1:48 PM
Julio Barreto
Former Senator Edward W. Brooke III was presented with the Congressional Gold Medal in a ceremony on the Capital Rotunda October 28. Brooke, a strong advocate for public housing, was given the award two days after his 90th birthday.
Brooke is best known as the author of a provision, called the Brooke amendment, which limited the income paid by public housing residents to no more than 30 percent of their income. Efforts to replace this provision have generated a great deal of controversy within the low-income housing advocacy community. Advocates strongly support his provision as a vital tool to keep public and assisted housing affordable to low-income families. Public housing authorities contend it reduces the incentive to work since a family’s rent is tied to the income they earn. They contend, for example, if a family’s income doubles then their rent will double. The differences in approaches to rental policies continue to be a major obstacle to reaching a consensus on the best approach to provide affordable housing for low-income families.
Brooke is the first African-American senator elected by popular vote. He is a native of Washington, DC and attended Howard Univeristy. He was known as a strong advocate for affordable housing, fair housing, health care and women’s rights. He was also a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War.
He was nominated for the award by the late Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). The award is given by the U.S. Congress. It is the highest civilian given by Congress. Among the dignitaries in attendance was President Barack Obama, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH).
NLC Report Highlights Local Innovations to Help Families and Children
The National League of Cities has released a report which reviews innovative solutions by local governments to help families and children and offers insights into what cities can do in the future.
The report, The State of City Leadership for Children and Families, was released in mid-October before more than 300 municipal leaders who attended the 2009 National Summit on Your City’s Families in Boston.
The report looks at municipal efforts to help families with after-school programs, community wellness initiatives, expanding access to child care and early childhood development programs, promoting innovation and accountability in education, increasing opportunities for the economic success of families and children and being more aggressive to curb youth violence.
CDFI Advisory Boar to Meet in Washington, DC
The Community Development Financial Institution Advisory Board is scheduled to hold its next meeting, Monday, November 16 in Washington, DC at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. There will be limited seating for the public (approximately 50 available seats) on a first come, first serve basis. Any member of the pubic wishing to attend mu st contact the CDFI Fund’s Office of Legislative and External Affairs by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 by e-mail to inform the CDFI Fund of your desire to attend the meeting and to provide the following information which is required to facilitate your entry to the facility: name as it appears on a government issued identification; date of birth; and social security number. Any questions can be directed to Bill Luecht in the Office of Legislative and External Affairs by calling (202) 622-8042.
In other CDFI news, CDFI Fund Director Donna Gambrell delivered the keynote address at the National Community Investment Fund’s (NCIF) Annual Development Banking Conference in Chicago in early November. She said the NCFI network is leading the way “in developing ways to measure social performance.”
“NCIF’s Social Performance Metrics allow CDFI banks to better demonstrate their effectiveness and therefore, demand more resources,” she said. “This is one area in which I hope that strengthened CDFI networks will help diffuse knowledge and best practices and ultimately allow more CDFI banks to show in a concrete way their track record of generating economic opportunity for individuals and small businesses and providing essential community services.” She commended NCIF for its emphasis on “developing common standards for thinking about social impact.”
“By creating industry standards for communication of social impact, Social Performance Metrics valuations enhance the industry’s ability to attract additional capital to the sector, as well as help identify community development-oriented banks that are eligible to be certified as CDFIs,” she said.
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Brooke is best known as the author of a provision, called the Brooke amendment, which limited the income paid by public housing residents to no more than 30 percent of their income. Efforts to replace this provision have generated a great deal of controversy within the low-income housing advocacy community. Advocates strongly support his provision as a vital tool to keep public and assisted housing affordable to low-income families. Public housing authorities contend it reduces the incentive to work since a family’s rent is tied to the income they earn. They contend, for example, if a family’s income doubles then their rent will double. The differences in approaches to rental policies continue to be a major obstacle to reaching a consensus on the best approach to provide affordable housing for low-income families.
Brooke is the first African-American senator elected by popular vote. He is a native of Washington, DC and attended Howard Univeristy. He was known as a strong advocate for affordable housing, fair housing, health care and women’s rights. He was also a vocal opponent of the Vietnam War.
He was nominated for the award by the late Senator Ted Kennedy (D-MA). The award is given by the U.S. Congress. It is the highest civilian given by Congress. Among the dignitaries in attendance was President Barack Obama, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV), Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-MD), and House Minority Leader John Boehner (R-OH).
NLC Report Highlights Local Innovations to Help Families and Children
The National League of Cities has released a report which reviews innovative solutions by local governments to help families and children and offers insights into what cities can do in the future.
The report, The State of City Leadership for Children and Families, was released in mid-October before more than 300 municipal leaders who attended the 2009 National Summit on Your City’s Families in Boston.
The report looks at municipal efforts to help families with after-school programs, community wellness initiatives, expanding access to child care and early childhood development programs, promoting innovation and accountability in education, increasing opportunities for the economic success of families and children and being more aggressive to curb youth violence.
CDFI Advisory Boar to Meet in Washington, DC
The Community Development Financial Institution Advisory Board is scheduled to hold its next meeting, Monday, November 16 in Washington, DC at the U.S. Department of the Treasury. There will be limited seating for the public (approximately 50 available seats) on a first come, first serve basis. Any member of the pubic wishing to attend mu st contact the CDFI Fund’s Office of Legislative and External Affairs by 5:00 p.m. Eastern Time on Wednesday, November 11, 2009 by e-mail to inform the CDFI Fund of your desire to attend the meeting and to provide the following information which is required to facilitate your entry to the facility: name as it appears on a government issued identification; date of birth; and social security number. Any questions can be directed to Bill Luecht in the Office of Legislative and External Affairs by calling (202) 622-8042.
In other CDFI news, CDFI Fund Director Donna Gambrell delivered the keynote address at the National Community Investment Fund’s (NCIF) Annual Development Banking Conference in Chicago in early November. She said the NCFI network is leading the way “in developing ways to measure social performance.”
“NCIF’s Social Performance Metrics allow CDFI banks to better demonstrate their effectiveness and therefore, demand more resources,” she said. “This is one area in which I hope that strengthened CDFI networks will help diffuse knowledge and best practices and ultimately allow more CDFI banks to show in a concrete way their track record of generating economic opportunity for individuals and small businesses and providing essential community services.” She commended NCIF for its emphasis on “developing common standards for thinking about social impact.”
“By creating industry standards for communication of social impact, Social Performance Metrics valuations enhance the industry’s ability to attract additional capital to the sector, as well as help identify community development-oriented banks that are eligible to be certified as CDFIs,” she said.
Interesting Read
Democrats' Woes Confirmed
We already knew that the love affair independents had with Democratic candidates in 2006 and 2008 was over.
by Charlie Cook
National Journal
Pols Stand On Unstable Ground
Democrats should be worried about their dismal showing among whites.
By Ronald Brownstein
What's Wrong With Charitable Giving—and How to Fix It
By Pablo Eisenberg
Wall Street Journal
Is It Public, or Is It Private?
By Shelly Banjo
Wall Street Journal
A panel of legislators and staff tells State Legislatures that the federal recovery money took some of the sting out of the recession.
But there’s more pain to come.
By Jeff Hurley and Carl Tubbesing
National Council of State Legislators
In the name of jobs, ideas that won't work
By Steven Pearlstein
The Washington Post
