Since I'll get there eventually.

Right.
Since about one every time I go out

the other group.

So all

so.

Thank you sir.

It's my pleasure.

And I I also should should thank all of
you for your interest in this stuff and

it's industry is always in need
of energetic bright minds.

So thank you all.

The handout.

I have today is to maps basically
with information about I

remember organizations where they are.

And then that's the first one the second

one is a city of Atlanta
document that denotes where two

economic investment areas are which
I'll get into in a little bit and then.

Where the boundaries for
the city sort of I chose

are in many cases those
organizations are the same.

As I remember going is a chanst
with slight differentiation and

where they think
the service boundaries are.

But that's all right.

So it's a start a little
bit from the beginning.

A hand is an association of nonprofit
affordable housing developers and

community development
corporations all of them engaged

to some degree in the for the housing
development and economic development.

They.

The membership is mostly.

Atlanta neighborhood based community
development corporations but

we do have some members that work on
a more sort of citywide or regional basis.

Midland habitat for example is
a member there not a C.D.C. or toto.

But they're a member because they plug
into a lot of the affordable housing

issues that we deal with and
that we confront and address and try and

make happen.

And we have a couple of other
organizations also that work regionally

there's an organization up in Gwinnett
County the IMPACT GROUP kept housing

is another organization outside
of the city that's a member.

We just have common issues and

the discussion about how
these these problems and

issues get addressed more at our
regional level rather than at and

neighborhood level is part of what
drives those organizations and

their membership and argumentations But

as I should say membership these you
know neighborhood based organizations.

I mean I'm not sure how much into the.

The actual history of the C.D.C.
movement you've delved but in

general the movement for commune.

He based community control revitalization.

Started in New York City
in the late sixty's.

And that sort of spawned a flashpoint

where you know the realisation with
the support of the Kennedys and

the political influence that they had
the power that they had it spawned

you know the growth of the industry
cross-country in big cities in Atlanta.

The C.B.C. industry really didn't
get started until the late eighty's

really early ninety's for most of
them in preparation for the Olympics.

Or in anticipation of the Olympics and
the desire for neighborhoods to try and

tap into some of the investment
that was going to be happening.

In the areas around downtown
to transpose things up.

That's the thirty second plate there but.

C.D.C.'s as as an organization
type understanding for

a little bit about this but
they are generally grassroots

formed organizations that
have a that are created

to really achieve specific
goals their mission oriented.

They usually do have a specified service
area at least you know in Atlanta.

They do and because we're such
a neighborhood oriented city.

And there's there's so much neighborhood
identity here just I think it's been

sort of that's been a real driving
factor for why there are so

many just small neighborhood
based organizations.

But they usually have
a mission in Atlanta.

Most of our member organizations
their mission is to try and

revitalize their neighborhood
either through community building.

You know programs through.

The repair of the real estate
infrastructure of the neighborhood.

Making sure that it has change and

gentrification happens that
there's still the ability for

existing residents to stay and
enjoy the renewed quality of life.

That hopefully would be
created through the work.

So so cities.

You know it's a pretty
broad category actually.

Community Development Corporation can
refer to a lot of other things too.

There are a lot of other organizations
that are C.D.C.'s that don't do housing or

even neighborhood based work but
in Atlanta

members when I say when I use
the term C.C. that I'm talking about.

On the second page when I refer to chose.

That's acronym for Community
Housing Development Organization.

And that designation

is conferred upon
an organization by him and

he said Patty so municipal

governmentally certified I
should say because cities can

certify them States can certify them I
think even counties if it works that way

can certify them but
basically having that designation is

is is some agreement with that
local municipality that you are.

A housing oriented

organization that you are going to
develop housing in that neighborhood or

in your service area and
it opens the door to federal funding.

Some of which could be operational
support but most of which is access

to home funds from C.D.G.
funds and other federal

funds that might come available through
that municipality to develop that housing.

And it's some of those resources
are available only to that show dose.

So it's you know it's a feather in
a cap if you can get that designation

because it really helps with the with
the development projects so you're doing.

It in Atlanta my mind
is kind of spinning for

I would really start but.

So you know back to ration.

Yeah I guess one thing I'd love
to talk about what's the best.

Yeah.

That so far.

I mean as of today has been a model
that is best exemplified I think by

R R C formerly the round stone
revitalization Corp they have in the last

five years or so
diversified their program menu.

To include much other or

other strong programs that don't focus
exclusively on development of housing.

And there's a reason why that strategy has
been particularly helpful I guess that's

that's what I'll get into next.

But there their website
if you google on here.

I see Atlanta dot org I think but

you'll see that they have a pretty
diverse range of programs

they do housing development they've
also expanded their service area too

to include a couple of the counties
at the core I think they're

doing work outside in unincorporated
to cab and they look at Fulton County.

So they've expanded well beyond just
the round stone neighborhood now.

We have a very solid

homeownership Center program
where they they help educate

homeowners about how to go through
the process in the first place.

They help people prepare for
homeownership financially and practically.

They also help on the back end
with post ownership training.

And then very importantly recently in

particular they also are very
involved in foreclosure counseling.

And that of course has been
a huge huge huge huge issue for

the last three or four years or so.

And they've become one of the go
to agencies in the metro area for

foreclosure counseling.

I mean back back back track a little bit.

To around the Olympics when a lot
of the C.D.C. sort of got started.

There was.

