses with twenty or fewer employees. 
  • $7.7 million for technical assistance and grants, including for small business online and digital tools.
This proposal must be approved by the Legislature, so MACDC will be campaigning to make that happen in the coming days. On October 21, we sent a letter to Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeo on behalf of a statewide coalition of 79 community-based organizations, community lenders and advocates, requesting their support for the Small Business Relief and Recovery Programs proposed by Governor Baker. Read more in this Boston Globe article.
 
The Housing and Environment Revenue Opportunities (HERO) Coalition, which MACDC co-chairs, initiated legislation that would double the Deeds Excise Fee on home purchases from $4.56 per $1000 to $9.12 per $1000. The bill, filed by Senator Jamie Eldridge and Rep. Nika Elugardo, proposes that half of the new revenue would be dedicated to climate mitigation and resiliency. The other half of the revenue would go to aid working-class homeowners, and low-income renters and the homeless. Read more in this press release, and check out the HERO Coalition website.

 

MACDC hosted its regular Small Business COVID-19 Response Network meeting on October 7 with over 50 attendees. The focus of the meeting was a presentation by the Boston Impact Initiative - our newest associate member - about their innovative model for revenue based lending to small businesses.
 
MACDC President Joseph Kriesberg visited new CDC Executive Directors in Worcester and Northampton. The Pandemic has prevented MACDC staff from visiting our members as frequently as we normally do, but Joe took advantage of some great fall weather to visit two of our newest CDC Executive Directors last week. He made a stop in Worcester to visit Jennifer Schanck-Bolwell at Worcester Community Housing Resources, and to Northampton to visit Jane Loechler at Valley CDC. MACDC Senior Policy Advocate, Don Bianchi, who lives in Northampton also participated in the visit with Jane. It's great to see these new leaders hitting the ground running despite the challenges of starting a new job at this time.
 
MACDC held a special meeting for CDC Executive Directors who have started in that role since the beginning of the year. Five such executive directors met at our first meeting over the summer and the group now includes seven people, with Teronda Ellis from Jamaica Plain NDC and Allison Marchese from the CDC of South Berkshire being the latest to assume leadership of a CDC and join our group. MACDC is committed to doing everything we can to help these leaders get off to a great start.
 
MACDC's Member Services program continues to be very busy. During the first quarter of FY 21 (July - September) we held 34 peer group meetings attended by 818 people on a range of topics from small business development to housing, to resident services and health equity.
 
Last month, The Neighborhood Hub, a multi-agency partnership that includes MACDC, hosted a Housing in Gateway Cities Webinar. The webinar included a presentation by Alan Mallach, Senior Fellow at the Center for Community Progress, statements from State legislators and officials, and a conversation with local practitioners, including Marc Dohan from NewVue Communities. View the presentation slides, and watch the video of the webinar here.
 
Strengthening Resilient Communities: The National Forum: MACDC teamed up with the National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA) and eight other CDC associations from around the country to host Strengthening Resilient Communities: The National Forum. The forum started on October 13 and will conclude this Friday, October 23. It featured workshops presented by MACDC and other CDC associations, national plenaries, and keynote speeches by Deanna Van Buren of Designing Justice + Designing Spaces, and Ibram X. Kendi, New York Times #1 Bestselling Author.

 

September 2020

CDC elder and youth programs collectively served more than 10,400 people in 2019 - The MACDC GOALs Report has documented that CDCs across the state are providing critical services to thousands of seniors. Read more in this article by Don Bianchi, which highlights the work of two CDCs, in particular, One Holyoke CDC and Hilltown CDC. 
 
MACDC's Boston Committee met with representatives from the Boston Housing Authority, the Department of Neighborhood Development, and City Councilor Kenzie Bok to discuss how the BHA and CDCs can collaborate to leverage available federal resources under the Faircloth Initiative to expand deeply affordable housing across the city.
 
MACDC has been working feverishly with our partners in the nonprofit, government, and private sector to identify programs, policies and initiatives that can prevent a wave of evictions when current eviction moratoria expire. We believe a combination of strategies are needed including a targeted extension of the moratorium, substantial funding for rent relief programs, mediation, legal representation and an education campaign to make sure tenants understand their rights. MACDC believes it is especially critical to ensure that school-aged children who are attending school at home are not evicted from both their home and their "school."
The Energy Cohort, co-organized by MACDC, LISC Boston, and New Ecology, met on September 10th, to discuss opportunities and challenges associated with the electrification of heating and cooling - a timely topic as a hot summer comes to a close. Lauren Baumann from New Ecology and Beverly Craig from the MA Clean Energy Center made a timely presentation
 
MACDC's Operations Peer Group met on September 15 to learn about MACDC's tech build out and Microsoft Office 365. Director of Operations, John Fitterer, reviewed MACDC's IT build out that includes full cloud integration, including our phone system, and data visualization tools, as well as the nonprofit pricing for Microsoft's Office 365.
 
