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Oddz N Ends

Mother of farm worker movement turned 80

Dolores Huerta turned 80 on April 10. Hureta is the cofounder and first vice president of the United Farm Workers. She has worked for social justice and civil rights for farm workers, immigrants, women, gays and lesbians. She champions education, public health and environmental justice. She continues her work as a volunteer leader in the Dolores Huerta Foundation, which is engaged in many projects and has implemented a microlending financial program. For more information about Dolores Huerta visit the Dolores Huerta Foundation website. >>

Nonprofit lending in affordable housing analyzed

Nonprofit housing organizations are largely funded based on specific projects. This type of financing is prohibitive and limits these organizations’ growth and achievement. Additionally, the reporting requirements are often time intensive and complex.

Many affordable housing entities own subsidized properties and the subsidies are soon to end. Without creative solutions, affordable housing organizations will likely convert the properties to market-rate, resulting in a major loss of affordable homes.

One avenue to address the problem is through organizational investments based on a borrower’s ability to repay. The organization’s capital provides liquidity for needs such as general operating expenses and expansion.

Foundations, national intermediaries and cooperatives, as well as Community Development Financial Institutions are the primary sources of private organizational capital for nonprofit affordable housing organizations.

Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University and NeighborWorks America released a study entitled “Organizational capital: A new approach to nonprofit lending in affordable housing” in December 2009. Access the comprehensive report. >>

Foreclosure crisis impacts rural areas uniquely

Another Joint Center for Housing Studies of Harvard University and NeighborWorks America report applicable to rural is, “Landscapes of foreclosure: The foreclosure crisis in rural America” by Adam Wodka. In this paper, Wodka notes that the foreclosure crisis in urban areas has received much attention, however, the crisis impacted rural areas differently and has not yet been adequately analyzed. Read the study in its entirety along with Wodka’s conclusions.>>

National organization assisting rural communities upgrades website

Rural Community Assistance Partnership (RCAP) recently revamped its website. RCAP, Inc. is a national organization with regional collaborators assisting small, rural communities to improve environmental and community health; develop sustainable water and waste-disposal facilities; increase the capability of local leaders to address current and future needs; and gain and maintain compliance with federal and state regulations. RCAC is the Western RCAP collaborator. Visit the newly improved site and obtain more information about RCAP.>>

Resources to help protect drinking water available

The Source Water Collaborative has created a guide to educate local decision-makers about drinking water source protection options. The collaborative is composed of more than 20 organizations including the National Environmental Services Center; Office of Wetlands, Oceans and Watersheds; RCAP, Inc. and other federal, state and local agencies. Access more information about the collaborative.>>

Water/Wastewater Agency Response Networks (WARN) seek to increase membership

Water/Wastewater Agency Response Networks provide expedited access to specialized resources in response to natural events and human activities that disrupt public and private drinking water and wastewater utilities. WARN membership is open to public and private utilities including tribal systems. Members agree to adopt a mutual aid and assistance approach allowing systems to share equipment and personnel to respond to crisis. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has developed several factsheets with more information about how to join, benefit from or use WARN services. Access the factsheets using the following links:

Small Water Systems 

Tribal Water Systems 

State Primacy Agencies 

Wastewater Systems 

Internet connections prove difficult for rural towns

Many rural towns experience difficulty trying to access the world wide web. However, the federal government has developed a broadband plan to improve internet access, which will take time, resources and effort, but will greatly improve service to small rural communities including in areas such as telemedicine. Read about one county that demonstrates some of the main issues with poor internet access in rural communities. >>

View the national broadband plan in its entirety and obtain current information about the plan. >>

RCAC publications available free

Previous issues of this newsletter are archived on the RCAC website. >>

RCAC’s Rural Review, the quarterly journal also is available FREE on the RCAC website. >>  

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