I'm guessing I was in here at the time but

I'm guessing there was a lot of
optimism about the potential to take

the energy that was sort of buzzing
around the Olympics and really try and

fill to that out into the surrounding
neighborhoods and try and take advantage

of some of that energy to help start
a real serious revitalization effort in

those neighborhoods if you notice
the location of most of the C.D.C.'s

are in those what I usually call
the inner ring residential neighborhoods.

The areas around you know
directly around downtown.

And you know I'm not
exactly sure about this but

I'm I would hazard a guess that
that has to do partly with

the the Olympic ring designation that
a lot of the neighborhood received.

In advance of the Olympics coming but
there is a tremendous investment by

the city in preparation for
the Olympics sort of cleaning up downtown.

Getting a lot of
infrastructure in place and

there was a tremendous amount of studying
that was done and the quality of

the neighborhoods around the downtown
area also and so I think that energy

probably helped feed the creation
of a number of these C.D.C.'s.

But over and see over.

Over the course of maybe five six seven
eight years you know into the early to mid

ninety's there was a growing recognition
that in Atlanta and in Georgia.

Where support for community
development work is less available.

From the private sector then
it is in most other places.

That there really needed to be a focus on

development of housing
as a revenue generator.

That's you know one thing that you
can count on if you can sell a house.

You know you're going to
get some revenue off of it.

Now that.

This was coached very heavily from some
of the intermediaries that were here.

And so cc's.

So we took that and started shifting
the focus of their programs

to to help you know make up for
what they knew was going to be

a lack of resources to help them
operate on a daily basis in comparison.

I know you have to look at Chicago
a little bit you know if you look at

New York.

Also you know larger in
much more dense cities.

You'll see C.D.C..

He's that manage hundreds of units of

housing that develop hundreds of
units of housing every year and

the density is really the format that
allows that to happen in Atlanta.

You know we're a city of
single family neighborhoods.

So when C.D.C. says OK we're going to
do neighborhood revitalization and

we need to do you know for
the housing development their options.

At the time when they got started were
typically renovation of existing homes.

Development of vacant lots of which in so
many words they were quite a few but

still that was Single Family Development
and so the ability to produce

a lot of units which sort of lays
the groundwork for evaluation.

When intermediaries come to town and

are looking to invest is really
severely hampered by that reality.

It's only been in the last few
years with with the massive sort of

expansion of in-town
residential development.

You know up until what you're having.

That that growth.

Really I mean to dance residential growth
really started to happen anywhere and

most of that you know
midtown some in downtown.

But even then very little
out along the corridors and

nodes in the single family neighborhoods.

So while there's a tremendous amount
of potential for that kind of

growth to happen and for before
the corridors and sort of the neighborhood

nodes to support some of that type of
dense you know more dense development.

Not quite there yet and
you know we just have to wait and

see how the market rebounds to see
where that goes but so the C.D.C.

is you know I have had this challenge
they you know by virtue of the nature

of the neighborhoods that they work
in single family neighborhoods.

You can only do so many of those a year.

You know twelve fifteen
maybe twenty houses a year.

Well.
It was you know you consider that a pretty

productive year for a C.D.C.
here in Atlanta.

Go to New York you're talking about
five hundred six hundred units a year.

You know so
it's a it's a huge difference there.

The other the other challenge
that this strategy brought.

Is that it's

really shifted focus away from
the other types of community building.

You know human capacity building programs.

That C.D.C.'s typically include in the or

service packages being
mission based organizations.

They're typically interested in
the development of human capacity and

in economic sustainability from
a household from a family level standpoint

not just you know fixing up the houses.

So you know programs like
financial literacy like

you know generation gap kind
of programs or teaming up

youth with seniors to build relationships
and you know transfer information and.

Job related work.

You know training programs
things like that that build.

Skills build capacity build wealth.

In the neighborhoods in families and

individuals in those neighborhoods
those kinds of programs

get you know sort of a subtle shift to
the back burner so that C.D.C. is good.

Focus on developing housing and generating
revenue so they can keep the doors open.

That in my opinion has come home to
roost a little bit with this latest.

Foreclosure crisis I think I think
that a lot of people in neighborhoods

were unaware of a lot of the predatory
practices that were going on obviously.

And.

I think some of that I'm not willing to
assume too much responsibility publicly.

All of that obviously you know if
you have strong training programs.

And you get people educated
about what's happening

then you could obviously prevent
a lot of this kind of stuff and.

We knew that this kind of predatory
lending was happening way back in you know

two thousand nine hundred ninety nine when
when folks get together to pass the first.

Georgia Fair Lending Act.

So you know folks knew it was happening.

But it's you know it's just one of
those things that you know hindsight is

easy to point a finger but.

In the end what we have are a lot of
C.D.C.'s with very small service areas

very small production output typically
some of them some of them have done

some larger larger projects but they're
not doing them every year consistently.

And sort of a very slim.

Or less you know less intense focus on
some of the other types of capacity

building programs for four for
neighborhood residents and that is why

our see is a really good
example of a really robust.

Organization because they
do housing development.

They do that homeownership.

Training Center which now gets
a significant amount of funding

they have a very strong so arts based

community engagement program they have
a wheelbarrow festival every summer.

It's our program they bring in the poets
painters sculptors live performers.

You know they do a poetry slam the I mean
they do a very it's a very active sort of

arts based weekend festival and
they use that

as a tool to engage youth in the community
for some of their youth programs.