MACDC hosted a meeting on September 23 with EOHED Secretary Michael Kennealy and over 50 small business development organizations from across the state to discuss the state's efforts to help businesses survive and recover from the crisis.  We discussed the need for streamlined and simple grant programs along with more funding for technical assistance. 

Community Developers Call for Immediate Action

March 24th, 2020 by

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Economic Fall Out from Pandemic Requires Large Scale and Equitable Response

Investments Needed for Small Business, Housing and Non-Profit Sectors

March 24, 2020

CONTACT: Joseph Kriesberg, 617-721-7250 / joek@macdc.org

A statewide association of Community Development Corporations is calling upon state leaders to take immediate action to address growing and urgent needs for small businesses, tenants, homeowners and nonprofit organizations impacted by the COVID-19 public health crisis.

The Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations (MACDC) represents 88 community-based nonprofits across the state that work to advance economic opportunity, affordable housing and thriving neighborhoods across the state. MACDC is calling for the following actions:

  • $150 million investment in loans, grants, and technical assistance to help small businesses survive and recover from this economic crisis, especially those businesses owned by people of color, immigrants, women, and low- or moderate-income people;

  • Creation of a Massachusetts COVID-19 Small Business Response Task Force to guide the on-going response to this crisis and consider other initiatives to help small businesses through this crisis;

  • Expanded unemployment insurance criteria to cover currently ineligible business owners, such as sole proprietors, independent contractors and micro businesses;

  • Short-term eviction moratorium to keep people housed during this public health crisis;

  • At least $25 million in emergency funding to help tenants impacted by the COVID-19 crisis pay their rent;

  • Special initiatives to help nonprofit organizations, including community-based cultural organizations, youth programs, CDCs, and other critical local organizations.

(Read, MACDC's full Initial Policy Recommendations in Response to the Public Health and Economic Crisis)

“The economic fallout from the COVID-19 public health emergency is likely to hurt just about everyone, but it will have a particularly significant impact on lower-income communities, communities of color, Gateway Cities, and distressed rural areas,” said Joseph Kriesberg, President of MACDC. “We need the state to step up immediately with significant and equitable investments to help our small businesses survive and recover from this unprecedented crisis.”

“We know this pandemic will have a particularly significant impact on the most vulnerable among us.  It will reveal and exacerbate the persistent racial and economic inequities in our society,” noted Kriesberg. “That is why we need a strategy based on equity that targets resources to the businesses, families and communities that most need assistance”.

MACDC recommends that much of the small business development assistance be deployed through the highly effective network of community-based organizations already working with the state through the Small Business Technical Assistance program.  These organizations are working with over 3,000 small businesses across the state, with 88% of the clients coming from underserved communities such as people of color, immigrants, or lower-income communities.  Additional support can be deployed by Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) with a proven record of leveraging federal and private funding to deliver capital to small businesses.  MACDC is also urging an expansion of the Mass Growth Capital Corporation’s Small Business Recovery Loan fund which is already oversubscribed. Given the scale of this crisis, we recommend that businesses be able to access both loans and/or grants to ensure their long-term survival and to avoid new debt obligations that will burden their recovery.

MACDC’s policy statement calls on the legislature and the Governor to use the state’s Rainy Day Fund and General Obligation Bonds to help cover the costs of these emergency investments.

(Read, MACDC's full Initial Policy Recommendations in Response to the Public Health and Economic Crisis)


A message from MACDC President, Joe Kriesberg, regarding Coronavirus

March 13th, 2020 by Joe Kriesberg
Dear friends,
 
As all of us come to terms with the scale and scope of the Coronavirus Pandemic, I wanted to let you know how MACDC is responding to both the public health crisis and the growing economic impact. This is our strategy as of now, but clearly could change as new information arises.
 
Our first priority is continue to do our work as best we can while fully protecting the safety of our staff members and all the people with whom we work. Toward that end, we will be switching all of our committee meetings and peer group sessions to an online format and canceling or postponing all public events for the next few weeks or until further notice. We are also allowing our staff to work from home and may institute a requirement to do so at some point. Thankfully, a few years ago we moved our information technology infrastructure to the cloud so our staff can work from home without any interruption and with full access to all of our files and systems.

 

Our second priority is to help our members navigate these unchartered waters. We plan to provide online opportunities for information exchange and peer learning. CDCs must deal with so many complex issues from office operations, to property management, construction project schedules, small business lending, youth programs, senior services and more. Therefore, we are looking at how to support CDC professionals across these different work areas. We also want to serve as a conduit for information flow from public officials to our members and vice versa.

 

Our third priority will be to advocate for special public policy initiatives that protect low- and moderate-income people who are most vulnerable during a crisis like this. This will include policies and programs to protect tenants, homeowners, hourly workers and small business owners.  We will also be advocating with public and private funders to provide nonprofits with some leeway and flexibility regarding deliverables and deadlines that cannot be met due to the crisis.

