4:15 PM
Julio Barreto
The United States Conference of Mayors (USCM) released its third report on a list of ready-to-go jobs and infrastructure projects which it says will help to jumpstart the economy once President-elect Barack Obama and Congress make stimulus funds available.
The report claims in 641 cities of all sizes there are 15,221 local infrastructure projects representing a $96.6 billion investment which will produce 1.2 million jobs in 2009 and 2010. The report includes a summary of the types of projects entailed in these sectors. The mayors’ claim the projects cited in this report does not adequately reflect the true potential impact of the stimulus on local projects and job creation since the list is compiled from “only” 642 cities. The US Conference of Mayors represents 1,200 cities with populations over 30,000. By contrast, the National League of Cities (NLC) represents, either directly or indirectly, more than 19,000 cities, towns and villages of all sizes. The report is the latest installment of the Mayors’ Main Street Economic Recovery plan. The plan calls for investments in 10 sectors:
1. Community development block grants (CDBG) for infrastructure;
2. Energy block grants for infrastructure and green jobs;
3. Transit equipment and infrastructure;
4. City streets/metro roads infrastructure;
5. Airport technology and infrastructure;
6. Amtrak infrastructure;
7. Water and wastewater infrastructure;
8. School modernization;
9. Public housing modernization; and,
10. Public safety jobs and technology.
The mayors are one of a number of groups calling for increased spending for local initiatives. The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) is seeking $23.6 billion to provide assistance to 800,000 people and create over 200,000 new jobs. NLIHC is seeking funding for building or rehabilitation of 100,000 rental homes for extremely low income households; they seek to add 40,000 new vouchers; provide an additional $2 billion to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) program for homeless prevention; and, the organization seeks an additional $8 billion for the renovation and greening of public and assisted housing.
A coalition of organizations entitled the National Foreclosure Prevention and Neighborhood Stabilization Task Force sent a letter to Congress in mid-December calling for an additional $5 billion in funding for neighborhood stabilization. The group seeks these funds to supplement the $3.9 billion Congress appropriated as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).
According to the task force, these funds will only assist less than 100,000 homes nationally which his is less than 10 percent of the one million homes projected to be vacant by the end of 2008. In its letter, the task force claims “many communities are expected to run out of NSP funds shortly after the monies are made available to localities in February 2009”.
The group estimates the additional funding will assist over 125,000 properties which will be purchased and rehabilitated. According to the group, those properties will:
• Create in excess of 100,000 jobs;
• Pay in excess of $210 million in property taxes annually;
• Generate an additional $10.7 billion in economic activity nationwide; and
• Save localities nearly $1.3 billion in costs ranging from trash removal, grass cutting, and boarding up vacant properties to more serious problems of vandalism, increased property and personal crime rates and arson.
The groups also call for a five percent set-aside for capacity building for local community development corporations, community land trusts, housing authorities and other nonprofits that are implementing the stabilization activities. They also call for funds to be set-aside to create a risk capital fund to allow local communities to level NSP funds.
These are the members of the National Neighborhood Stabilization Foreclosure Prevention Task Force which signed on to the letter:
ACORN
Center for American Progress Action Fund
Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association
Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
Habitat for Humanity International
Housing Assistance Council
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Low Income Investment fund
Mercy Housing, Inc.
National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations
National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
National Community Land Trust Network
National Council of La Raza
National Housing Conference
National League of Cities
National NeighborWorks Association
National Vacant Properties Campaign
NCB Capital Impact
New Jersey Community Capital
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California
PolicyLink
Self-Help
Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, Inc.
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The report claims in 641 cities of all sizes there are 15,221 local infrastructure projects representing a $96.6 billion investment which will produce 1.2 million jobs in 2009 and 2010. The report includes a summary of the types of projects entailed in these sectors. The mayors’ claim the projects cited in this report does not adequately reflect the true potential impact of the stimulus on local projects and job creation since the list is compiled from “only” 642 cities. The US Conference of Mayors represents 1,200 cities with populations over 30,000. By contrast, the National League of Cities (NLC) represents, either directly or indirectly, more than 19,000 cities, towns and villages of all sizes. The report is the latest installment of the Mayors’ Main Street Economic Recovery plan. The plan calls for investments in 10 sectors:
1. Community development block grants (CDBG) for infrastructure;
2. Energy block grants for infrastructure and green jobs;
3. Transit equipment and infrastructure;
4. City streets/metro roads infrastructure;
5. Airport technology and infrastructure;
6. Amtrak infrastructure;
7. Water and wastewater infrastructure;
8. School modernization;
9. Public housing modernization; and,
10. Public safety jobs and technology.
The mayors are one of a number of groups calling for increased spending for local initiatives. The National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC) is seeking $23.6 billion to provide assistance to 800,000 people and create over 200,000 new jobs. NLIHC is seeking funding for building or rehabilitation of 100,000 rental homes for extremely low income households; they seek to add 40,000 new vouchers; provide an additional $2 billion to the Department of Housing and Urban Development’s (HUD) Emergency Shelter Grant (ESG) program for homeless prevention; and, the organization seeks an additional $8 billion for the renovation and greening of public and assisted housing.
A coalition of organizations entitled the National Foreclosure Prevention and Neighborhood Stabilization Task Force sent a letter to Congress in mid-December calling for an additional $5 billion in funding for neighborhood stabilization. The group seeks these funds to supplement the $3.9 billion Congress appropriated as part of the Housing and Economic Recovery Act (HERA) for the Neighborhood Stabilization Program (NSP).
According to the task force, these funds will only assist less than 100,000 homes nationally which his is less than 10 percent of the one million homes projected to be vacant by the end of 2008. In its letter, the task force claims “many communities are expected to run out of NSP funds shortly after the monies are made available to localities in February 2009”.
The group estimates the additional funding will assist over 125,000 properties which will be purchased and rehabilitated. According to the group, those properties will:
• Create in excess of 100,000 jobs;
• Pay in excess of $210 million in property taxes annually;
• Generate an additional $10.7 billion in economic activity nationwide; and
• Save localities nearly $1.3 billion in costs ranging from trash removal, grass cutting, and boarding up vacant properties to more serious problems of vandalism, increased property and personal crime rates and arson.
The groups also call for a five percent set-aside for capacity building for local community development corporations, community land trusts, housing authorities and other nonprofits that are implementing the stabilization activities. They also call for funds to be set-aside to create a risk capital fund to allow local communities to level NSP funds.
These are the members of the National Neighborhood Stabilization Foreclosure Prevention Task Force which signed on to the letter:
ACORN
Center for American Progress Action Fund
Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association
Enterprise Community Partners, Inc.
Habitat for Humanity International
Housing Assistance Council
Local Initiatives Support Corporation
Low Income Investment fund
Mercy Housing, Inc.
National Alliance of Community Economic Development Associations
National Association of Affordable Housing Lenders
National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development
National Community Land Trust Network
National Council of La Raza
National Housing Conference
National League of Cities
National NeighborWorks Association
National Vacant Properties Campaign
NCB Capital Impact
New Jersey Community Capital
Non-Profit Housing Association of Northern California
PolicyLink
Self-Help
Wisconsin Partnership for Housing Development, Inc.
Interesting Read
Silver Lining of Subprime Slips Away in Calif. Suburb
By Karl Vick
The Washington Post
Firms Charge Thousands to Modify Mortgages
Nonprofits Offer Service For Free, Advocates Say
By Renae Merle
The Washington Post
Homebuilders Will Start '09 with "Guns Blazing"
National Journal Magazine
Census Estimates Show Clout Again Likely to Go West and South
By Michael Teitelbaum
Congressional Quarterly