So the so there's you know there's a lot
of other stuff going on there community

building stuff going on there that

helps support in a lot of ways the housing
development that they do but also just.

A very fundamental level
helps build community.

In terms of skills and assets but
also in terms of social fabric.

You know.

I think yeah I think.

They are there's an example of
an organization and a director.

That they saw the need and
saw the opportunity to really

build that while the homeownership Center
in particular and they saw the need for

that and I think he he and
their board decided

that that was something that they
should really focus on that was really.

I think them just responding to what
they saw as a media and an opportunity.

But it also in a it's not unique for them
because they have throughout their full

existence they've always been focused
not just on housing development but

on the youth oriented programs
they work very closely with

the rounds down Civic League which
is the neighborhood association.

They've always worked very closely with
them to keep the you know to start

the festival to do it every year to do
that and those other sort of community

building activities so it's not a surprise
to me that that they've you know

been able to sustain themselves this way
and I should say that even they right now.

Are struggling a little bit.

They're struggling a little bit less and
they've been able to keep

their other programs going but
they're still having a tough time as well.

Yeah years ago we were very young and
he's just.

One of the reasons why he struggled so
successful

much words right.

I wonder.

I would say that to some degree
that's probably true that

I mean what the historic
district Development Corporation

did in the King district is certainly
that's I mean that's certainly true.

There they did such a good
job of renovating homes and

building new ones in the historic district
down there that the market came in took

over before you know they were even
probably two thirds of the way through

developing all the vacant land that they
owned and you know houses they are now

you know half a million you can find
half a million dollar homes there.

If not even a little bit more well.

See most of my data is
right here right now but

to a certain degree that
that probably holds true.

I know that they are doing one development
right in Reynolds' town they are now but

it's going to be sort of multifamily
townhouse kind of development but

I would bet that for the single family
stuff that they have trouble acquiring

single family lots at a price that allows
them to really hit an affordable target.

I'm sure that's probably true.

So the focus on.

Housing Development has now
come back to bite a lot

of these organizations in the bottoms
because of the housing market crash.

Obviously when you're relying on
the sale of homes for revenue.

And also you can't sell homes anymore.

That's a problem.

So that's that's sort of been a Come to
Jesus moment over the last year or so.

And what I've actually done.

I was given a task by my board to

start a project whereby we bring
together executive directors.

As many of these you know as many
of our member it is Asians as

want to participate.

And we're going to sit down.

We've just started we just had our
first meeting first project meeting

two weeks ago.

But what we're doing is we're going to
sitting down over the next six to eight

months and you know gradually really
sort of assess where the challenges and

opportunities are for our organizations
in this current climate and

what you know what kind of climate we
can stick a finger up in the air and

try and figure how the winds are blowing.

But.

Sort of assess the conditions.

Look at what isn't working for

the C.D.C.'s and
what you know what can we do.

How can we sort of approach
the work that we do differently so

that we can be more sustainable.

So that we can ensure that the kinds
of services that are needed.

Now perhaps more than ever before
in a lot of these neighborhoods can

really continue to be delivered
one of the things I like to

bring up is that you'll see that mismatch.

Even with the service areas.

There are existing.

There are still gaps in
a lot of the neighborhoods

that are in need of redevelopment and
revitalization.

So not every neighborhood
they need to C.D.C.

has one even well even back
when you know when all of this

all these organizations are running
I should say now actually that camp.

The Community Alliance and i Phone park
way they close their doors or just.

Their board is not really doing there.

So I think there still is technically
a board but they're not doing anything.

People's town revitalization Corp
the other sort of slightly yellow rock

down here they are still engaged in some
work but it's generally board driven and

they've actually partnered with our O.C.
to help them do one

of their developments because they
don't have the staff to really do much.

So they're truly struggling historic
district Development Corporation

the king district.

They're carrying no staff right now if
they're doing anything it's it's a board

operated and even that is very limited so
and you have a new C.D.C.

has been you know struggling for years
to try and really get up and running.

So even with map is is sort of
a little bit more optimistic.

In terms of services being delivered
to Atlanta neighborhoods and

then it really is right now.

So.

There are lots of

opportunities to expand coverage area to

a lot of neighborhoods simply because
of the need that's out there.

I was in here in the late eighty's or
early ninety's when

most of these species were started but
I would guess that conditions on

the ground right now are just as bad
if not worse than they were back then.

Based on.

All the vacancies in the foreclosures.

And that if if.

You know this trend continues
without being able to find some way

to put a stop gap in that necessarily
just the number of vacant homes but

really the the social fabric of the
neighborhood so that they can have they

can try and maintain some kind of sense
of community there which has a direct

impact on public safety issues and even

economic development to some degree then
you know we're really really in trouble.

But at least we have some
organizations now that

that sort of have an idea of what needs to
be done and the trick now is going to be.

How do we get the resources together.

How do we get the organizations to
start thinking creatively about

how we can continue to do the work
because if we just leave.

Things the way they are right now just
continue to keep going forward with

the way things are set up right now.

Then we're going to be
left with maybe three or

four organizations left and that's it.

And one by one slowly organizations
will keep closing their doors.

And that's going to you know
that's going to be the end of it.

One of the difference is that that really
does make it more difficult here in

Atlanta is that in most other big cities.

You have the local philanthropic
institutions directly engaged

in supporting this kind of work.

You know you've got MacArthur you've got
certain I'm working in you know working

directly with the community development
institutions in Chicago New York.

Here in Atlanta.

We don't have that.

