Posts by Community Progress
From the Board Chair: Welcome to our new President and CEO
Dear Community Progress friends, It is with great pleasure that I share with you that Akilah Watkins-Butler will be joining the Center for Community Progress as its new President and CEO in early July 2017. Akilah comes to the organization with more than 20 years of experience working to develop successful and sustainable policies, practices,…
Read MoreYou really #LoveThatLot! Highlights from the 2017 campaign
Through this year’s #LoveThatLot campaign, hundreds of people held in-person celebrations and shared photos of revitalization projects across the country. You shared your love for vacant lots transformed into farms, gas stations transformed into buildings with small businesses, and demolition sites turned into children’s learning gardens. For example, the Habitat for Humanity of Sonoma County “heart-bombed” several renovation projects that will…
Read More#LoveThatLot: Show your love for revitalization projects!
Update: Curious about the 2018 #LoveThatLot campaign? Learn how to get involved! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner! Why not celebrate it by sending Valentine love to your favorite revitalization projects and community champions? #LoveThatLot is back in its third annual campaign and we’re excited for you to share your love for revitalized spaces!…
Read MoreTreasury announces final allocation of $1B in Hardest Hit Funds
Thirteen of the 19 participating Hardest Hit Fund states will receive additional dollars allocated through a competitive application process that required state Housing Finance Agencies (HFAs) to demonstrate an ongoing need for additional funding to prevent foreclosure and stabilize markets. According to Treasury, states receiving additional funds under the final allocation submitted reasonable plans of…
Read MoreThree new communities selected for the Technical Assistance Scholarship Program
Community Progress launched the competitive Technical Assistance Scholarship Program (TASP) in 2014, to help us find and support today’s pioneers in the work to reclaim and revitalize problem properties. TASP seeks out communities that are ready to effect positive change on the ground and that could become innovative models from which others will learn. Today,…
Read MoreWhat is the cost of blight? What new research from Atlanta tells us
What is the cost of blight? We know that vacant properties cost cities through lost property tax revenue, and that they also bring down the property values of surrounding homes in the neighborhood. We know that cities have to spend considerable funds on activities like mowing lots or boarding up abandoned structures. Vacant properties also…
Read MoreTreasury announces how $2 billion for Hardest Hit Fund will be allocated
Today, Treasury announced how it will allocate the additional $2 billion dollars for the Hardest Hit Fund (HHF) program approved by Congress last December. HHF funding will be allocated among participating States in two phases of $1 billion each. States have until December 31, 2020, to utilize funds, extended from the original deadline of…
Read MoreSo much PDA! Highlights from the 2016 #LoveThatLot campaign
In a nationwide Valentine’s Day “Public Display of Affection,” many of you shared your love for revitalized vacant places and the people who have poured their hearts into transforming them as part of the #LoveThatLot campaign. Some even took it to the next level and hosted in-person celebrations. A special shout-out to the City of Salisbury, Maryland, where…
Read More#LoveThatLot: Public Displays of Affection for revitalization projects!
It’s almost Valentine’s Day. That means it’s time for Public Displays of Affection – for revitalized vacant lots and buildings, that is! We’re kicking off the second annual #LoveThatLot campaign. Last year, you shared the love for revitalized vacant spaces across the country that have been reimagined as pop-up parks, urban gardens, public art, and more.…
Read MoreThree communities selected for the Technical Assistance Scholarship Program
Community Progress launched the competitive Technical Assistance Scholarship Program (TASP) in 2014, to help us find and support today’s pioneers in the work to reclaim and revitalize problem properties. TASP seeks out “changemakers” who are ready to effect positive change on the ground and shape the national field of practice. Today, we’re pleased to announce…
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