Hi William, During the pandemic, relief efforts led to historically low interest rates. NCRC just published a new report on mortgage lending data from 2020, and who reaped the benefits of historically low rates.  Join us on Wednesday, January 26 at 1 pm ET to hear from the authors of the report, and dig into where mortgage capital flowed as the pandemic was ravaging the economy. Register now Plus see how new HMDA (Home Mortgage Disclosure Act) data from the CFPB will allow us to look at home mortgage lending in new ways moving forward. Speakers include: Jamie Buell, Racial Economic Equity Coordinator, NCRC Joshua Devine, Director of Racial Economic Equity, NCRC Jason Richardson, Director of Research and Evaluation, NCRC Register now to make sure you don’t miss this important discussion.  Team NCRC

Latest: Press release: NCRC Welcomes OCC Final Rule to Rescind its Disastrous 2020 CRA Rule

Copyright © 2022 NCRC, All rights reserved. We send email updates to NCRC members, contacts and people who opt in via our web site. Our mailing address is: NCRC 740 15th St. NW Suite 400 Washington, DC 20306

Economic Justice: Interreligious Reflections on Fairness and Dignity

A 4-Week Online Course

Thursdays, February 3, 10, 17 & 24

7:00–9:00 PM via Zoom

Register to receive a Zoom link: REGISTER NOW.

When is a society economically just? Can our religious texts and traditions still offer wisdom and insights for grappling with economic justice today? Can interreligious learning inspire us to improve the economic environment in our communities and bring greater opportunity and dignity for all? This course will draw upon Jewish, Christian, and Muslim traditions to explore how discrepancies in wealth and status affect our religious communities and impact broader society.

About the Instructors:

Heather Miller Rubens, Ph.D., ICJS’ Executive Director and Roman Catholic Scholar, focuses her research on the theoretical, theological, ethical, and political implications of affirming religious diversity and building an interreligious society. 

Benjamin Sax, Ph.D., the ICJS’ Jewish Scholar, is an experienced professor, university administrator, scholar, award-winning teacher, public speaker, and practitioner and facilitator of interreligious dialogue. 

Zeyneb Sayilgan, Ph.D. is the Muslim Scholar at ICJS, where her research centers around Islamic theology and spirituality, Christian-Muslim relations, and the intersection of religion and migration. 

Matthew Taylor, Ph.D. is the ICJS Protestant Scholar, specializing in Muslim-Christian dialogue, Christian theology and interreligious engagement, religious politics in the U.S., and American Islam. 

Course Schedule

Feb 3: Introduction & Catholic Reflections (Heather Miller Rubens):

            Face-to-Face or Shoulder-to-Shoulder Dialogue?

            Dorothy Day & The Deserving/Undeserving Poor

Feb 10: Muslim Reflections on Economic Justice (Zeyneb Sayilgan).

Feb 17: Jewish Reflections on Economic Justice (Ben Sax).

Feb 24: Christian Reflections on Economic Justice (Matt Taylor).

Institute for Islamic, Christian and Jewish Studies

956 Dulaney Valley Road   I   Baltimore, MD 21204   I   410.494.7161   I   info@icjs.org   I   icjs.org

*****

Source: ICJS, January 21, 2022

Sparrows Point: An American Steel Story

Baltimore's Civil Rights  History

Sparrows Point: an American Steel Story is a six-part series produced by Aaron Henkin in partnership with WYPR. The podcast is the newest part of the BMI’s Bethlehem Steel Legacy Project, a multi-year community engagement and preservation initiative to document the 125-year history of the steelmaking giant made possible through the generous support of Tradepoint Atlantic.

The podcast is supported by Tradepoint Atlantic, Maryland Humanities, and the National Association of Women in Construction.

In 1887, it was an isolated stretch of marshland on the shore of the Chesapeake Bay. By 1958, it was the biggest steel mill in the world. In 2001, it went bankrupt. And by 2015, it was a pile of demolished rubble. Sparrows Point is a story of capitalism, labor unions, race, gender, civil rights, pride, and hubris. It’s the story of American steel.

Listen to episodes here

Trailer

Episode 1

Episode 2

Episode 3

Episode 4

Bonus Episode

Episode 5

Episode 6

*****

Source: Baltimore Museum of Industry, January 21, 2022.

 

Hi William, During the pandemic, relief efforts led to historically low interest rates. NCRC just published a new report on mortgage lending data from 2020, and who reaped the benefits of historically low rates.  Join us on Wednesday, January 26 at 1 pm ET to hear from the authors of the report, and dig into where mortgage capital flowed as the pandemic was ravaging the economy. Register now Plus see how new HMDA (Home Mortgage Disclosure Act) data from the CFPB will allow us to look at home mortgage lending in new ways moving forward. Speakers include: Jamie Buell, Racial Economic Equity Coordinator, NCRC Joshua Devine, Director of Racial Economic Equity, NCRC Jason Richardson, Director of Research and Evaluation, NCRC Register now to make sure you don’t miss this important discussion.  Team NCRC

Latest: Press release: NCRC Welcomes OCC Final Rule to Rescind its Disastrous 2020 CRA Rule

Did you know that Maryland expanded it's fair housing laws in 2020? Learn about the HOME Act, the new protected class it creates, and how to comply with the law in this FREE online training. This training is recommended for landlords, property managers, and real estate agents who work with rental properties. Learn about these laws and how to comply at one of three virtual Fair Housing Compliance trainings in the new year: 

January 11, 10:30 a.m. - 12:00 p.m. 