For some reason.

The large foundations just are not really
interested in supporting community

development work.

Cameras really.

You know people who are I mean do you
think because you have extra Go on.

I mean I was here and it was late but

there was a security before I
wonder if we can blame them or

is it just we'll still have a deep
throat like you for so many cities.

You know lots of others.

Right well we don't have we have a pretty
strong foundation community in Atlanta but

they're interested in arts education.

You know this this other stuff
which is all perfectly valid but

what's clear is the lack of
somebody with the resources who's

not who's not investing in
community development I mean it's

you can argue very successfully that you
know investing in education is great but

I think kids don't have a stable
home to go back to whether in

terms of the house itself or in terms of
the family because of this of you know

the challenges that investing in education
is by itself really isn't going to I mean

it's not going to new reap the kind
of rewards that you think you are by

investing in the first place so
though the lack of sort of a holistic

approach to how do you know how to
improve and how to start trying to

help fix these problems it reason
really glaring to me here in Atlanta.

Yeah

in

a way they

are.

Yeah yeah well what you know you tell it.

Following the money.

Yeah and but
then when it comes down to it though.

I mean that and
I appreciate that about what and

there is that's a very valid
very valid point and I honestly

what I hope that we can achieve with this
project that I've been talking about where

you see sees you know come together and
start thinking collaboratively about what

we can do to get things to work it is is
recognizing that there are opportunities

like that to take advantage of
resources that are available for other.

Community building.

You know human capacity building types
of services and programs that would

enable the C.D.C.'s as a you
know a collaborative or

you know in some way to
start branching out and

taking advantage of some
of these other resources.

You know there's there's a sort of
a subtle underground movement right now

with some organizational some
national organizations that

are really interested in
trying to build their

community organizing sort of element

in in the south and a lot of them
are looking directly at Atlanta.

Well a few of them I should say and that
meant to me that that there's a tremendous

amount of potential there because you
have very very you have a culture

of community organizing really in
you know Chicago New York and.

That has.

I mean almost any way you slice it.

That has a tremendous amount of
potential to help the organizations

be more successful in the delivery
of their programs I think

if they can incorporate some how community
organizing which is traditionally been.

You know aside from the civil rights era
after that it's been very polite and

very subdued in the south.

If not in Atlanta.

But if we can you know start to build
that and get people in the communities

in gauged in that way and
sort of thinking about acting together.

Then immediately that will feed
into success in the delivery of so

many other programs and
when you get communities thinking about.

Helping themselves more than
relying on an organization or

the M.P.U. to sort of try and
be their intermediary so

to speak but when you get people really
thinking about how to do things together.

That you know the way I see it they
will feed directly into the growth of so

many of these other types of programs for
kids for

job training for you know better financial
literacy all this kind of stuff and

that you know I just think
there's a lot of potential there.

For that if not you know
arts based stuff and

more education based I think
that's yeah I'm sorry.

What's the what's the this in city or
a company you're talking about was it

was yeah OK.

Yeah yeah but through your housing
development and what they what they would

do is through the financing packages
that they would offer to the for

the housing developers those terms and
those those financing deals

would generate revenue for enterprise and
and help support that organization.

That I mean that was as
much as it was used.

There was a pretty valuable
tool a lot of the C.D.C.'s used

those you know those
those financing packages.

And so I think it serves its purpose but
enterprise.

You know the local office right now.

Again it's sort of the same
issue where if you're if you're

relying on the development of housing

Lisa first to sort of generate revenue
you're going to be you're in trouble and

sure enough the local office
here is severely downsized

and.

There are you know a lot of it
again it's is finding a way

to either build interest within
the local philanthropic community or

you know start talking
to folks outside to.

Invest them here.

That's not sort of you know that's not
completely unrealistic The other thing is

to begin building awareness in the in
the public you know in the general public.

There's a there's a tremendous amount
of potential to to raise revenue from

individual giving that of course
would take a pretty coordinated

coordinated effort but
at this point in my opinion

everything needs to be looked at and
really you know we've

we've learned the hard way that you can't
just rely on a single source of revenue.

And what does help.

I should say is the change in
strategies from Washington.

In a strategy now it's
more about investment in

communities the things that we're hearing
out of Washington are very encouraging

in terms of wanting to build a sort

of reinvest so to speak in
the types of programs that we know.

Help build communities like there's
a lot of investment in job training and

job creation.

There's a lot of investment in
the green industry which is something

that the nonprofit industry
sort of nationally and

to a certain degree locally
has really keyed in and.

As you know there's a from

the Obama administration they're really
focusing on that as as a potential job

creator and that's taking root to some
degree with whether is ation program that.

In Georgia that has seen their
budget increased seven fold

from the stimulus package the weather is
ation dollars in the stimulus package.

That's going to created a pretty
significant number of jobs in Georgia.

So stuff like that where
you know there's there's a.

It's just a different you know it's
a different strategy from Washington and

they're not there obviously.

Cutting and cutting and cutting and
cutting and cutting and

cutting every year.

So our task is to try and figure out how

we can take advantage of some
of these other opportunities

both in terms of the investment in terms
of the condition on the ground and and

see if we can't come up with
something that works in terms

of being able to deliver services
that we know are needed in terms of

being based on a business plan

that shows how revenue can be generated
from different number of streams.

We're looking forward to
getting some assistance from

the business school at Emory University
to help us help advise us on

the business plan aspect of this project
that we're looking at because what I hope

to do actually is is use this project to

demonstrate that the C.D.C.'s are taking a
fresh look at how things need to be done.