 

Obviously the situation continues to evolve quickly and we will respond as new information and new circumstances dictate. Please contact us if you have any thoughts or ideas about how we can help our communities get through this crisis.

 

We hope everyone will take necessary precautions and stay safe. We look forward to seeing some of you online in the coming days and hopefully, before too long, in person as well.

 

At its heart, community development is based on the notion, as the late Senator Paul Wellstone used to say, that "we all do better when we all do better." Never has this been more true than during this pandemic. We are truly all in this together. Let us hope - and work to make it so - that while this crisis requires social distancing now, that it will ultimately bring us closer together as one Commonwealth, one Country and one World.

 

Joe Kriesberg
President
 

Responding to Coronavirus in CDC Communities: Immediate and Long-Term Actions

March 13th, 2020 by Elana Brochin

The low- and moderate-income communities in which Massachusetts CDCs work are disproportionately affected by the current Coronavirus crisis. This disproportionate impact results from the same structural inequities to which economically disadvantaged communities are routinely subject. The current Coronavirus pandemic further highlights the ways in which structural inequity that impacts lower-income communities ends up negatively impacting all individuals and communities, regardless of income-level. While Coronavirus is wreaking havoc on population health and the economy, it also carries opportunities for CDCs to help keep our communities safe, and to advocate for economically progressive policies.

First, let’s establish the ways in which lower-income community residents are disproportionately impacted by the spread of the Coronavirus:

Poor Quality Housing

Poor quality housing quickens the spread of infectious disease when there is improper ventilation between units. Families who live in close quarters are at increased risk of spreading illness between family members.

Unstable Housing

Cuts to jobs and hours will put low-income tenants at increased risk for eviction and foreclosure as individuals and families fall behind on their rent or mortgage payments.

People Experiencing Homelessness

Individuals experiencing homelessness who are living in shelters are impacted by increased disease transmission due to overcrowding. Those living on the streets are at greater risk because of lack of access to clean water with which to wash their hands. Individuals living on the streets who fall ill due to the virus will suffer more because of exposure to extreme heat and cold, and they also don’t have an easy way to quarantine themselves.

Economic Impacts on Low-Wage Workers and Small Businesses

Low-wage workers without paid sick time have to make the impossible choice between going to work sick or losing wages needed for food and other necessities. Individuals who go to work sick are more likely to infect others, and healthy workers who are forced to work are more likely to be exposed. Individuals who are living paycheck-to-paycheck are not able to “stock up” on essential items, like medicine, food, and hygiene items that will be needed in case of illness or quarantine. If forced to wait to buy these items, individuals will have a greater likelihood of being exposed and exposing others as the pandemic worsens. Small business owners will disproportionately suffer from lost business while still needing to keep up with overhead costs.

Impacts of Quarantine

School closures disproportionately impact low-income families who have less access to affordable childcare options. Further many low-income children rely on schools for free or reduced-price meals.

Access to Health Care

Individuals who are underinsured or who lack access to health care will be less able to access quality and affordable health care as the demand on the health system inevitably increases. Undocumented immigrants may be afraid to access care or other services because of real or perceived concerns over repercussions resulting from their immigration status.

Prejudice and Discrimination

Our Asian and Asian-American community members and businesses are also subject to the racism faced by many of Asian descent resulting from prejudice, fear and misinformation.

 

In addition to highlighting the ways in which lower-income communities are impacted by infectious disease, the Coronavirus pandemic makes it clear that what impacts lower-income community residents also impacts the general population.

 

CDCs can support their community residents in a variety of ways, including:

  1. Taking precautions to limit the spread of disease, such as frequently disinfecting common spaces in their apartment buildings;
  2. Checking in on residents with particular attention to those who are elderly and/or immuno-compromised;
  3. Encouraging residents to use recommended hygiene methods, including frequent handwashing, and, if exposed, letting management know and self-isolating or quarantining;
  4. Suspending evictions that are not essential to the protection of health or property;
  5. Canceling community events.

Immediate steps to care for our communities needs to be our first priority. Emergency funding can help prevent evictions and foreclosures and lessen the financial pain to workers and small businesses. In addition to necessitating emergency response, this international crisis underscores the need for better social and economic policies when our world is not in crisis, including:

  1. Expanding unemployment insurance;
  2. Creating protections to prevent evictions/foreclosures;
  3. Funding to support local businesses;
  4. Advocating for paid sick leave for all employees.

In addition to advocacy on the policy-level, it is crucial that we continue our racial equity work to undo the racist attitudes and institutions whose legacy we encounter in the current crisis, as well as in so many areas of our work. As information and advice changes by the hour, let’s not lose sight of the larger context in which we find ourselves. Let’s continue to think creatively about strategies and policies to improve population health and to expand economic opportunities – both in the short-term as well as in the long-term.


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