Block by Block is a solutions journalism series that is supported by IFF, CEDAM and Invest Detroit, and is focused on community development leaders and initiatives in Michigan, Ohio and Indiana.
CEDAM has released a new housing TIF guide to help Michigan communities understand and apply tax increment financing as a tool to support local housing development and affordability goals.
Predevelopment assistance provides local real estate entrepreneurs with a pathway to community investment and growth.
CEDAM's second Rural Real Estate Boot Camp highlights the importance of collaboration among developers, municipal leaders, and state agencies for successful housing development.
The Investing in America Child Care Partnership is addressing the national child care supply crisis by fostering collaboration among public and private funders, government agencies, employers, and child care providers.
Outdated zoning ordinances can limit housing development. However, the efforts of community organizations to make zoning more inclusive, and recent legislative initiatives aimed at increasing housing density and diversity, could be a gamechanger.
IFF, a Community Development Financial Institution, empowers underserved communities through flexible, nontraditional lending. By supporting organizations like Family Promise and Detroit Phoenix Center, IFF is helping prevent displacement, expand services, and break down barriers. Their unique, mission-driven approach enables organizations to support more people and create lasting, positive community impact.
For more than 35 years, Christi Coady Narayanan led the transformative work of the Opportunity Resource Fund (OppFund), as the President and CEO of the nonprofit community development financial institution. She retired last month, passing the torch to the new President and CEO Byna Elliott, to continue the organization’s unwavering commitment and innovation in empowering individuals, businesses, and communities all over the state.
Michigan’s first-ever Statewide Housing Plan was released in June 2022, almost three years ago. A little over the halfway point of the comprehensive five-year plan, stakeholders and collaborative partners look at just how critical regional housing partnerships are in their own communities — moving the needle forward across the entire state.
For Jubek Yongo-Bure and Dakota Riehl, attending the CEDAM Real Estate Development Boot Camp a few years ago was critical to their careers. Learning the ABCs of community development served as a catalyst to inspire and reinvigorate the important work done in neighborhoods. These former students have even gone on to become presenters at the immersive educational conference, showcasing their personal full-circle moments of growth and career development.
IFF, a community development financial institution based in Illinois, has invested and shown a commitment to uplifting communities by providing financial support all over the state, including Grand Rapids neighborhoods. Part of IFF’s investment in Grand Rapids has been focused on the 49507 zip code, centered in a collection of neighborhoods southeast of downtown Grand Rapids. They're working with local nonprofits including Amplify GR and LINC UP and neighborhood residents to help propel development.
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