And they are being smart about it in terms

of taking a look at the business aspect of
it which will I think get some attention.

And I hope in the end that
if we pitch it right.

There we could start to get some attention
from the local phone type of community and

if that doesn't work.

Certainly from other
philanthropists around the country.

So like I said we're sort of
in the in the beginning stages

of that project right now but that could
really be a complete game changer for

how this stuff is done in
Atlanta some other cities have.

Tried to do similar things.

I don't think anybody is trying to do it
on a scale that would they were doing

it here we're talking about basically all
of the neighborhood bases in the city.

But we're going to you know use.

Case study research.

Interviews of stakeholders a lot
of that new is going to try and

pull in a lot of that type of
information to help us think about

what are the best things to do
you know what's going to work.

What's not and hopefully help us
shape should something that works.

Yeah

yeah.

Yeah.

That's.

Yeah.

Yeah.

That's that's another thing that
I hope we have in our favor.

Is that.

We really were being proactive about it.

We're trying to take control of
the decision making process.

Realizing that like I said
earlier that if we just sit and

let the status quo
continue then one by one.

You know cc's are just going to
end up closing their doors and

you know we'll be down to just a few.

So my hope is that by showing that we're
there we're being proactive about it.

They were doing this ourselves or
we see the need for it.

You know that that will be another.

Well it's the kind of thing I think that.

That I hope I should say.

Will make an impression on folks.

And folks with money.

Yeah.

One question.

It's always best our
students are optimistic.

The whole maverick Yeah
let's start to seize their

spam the one that's next to it.

Some of the services you try to
offer often things should be doing.

I wonder whether that's always
the best you know there's another.

You know one thing we talking about last
conversation was the tension between

grassroots nationals
actualization actually reads.

Yeah yeah I know the C.B.C.

is not always the right answer actually

interestingly enough over the last
couple years I feel bad phone calls from

a lot lots of folks in second ring
neighborhoods children park Lakewood.

And some neighborhoods up in northwest
a lot of a lot of other neighborhoods who

are starting to feel
the pressure of growth

starting to get frustrated
enough to the point.

Also with disinvestment that

they are ready to really do
something about it on their own.

And they're interested in figuring
out what it is that they can do.

And so they you know they I would
get calls asking you know about

you know what it is exactly that we do
they heard about organization ways or

we do you know we get this thing
that we're trying to get going.

What do we do what you we do.

And what I was able to be involved

in last year that I think was really in
front of and perhaps even trendsetting.

It was engaging a specific community
we did work up in N.P.G. last year.

Where.

We went out with with

Again this was folks at Emory University's
Office of Community Partnerships.

But they had a grant to work in Puji for
three years to do community

building exercises basically
get do a survey of of the N.P.

you figure out what the existing assets
were what the existing challenges were.

And this was a three year federal grant.

And at the end of that three years which
was last year they were ready then

to wrap it up and say OK we've done all
this work over the last couple years now.

What is it that's going to come out
of this what can we do next and and

they asked me to participate and
help them sort of shape that plan.

And what I did was I did a series
of stakeholder interviews where

we identified folks leaders
you know self identified and.

And other leaders who identified
from without the community.

Folks who don't live in the M.P.U.
but live outside of it and

have some interest in what's going
on the M.P.U. intermediaries.

You know city government.

I did about.

Twenty five interviews and we had a list
of about fifteen questions and so I just

gathered information about perceptions
of the neighborhoods that area.

What challenges what opportunities were
what assets were and and what came out of

that was a real asset based
recognition of what the neighborhood.

You know some some of the priorities
that the neighborhood could

could start to have in
terms of addressing issues.

And the important part
of that was that it was

totally community driven
community owned from the get go.

I mean they're identifying their own
issues they're identifying the things that

they want to work on they're
identifying who their leaders are and

it's really interesting to see the results
of those interviews where people

were in some cases kind of
saying the same thing but

not knowing that they were each sort
of on the same page about things.

And so.

So from that we did a series of
interviews and then I coordinated a tour.

De Long tour and
got a bus through a bunch of people

who were from the interview group bunch
of the community leaders on a bus and

took them around to three of our members
C.D.C.'s where they could sit down for

like an hour and a half at a time with
each of these each of these folks and

learn about you know what
it is that the C.D.C.

does how successful they are one of the
things that they confront the challenges

they confront both in terms of
organization and in terms of the work that

they do and we also we took them to three
we took them to the university C.D.C.

which is based out of my house and Clark
and they work in the neighborhoods around.

They used to enter the west side.

And they are very sort
of heavily invested in

housing development in
those neighborhoods.

They're really trying to
build an environment that is

supportive of the student population and.

The teaching population there.

And so they heard about green development
in the work that you see D.C. is doing

there and then we took him to Pittsburgh
where Leon Hoffman spoke to them about

the public safety and sort of community
building work that they're doing there.

Not any housing development at all.

And then we ended up where would
our city where young Healey

talk to them about sort of the diversity
of the programs that they do and

how they have used a sort of
arts based strategy to fuel

the community outreach that they do and
help support the programs that they do and

so it was it was very valuable for
them to see three different strategies for

approaching problem solving within
the communities based on what the issues

are and what they've done since then is
decided that no it doesn't make sense for

them to start a C.D.C.
because right now there's no funding.