January 12, 1:00 p.m. - 2:30 p.m. 

January 13, 3:00 p.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Once you register, you'll be able to attend live and have a chance to ask questions or watch the recording at a time convenient for you! 

The Fair Housing Action Center is a program of the Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition. 

If you are interested in this training for you or your team, please register for the date and time that works best for you. 

You can contact Robyn Dorsey at robyn@marylandconsumers.org with any questions or concerns.

Maryland Consumer Rights Coalition, Inc. 

2209 Maryland Avenue

Baltimore, Maryland 21218 

(410) 220-0494 | info@marylandconsumers.org 

*****

Source: MCRC email, January 10, 2022.

Study of the SNO Mass Housing Mobility Program in Massachusetts

The Century Foundation has recently released its report The Walls of Exclusion in Massachusetts: How Three Mothers Had to Overcome Discriminatory Zoning Laws to Improve the Lives of Their Children” which highlights the ongoing Supporting Neighborhood Opportunity in Massachusetts (SNO Mass) housing mobility program. supports Housing Choice Voucher families with school-aged children making moves to communities with high quality schools, parks and open space, and healthy, safe environments. SNO Mass helps families take advantage of the “choice” aspect of the Housing Choice Voucher Program.

This voluntary program provides a wide-range of supports to help participating families to access and attain residential stability in higher opportunity neighborhoods; locations with high-performing schools, low poverty rates, and environments that have demonstrated positive health and well-being outcomes for children and adults. Click to view the SNO Mass brochure in English. 

According to the City of Worcester's Recap Solutions, to be eligible for the SNO Mass program a household must: (1) be a RCAP Solutions Section 8 Housing Choice Voucher participant in good standing; (2) have at least one child in the household under the age of 18; and (3) currently live in a non-SNO Mass Opportunity Area. The program then provides dedicated counselors that give helpful information to consider the family’s needs and preferences, pre-move counseling connecting to available landlords and units, financial assistance to help with moving costs, security deposits, and other fees, post-move counseling to support the household in its new neighborhood; and potentially higher voucher value to pay any higher rent for apartments in high-opportunity areas.

SNO Mass high opportunity areas are neighborhoods that have educational and health benefits for the participating family, such as high-quality public schools, parks and green spaces, supermarkets with healthy food options, low poverty rates, and high employment rates. The SNO Mass team will provide custom housing search and support to help determine which opportunity areas are best for the family.

SNO Mass provides Special Supports to families who choose to move to a high opportunity area, namely, help with housing search, apartment listings in opportunity areas, potentially higher voucher value, transportation to view apartments, information on schools and assistance with transfers, and financial assistance with moving costs, security deposit and other fees before and after the move, and assistance in locating resources and services in the new community.

Property Owners who rent a unit in RCAP Solutions’ designated SNO Mass Opportunity Areas to a SNO Mass Participant are eligible for several supports and incentives. Click here to see if the unit is located in a designated SNO Mass Opportunity Area.

Mobility Works helped to begin the mobility program in 2019. 

SnoMass, now extended statewide, is funded and overseen by the Massachusetts Department of Housing and Community Development.

Click here to see Mobility Works and the Poverty & Race Research Action Council's listing of all  current mobility programs in the US.

*****

Sources: 

https://tcf.org/content/report/walls-exclusion-massachusetts-three-mothers-overcome-discriminatory-zoning-laws-improve-lives-children/

http://www.rcapsolutions.org/sno-mass/

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/supporting-neighborhood-opportunity-in-massachusetts-sno-mass-program

 

Bloomberg Philanthropies Recognizes Baltimore for Using Data to Improve Lives   Baltimore is one of the first 50 cities to have achieved "What Works Cities Certification" in "recognition of its use of data to guide decision-making and improve residents’ lives." What Works Cities Certification - purportedly the "national standard of excellence in data-driven city governance" - essentially measures the extent to which city leaders use data and evidence in  decision-making. This is a national initiative by Bloomberg Philanthropies to help cities use data and evidence more effectively to tackle problems. Some 16 of the 50 cities were honored earlier in 2021. "What Works Cities Certification" assesses cities on their data-driven decision-making practices, such as whether they use data to set goals and track progress, allocate funding, evaluate program effectiveness, and achieve desired outcomes from contracts with outside vendors. It also measures whether cities are publicly and transparently communicating about their use of data and evidence. Bloomberg Philanthropies found that in the last year Baltimore has shown measurable progress on these data practices, such as (1) the Mayor’s Action Plan, which lists the goals the administration is committed to making significant progress on and accomplishing; (2) Open Baltimore, the City’s public data portal, providing data, downloadable files, ability to analyze and visualize data like COVID-19 dashboards, see Minority- and Women-Owned Business Finders, and data about Baltimore’s City Budget and spending; and (3) the Department of Housing and Community Development’s CoDe map, with citywide housing data used in community development and strategic planning, to track rent support, and survey building code enforcement. This map has been used by 120,000 in the past year and by the city’s legal aid effort to fight COVID-19 evictions.  The Certification program began in 2017, with cities over 30,000 population eligible to participate. Cities are awarded Silver, Gold, or Platinum Certification "depending on their level of data sophistication." All 50 cities that have achieved Certification is here. The program was developed by Results for America with the What Works Cities Certification Standard Committee, and supported by the other What Works Cities partners: Harvard's Kennedy School, Johns Hopkins University, and the Behavioral Insights Team. Over 200 cities have completed a Certification assessment, comparing their practices against the developed standards.          *****  Source: Office of the Mayor press release, December 15, 2021.