Posts by Community Progress
Treasury 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…
Read MoreNational Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference comes to Baltimore in 2016!
We are pleased to announce that the seventh national Reclaiming Vacant Properties (RVP) Conference will come to Baltimore, Maryland, next year on September 28-30, 2016! The conference will be held at the Hilton Baltimore and is expected to draw approximately 1,000 professionals to the city. Learn more about RVP on our website or view the…
Read More#RVP2015: Hearing your voices at the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference
At the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference held last week in Detroit, more than 1,100 attendees engaged in meaningful conversations about causes and solutions for vacancy and abandonment. But those conversations weren’t just taking place in meetings rooms. Using #RVP2015 and #RVPMovement, thousands of tweets covered a range of topics, including those highlighted below: Land Banking & Code Enforcement; Arts and Placemaking; Social Equity, Fairness,…
Read MoreImmigration in the Motor City: Explore at the Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference
Post-industrial cities throughout the Rust Belt have experienced significant population loss over the last fifty years, leading to unprecedented numbers of vacant and abandoned properties. Immigrants can breathe new life into neighborhoods that have seen disinvestment and abandonment. At the 2015 Reclaiming Vacant Properties Conference, participants will have the opportunity to explore immigration and community development in Detroit through a…
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