There's no way they could they could do
that especially not as quickly as they

want to get started.

They have found a supporter of sorts in.

In Trinity Church is which
is a church in Buckhead

not too far away from
from their community but

has shown an interest in supporting
community development work so this.

So the folks at Trinity are right
now investing time in terms of

people that work there and
people that are in their congregation

in the future it might turn into some
financial investment as well but

they've also they've created a couple
of committees it's all volunteer.

They've they've prioritized
to three generally areas.

Though the one that they're
focusing on the most is education.

And occasion program so

they're working very closely with
the schools in that N.P. you.

They brought in under Butler
who is the who is there.

Public school board member.

And she's you know integrally involved
in some of the work that they're doing.

They've brought in a couple of
the organizations in the neighborhood that

have youth based programs
to help sort of plug in.

And and help get the provision of services

coordinated so that all this stuff
is kind of working together.

And they've you know they've been.

Working independently now
is just all volunteer work.

For a little bit over a year now.

And there's no reason to believe that.

Barring burnout that they won't
be able to continue to address

a lot of the issues that they're
doing simply by being organized and

you know sort of giving up the workload
amongst folks and having a plan.

So they you know conceivably
if conditions were different.

I would say that they would
they're primed to start a C.D.C.

because they know what their mission is
they know what their goals are they know

what their priorities are they know what
the what the hot topics are in terms of

trying to address issues with programs you
know with some kind of corny response.

And so they could you know conceivably
I mean if they had you know a couple

hundred thousand dollars bang.

You know they could go and
get the ground running and

they've got the community sort of by and
also if you're working with the M.P.U.

and some of the other neighbors O.C.S.
and so but you know money there.

So they're just doing it as they can
based on you know on a volunteer basis.

There is what that project has helped

me understand is that a lot
of these other neighborhoods

with the with the sort of the culture
of the neighborhood planning

units in Atlanta a lot of folks are sort
of already involved to a certain degree.

There's it's a little bit easier to get
this kind of thing started because people.

A lot of people already sort of have

that kind of connection with with
the community gathering space and time.

And it's really just a matter of taking
it another step further where instead of

meeting to talk about land use and
zoning issues they can meet to talk about

community revitalization issues and
just you know start breaking it down and

working on those issues just in
a separate you know with separate set of

priorities because we all have committees
aimed at Public Safety Committee and

since only committee and
you know really it's just about.

Going at it from a different angle and

addressing a different set of
issues all of which are you know

just as if not more important than
the ones that the pews deal with you.

Yeah yeah

yeah.

We try much as we can to

to help our members be aware
of opportunities for funding.

We have not been an intermediary in
terms of being able to provide funding

that is something that may be
on the table something for

us to for him to look at and
since neighbor to

develop partnership is no longer acting
as an intermediary they used to.

Since the Enterprise office here is

barely barely barely acting as
an intermediary for I mean for for

all intents and purposes Elana
doesn't have an intermediary anymore.

Working.
Locally.

So you know there's a gap there and
there's a need.

Although some would argue that

the intermediate sort of the birth of the
intermediaries and their intervention in

Atlanta helped create some of the problems
that we're trying to deal with

right now because they pushed
housing development and they pushed.

You know an emphasis on production numbers
and you know just sort of cranking out

housing and so there's you know
that that that encourage men and

that dangling the carrot of you know
more funding for more housing really.

I don't want to put all of the blame.

Obviously on the intermediaries for
that but it certainly helped

create the environment that was
actually brought up in that first

meeting that we had a couple of weeks
ago where you know some of the C.D.C.

leaders acknowledged that
that had an impact but

they also acknowledge that they
were the ones that agreed to do it.

So you know the responsibility
lay just as much with them and

I was actually really encouraged
to hear that but in terms of you

know sort of identifying lines
of of funding and revenue.

I do try and

make sure that folks are aware of
what's out there as much as I can.

For example my sort of partner
organization that works statewide.

Georgia State trade association nonprofit

developers is also an association
with their membership is for

nonprofit affordable housing
developers around the state.

So they work state wide we work so
they land in metro Atlanta.

But we collaborate on a lot of a lot
of things and one of which was

to put together an application for
the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

Number two which and.

You guys are familiar with that
with that one but that's the one.

There's been an N.S.P. in both the first
and the second stimulus packages and

that's money that's specifically for

the acquisition of foreclosed homes
their rehabilitation and their.

Reoccupation.

So when we found out
that the city of Atlanta

was not going to include nonprofit

housing developers in their application
to HUD for any speech to program funding.

We little and I who heads to stand.

We said well I guess we have to do it.

So we put together a group of
organizations from around the state we

think we had a level and organizations and
so we put together an application where.

These eleven organizations would work as
a consortium with each of them with a sort

of a specific service area.

And we had you know we had in a fight one
organization to be a sort of lead and

to manage the funds and you know hopefully
you know something will come out of that

but that's the kind of thing that we will
try and do when the opportunity arises.

But again I hope that.

Well there's the potential that we
could become an intermediary and

where we could become a direct
source of funding for our members.

I'm not sure if that would be seen too
much as a conflict of interest but

but it's something that we could
certainly and we probably will

end up looking at because we haven't like
again we have been in the intermediary.

But now that there is this need it seems
like it's and it's an opportunity perhaps.

Well

there's actually been a fair
amount of work done in Fort Mack

for the redevelopment of it already.

The neighborhoods around it have
been engaged to a certain degree but

not as much as they would have liked and

that's one of the reasons why
the folks in Lakewood gave me a call.

