CD Council Online

COMING SOON: All-new memphiscommunitydevelopment.com

Hello friends and supporters. Good things are happening around Memphis and we have a lot going on, including the construction of terrific new website. We'll let you know when it is up and running. In the meantine, check in and follow us at www.facebook.com/livablememphis and on Twitter @LivableMemphis. Thanks. 

Enjoy Some Coffee and Support the Works CDC

The Works has been invited to participate in the Starbucks Community Card: Vote.Give.Grow. program in recognition of our effectiveness in helping Memphis thrive. Their  reputation got them this far - now they need your help in receiving up to $35,000. Here's how:

1. Go to www.starbucks.com/votegivegrow
2. Turn your Starbucks Card into a Community Card by signing in. If you don’t have a Starbucks Card, you can get one on the site to participate.
3. Vote for The Works, Inc.
4. Share your vote through Facebook and Twitter directly from our page http://www.votegivegrow.com/region/tn#org/105
5. Come back & vote each week for the rest of April!

April is Fair Housing Month

Plan to attend the Memphis 2012 Fair Housing Month Commemoration Event on Friday, April 13, from 8:30 to 3:30 at Humphreys School of Law on Front Street. Highlights will include:

 

• HUD General Deputy Assistant Secretary Bryan Greene: FHEO Update,
• Tennessee Attorney General Rob Cooper: On the Bank Settlement,
• Memphis Mayor AC Wharton: On the Anti-Blight Campaign
• Shelby County Mayor Mark Luttrell
• Easy Living Homes Coalition Steve Ross: On Accessibility/Visitability,
• US Justice Department: Steve Rosenbaum: On recent Enforcement Efforts
• Memphis Area Legal Services: Sapna Raj: On Analysis of Impedimants
• Technical sessions on Anti-Blight Lawsuits and the AG Settlement

See the attached flyer for information. $25 includes lunch and refreshments. Download Fair housing month flyer

Uptown West Public Meeting

The Uptown Partnership will be presenting the draft Uptown West Master Plan at a public meeting onTuesday, April 10, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at Bridges, 477 North Fifth Street. Want to know more about this project and see some of the comments from the last public meeting? Visit the web site.

Public Input Needed - FY 2013 Action Plan

The City's Division of Housing and Community Development invites you to a public hearing for the Consolidated Plan FY 2013 Annual Action Plan. This is an opportunity to weigh in on how the city plans to spend the federal funding it receives for community development activities. Tuesday, April 10 @ 6 p.m. at the school board auditorium, 2597 Avery. More information below.

Download FY 2013 Con Plan Flyer Public Hearing # 2

Funding Opportunities

Community LIFT has announced the availability of small grassroots grants (up to $500) for projects in Frayser, Binghamton, and Upper South Memphis. See the following for information on suitable projects, qualifications, and geographic boundaries for the eligible areas. The deadline to apply is February 29.

Download Uplift RFP 2.3.2012 Download Uplift RFP Guidelines

Community Foundation of Greater Memphis will be accepting applications for its 2012 Capacity Building Grants. Interested organizations must attend one of two preapplication workshops. More information here.

The Health, Education, and Housing Facility Board of Memphis has announced the first round of its Affordable Multifamily Housing PILOT Program for Calendar Year 2012. Applications will be accepted until March 9. For more information: [email protected]

Help Wanted!

Three community development job openings have been announced. Please see the job descriptions for more information about qualifications, duties, and deadlines to apply.

1. Alcy Ball CDC is seeking its first executive director.

Download Alcy Ball E.D. job description

2. RISE Foundation is seeking a program coordinator for its grant-funded National Neighbors Silver program.

Download RISE Foundation Position Announcement

3. Frayser CDC has a position available for a rental program and property manager.

Download Rental Manager- frayser cdc

Frayser Putting Negligent Property Owners on Notice

Frayser CDC, in partnership with the City of Memphis, will announce a lawsuit against the owners of 25 empty, neglected properties in Frayser. This is part of a larger legal action being taken by the City under the Tennessee Neighborhood Preservation Act. Most of the Frayser properties will be in the Grandview North neighborhood—between University and Mountain Terrace, south of Frayser Blvd. However, we will also put the owners of Peachtree South, the abandoned apartments across the street from Frayser High School, on notice.  These empty properties are harmful to this community. This lawsuit will seek to require the owners to restore their properties, or have the Environmental Court appoint a receiver with the authority to do so.  Please join Mayor Wharton, Attorney General Weirich, Frayser CDC and others for a brief press conference at Peachtree South Apartments, 3180 Steele Street, on Wednesday, February 8^th, 11:30 A.M.

KaBOOM! Grants Support New Playgrounds

The mission of KaBOOM! is to create great playspaces throughout the United States through the participation and leadership of communities. KaBOOM!, in collaboration with Dr Pepper Snapple, is offering Let's Play Community Construction Grants of $15,000 to organizations nationwide. The grants are to be used toward the purchase of playground equipment that will be built using the KaBOOM! community-build model. Eligible applicants include U.S.-based municipalities, neighborhood associations, schools, day care centers, and nonprofit organizations without a playground or with existing equipment that is unsafe for children to use. Cooper Young received a grant from this program several years ago to support a new playground at Peabody School. Info here. Deadline is March 12.

Farm to Table Conference Coming Up

The second annual Farm to Table Conference for Mid-South Producers will take place on February 6, 2012 from 8 AM to 5 PM at the Memphis Bioworks Foundation Conference Center. The conference is designed to provide a forum for farmers, consumers, entrepreneurs and other interested groups to discuss ideas for developing the local food system of Memphis and the Mid-South.

The Farm to Table Conference for Mid-South Producers was established with the vision that a thriving local food system will strengthen farmer livelihoods by connecting more farmers to local consumers; will improve access to fresh produce and increase healthy food consumption; and will stimulate economic development and job creation in the region. The 2012 conference will feature sessions on a variety of important topics for the local food system – from marketing produce to grocery stores, schools and restaurants, to vegetable production, community supported agriculture, new farm
start-ups, and food policy. A networking lunch will provide attendees the chance to further develop relationships and collaborative opportunities.

For more information on the 2012 Farm to Table Conference for Mid-South Producers, including registration, please visit Grow Memphis.