QUESTION: I understand you have just completed your orientation on the NRC National and Community Service Demonstration program. What is the current status of this, and what has been the response in terms of interest in the program by the NeighborWorks® organizations? ANSWER: Please outline for us your relationship with the new The CommunityCorps demonstration project, which will offer an opportunity to increase the number of low-income and minority youth and young people working directly on rebuilding their communities, and introduce a generation to possible career options in the community development field, has spent less than $4,000 as of March 1, 1994. A total of $340,000 is expected to be spent in FY 1994. Costs will include $250,000 in grants to NeighborWorks® organizations to pay for stipends, educational awards and benefits for the community service participants; approximately $30,000 for training grants and expenses related to training service participants; and $60,000 in salaries, benefits, professional services and preparation of materials for the CommunityCorps project. Grant commitments will be made in early summer and disbursed before fiscal year end. In FY 1995, the balance of the $500,000 appropriation will be spent on grants, training and staffing and direct operating expenses. demonstration has The NeighborWorks® CommunityCorps 23. The Application packets and program guidelines have been The dual goals of CommunityCorps include providing a year long employment opportunity for selected young people to participate directly on improving their communities, and learning about careers in community development and related fields. It is expected that each participant will be exposed to a variety of lending outreach and organizing, housing and homeownership counselling and related positions. Following this opportunity to serve in a variety of capacities, the participant would choose an area and project to focus on for the balance for the year. We expect that over half the community service interns will be directly involved in homeownership efforts with the NeighborWorks® organizations. Homeownership projects include pre-purchase counselling, purchase financing and rehab planning, housing rehab management and postpurchase training and assistance. The community service interns will have the opportunity to learn all phases of neighborhood development work through hands-on experience. Depending on the individual's concentrate in: homeownership; construction/rehab; or interest, some may other elements of neighborhood development work. We believe this track will provide community service interns with a broad career perspective and the opportunity to concentrate on potential career paths that are of highest interest to them. Neighborhood Reinvestment staff working on the CommunityCorps demonstration have developed positive working relationships with the staff of the Corporation for National and Community Service. Neighborhood Reinvestment sees this demonstration as an opportunity to focus on a very narrow and important goal for national service how to get young people who live in distressed, poor and primarily minority areas involved in their communities. The lessons learned from the CommunityCorps demonstration will be helpful to the NeighborWorks® organizations and other community-based development groups in learning how to fully utilize the National and Community Service to rebuild communities and offer new hope and opportunities QUESTION SUBMITTED FOR THE RECORD BY CONGRESSWOMAN KAPTUR QUESTION: Have you become any more involved in the Administration's community development bank proposal since last year? ANSWER: Neighborhood Reinvestment staff has not been involved in the Community Development Financial Institutions discussion other than to provide some information on the NeighborWorks® network. However, several Neighborhood Reinvestment Board members have been involved in conceptualizing the proposed legislation. QUESTION: Have any of the national service demonstration funds been used yet in FY94? How involved will participants be in the actual rehabilitation of housing and setting up of financial services in neighborhoods? ANSWER: The CommunityCorps demonstration project, which will offer an opportunity to increase the number of low-income and minority youth and young people working directly on rebuilding their communities, and introduce a new generation to possible career options in the community development field, has spent less than $4,000 as of March 1, 1994. Expenses for the CommunityCorps demonstration project include salary, benefits and travel for the Project Coordinator and preparation of materials for orientation sessions for NeighborWorks® organizations interested in applying for CommunityCorps grants. A total of $340,000 is expected to be spent in FY 1994. Costs will include $250,000 in grants to NeighborWorks® organizations to pay for stipends, educational awards and benefits for the community service participants; approximately $30,000 for training grants and expenses related to training service participants; and $60,000 in salaries, benefits, professional services and operating expenses for the CommunityCorps project. Grant commitments will be made in early summer and disbursed before fiscal year end. In FY 1995, the balance of the $500,000 appropriation will be spent on grants, training and staffing and direct operating expenses. demonstration has the The NeighborWorks® CommunityCorps The dual goals of CommunityCorps include providing a year participate directly on improving their communities, and learning about careers in community development and related fields. It is expected that each participant will be exposed to a variety of lending outreach and organizing, housing and homeownership counselling and related positions. Following this opportunity to serve in a variety of capacities, the participant would choose an area and project to focus on for the balance for the year. We expect that over half the community service interns will be directly involved in homeownership efforts with the NeighborWorks® organizations. Homeownership projects include pre-purchase counselling, purchase financing and rehab planning, housing rehab management and postpurchase training and assistance. The community service interns will have the opportunity to learn all phases of neighborhood development work through hands-on experience. Depending on the individual's concentrate in: homeownership; construction/rehab; or interest, some may other elements of neighborhood development work. We believe this track will provide community service interns with a broad career perspective and the opportunity to concentrate on potential career paths that are of highest interest to them. |