I recently just on Tuesday.

I had lunch with a woman who's down
the beach or down the neighborhood and

she's trying to do this you know
this same thing trying to get

her neighborhood association organized and
rebuilt to really I guess it had been

sort of They'd been had they hadn't
been having meetings for a while so

she's trying to give it some new birth and
get folks interested and

she's pointing at the development for
Mack as as a guys you know we need to

get together on this because this thing
is huge in you know it's going to have

a ripple effect and we're right in
the you know right in the first wave so.

I do think that there's
a lot of awareness and

organizing that needs to be done for the
neighborhoods around here because that was

was that a couple of
hearings at city hall and

where Joyce Shepherd was you know
she's the person I've ever she was

very unhappy with the level of
communication there was being done

during the planning by
the Redevelopment Authority.

It was created to redevelop or back.

And and so I'd give the advice I
would give is exactly that sort of.

You know to get organized and
get informed and

start identifying you know what
are the issues that you see

that are most important what are the
things that you can take advantage of

with the form agri development I
mean how can you plug into that.

What are the things that
you need to look out for.

You know where the negative impacts.

What are the positive impacts and
how can you know how can your community.

Start to you know have a coordinated
voice in the shaping of

the things that are going to create
the impact and honestly I would say and

this is one of the things that the woman I
had lunch with the other day was talking

about is that she she's trying
to get her neighbor Association

coordinated with two adjacent
neighborhoods so that collectively you

know they can really start to look at some
of this stuff and I think that's a that's

a fantastic idea because it's
not it's not within the M.P.U.

boundaries of the neighborhood that she's
talking about it's across and to use.

So there's a level of coordination that
wouldn't necessarily happen there.

So I'm I would strongly encourage
her to keep doing that.

So I didn't do answer the question
sort of kind of sort of know

what it's like I'm not.

You know yeah.

So I wonder just you know

you wonder

you know that's you know
you're absolutely right.

Obviously you know it's I think a lot of
it is due to the culture of the South.

Obviously I guess but it is a funny
thing is I'm not from here either.

You know and and I.

When I first got started in community
the American two thousand and

one actually this is something they
do you guys all should know about it.

Write this down Rose fellowship.

Yeah it is a three year fellowship that is

it ministered by the Enterprise Foundation
and press community partners but

it's a three a fellowship to places young
architects and planners with community

based organizations as a sort of
a mutual capacity building exercise.

I was fortunate enough to receive this

fellowship and I was placed with this
story district Development Corporation for

three years working on
the king district and.

That's where I kind of got sucked in and I
haven't been able to extricate myself yet.

But definite you're interested in
you know in getting engaged to that

to that degree definitely check it out.

They've got a website.

They've got histories of all those fellows
it's been going since two thousand.

And they are very between like eight or
ten every two years I think.

But it's an incredible experience and
one of the things that really

shapes the way I look at how I can answer
this question and is the fact that

you know we were able to get
exposure to how C.B.C. is work

there we go there doing how they do it and
organisations all around the country.

And it's a tremendous It's
a tremendous learning experience and

you get Boy you get thrown in and
it's wonderful it's incredible.

And you learn a hell of a lot.

They have an incredible training.

Curriculum that goes along with
doing the work I mean you do.

It's a B. It's a project based fellowship
so you do work you do design work.

It started out as sort of it is
an architectural fellowship and

it's morphed a little bit to be
a little bit more inclusive.

But I'd encourage anybody with
any interest to really look at

that you don't have to be registered.

You don't have to be you have a huge
portfolio professionalism you

do have to be a go getter.

They really look for every say it's
become much more competitive but

it's a tremendous tremendous
experience but anyways.

Right.

I saw a lot was that the C.D.C.'s there
were the community based organizations.

And we do a lot of standing up and
shouting and

making noise when it was necessary and
the best ones also found a way to be.

That with you know working more
sensitively politically but

it really sort of boggles my mind
about how there's a real lack

of that sort of you know
that stick that threat.

You know to it.

To really make noise here.

And I think you know
the disinvestment that you see.

Even before the foreclosure crisis
hit the disinvestment that you see in

a lot of neighborhoods.

There's no coincidence that it's
you know mostly south of I twenty.

Is a is a result of that sort of you know

willingness to kind of let stuff happen to
you in not really understanding how to.

How to confront
the organizational racism and

the sort of very blatant unwillingness

to invest in community building
in the commuter violence.

Yeah

right

like you are here.

You're.

Yeah yeah yeah yeah

yeah.

To the same degree have been the last
couple of years we've really been trying

to get engaged at the policy level
with the state legislature here and

talk about a snapshot for
that sort of dynamic.

I mean the relationship between.

The state legislators from
areas outside of Atlanta even

a little bit less so now for metro Atlanta
but but particularly from Atlanta and

their relationship with their
peers who represent Atlanta.

Boy this you know the reasons why

the transportation bill hasn't
been able to be passed.

Despite the fact that you have
huge players in the room.

You know last two years I mean
the metro Atlanta Chamber

can't even get this thing passed.

That's you know talk about old
white money that's what that is and

they can't even get past.

It's just really odd dynamic between

you know the the majority of the state
legislators from around the state

from other you know other
jurisdictions and those in Atlanta.

I think there's going to be
an article in the in the A.J.C.

about that in particular this coming
Sunday if you want to look it

up online when it comes out but
it's incredibly.

Destructive actually it really is and it's
very difficult to try and wade through.

There's you know depending
on who you talk to you.

There's very little indication that
will change any time soon either.

It's kind of you know some
days it's depressing and

some days you know you just kind of try to
be optimistic about it but that folks will

figure out that the way that this is not
healthy for the state of Georgia and

they don't you know realize that and
start acting on it at some point but.

That I mean it's very true
that that kind of dynamic

is you know it's very similar with you

know at the local level where there's
you know there's a power base and

then there's you know the people who
are in need and there's just you

know there's very little
constructive interaction and

there's no I think there's
no concept of how yet

to really attack that you
know I think there's a I'm

not sure if there's a perception that
it's sort of an unassailable tower or

not but one of the things that's frankly
that's one of the reasons why those

those philanthropists that
are focusing on community organizing

in the south are are looking at Atlanta's
B S B Do awareness of that dynamic and

really trying to figure out how to start
to change that and build more of a of

an environment and a culture of real
grassroots community organizing so

you can start to change
that mindset I think yeah.

Yeah.

You know what's happened is that.

How it is a myth.

Maybe eight or nine years ago the C.D.C.
got together and

decided that in the end they
created the Atlanta micro fund.

Which now is so used to be a subsidiary of
a hand in it was for for a number of years

until about two years ago where they
finally reached capacity where they could

it just made sense for them to split
off and become their own organization.

So they now are an independent five
A one c three but they are a community

development financial institution
they're C.F.I. they're

aligned with a small business association
but they do just that I mean they they do.

Small business loans between you know five
hundred and five thousand dollars and

I think I'm considering going
up to fifteen thousand but

they're their target market is that
market were for businesses for

start ups or for
new businesses that are having trouble

getting the kind of financing from
the standard you know bank loan packages.

So they can come to the M.F.
and get some of that type of

loan product and so there is that you
know there is that component there but

I think what's happened is that since
the M.F. was created some of the C.D.C..

Probably just sort of you know
began referring folks to the M.F.

and so it it sort of at that point
came off of the menu of programs for

their organization because it was the M.F.
that was doing it now.

You know so but again.

I that's another one of the things that
I think there's an opportunity for

because A M F is certainly has
those products and they do

they do a terminus amount of counseling up
front helping people sort of understand.

Financially what they need to do to start
a business and the tax implications and

you know trying to get them educated
about all that kind of stuff and

getting them prepared for
it so that they can

you know build their own clientele base
they have an orientation every Tuesday.

I think it's every week.

If not every other week.

You know for a couple hours Martin Bryant
is the director is the president who

will sit down and you know go through
a lot of this kind of stuff and

sort of get people familiar
with what the M.F. does and

if they you know if they have a concept
if they're interested if they're you know

willing to go after and get it and
more training in the resources are there.

So where there is a program or
organization that's there for

that but back to my point.

I do think that that is one of the areas
that a lot of the species need to bring

back into the fold in terms of building
awareness building opportunity.

You know and and just sort of building
a culture of entrepreneurship

within the communities where it's where
it's largely lacking I would say.

And help sort of create the clientele that
could then be fed to the AM enough so

that they would have those resources and
they could.

Start to actually the Center for

working families is starting to do
some of that also right now in the.

It's for a neighborhood there.

They're starting to do it.

Not sure it's pretty new so
I'm not too familiar with it but

I know that they are partnering
with the micro fund

to help start building entrepreneurship
within within the neighborhood there

in mature exactly all which entailed yet
but but I do know that that.

Is starting.

You know what

you're writing

about right

now.

Yeah.

What he said and pushed

really I relisted Unfortunately
the only resource.

That's really there right now for
foreclosure work for

foreclosure recovery work is that
Neighborhood Stabilization Program and

it's P one in two there's the possibility
that there will be a three I think

you think so we'll see what you're

Yeah I think a lot of it depends on how
successful in this Pew one will be but.

But that's not so far but

one that's the really the extent
of the kind of funding in.

Financing that's available for
this work because right now.

Banks are lending for you know for for
anybody to go out and do it on their own.

So there's a tremendous reliance
right now on those dollars.

And there's not a whole lot of those
dollars I think the city of Atlanta got

eleven million once you take out their
ten percent for administrative fee.

You know it's I think when they
when they when you boil it down.

It's the equivalent of
you know if you assume

that every house is going to need an
average of about forty thousand dollars.

Or you know I'm sorry was eighty or
ninety between acquisition and

rehab and that's just
an average that it amounted to.

I think you know three hundred or four
hundred houses in total that that first in

its death first ten million or whatever
would be able to do and it's you know it's

like one of thousands and
thousands and thousands and thousands.

So you know that's that really literally
is a drop in a bucket and it's B.

two is not a whole.

Actually it's less than the first
one was and so you know absent

other sort of private lending
sources being available where

you see the seas could you know
use conventional finance poems.

Right now there's really not a whole
lot else that's out there unless unless

the city decides to completely sort of
dedicate its home fund allocation and

its C.D.B. allocations there's probably
little likelihood that that'll happen but

you know maybe they'll at least steer
some of those dollars towards it but

there's just not a lot
of money right now for

that in the US The result is going
to be either houses sitting for

a long time or private investors picking
them up and more likely than not.

Probably you know getting.

Slum lord conditions and

you know absentee sort of absentee
landlord conditions where.

It's certainly not an environment that's
conducive to healthy strong neighborhoods.