Category: Sustainable Communities

By Kahfii King, Program Manager Healthy Food Financing Initiative   Reinvestment Fund has developed a comprehensive and evidence-based approach to improving the food landscape for underserved urban and rural communities. A key component of the approach is America’s Healthy Food Financing Initiative (HFFI), a public-private partnership administered by Reinvestment Fund on behalf of USDA Rural Development […]

Metro Atlanta’s Naeema Gilyard is one of five national recipients of NeighborWorks America’s Dorothy Richardson Award for Resident Leadership. Atlanta Neighborhood Development Partnership nominated Gilyard for her work in environmental activism aimed at creating healthier environments for neighborhoods in Atlanta and Fulton County. Last weekend, NeighborWorks America honored Gilyard and the other resident leaders at a ceremony during the […]

Heat pumps are a hot topic in the world of home appliances and systems today—and for good reason. They are energy efficient and reduce utility costs, and new tax incentives are becoming available through the 2022 Inflation Reduction Act that offset up-front costs. You will find heat pump technology in clothes dryers and water heaters, […]

For more than 35 years, Reinvestment Fund investments have transformed communities, spanning early childhood education to affordable housing, to expanding access to healthy-fresh food. As we evolve, we have centered our work on racial equity, intentionally focusing on supporting Black and Brown leaders who are championing change in their communities through development.   Just like the […]

Each June, NeighborWorks America and its network of local organizations mobilize tens of thousands of volunteers, businesspeople, neighbors, friends, and local and national elected and civic leaders in a week of neighborhood change and awareness. As a formal or informal neighborhood leader, you can play a vital role in empowering your community for success. Want […]

Atlanta Land Trust (ALT) broke ground at their new development site, The Trust at East Lake. Partner organizations, community development leaders, and Atlanta Mayor Andre Dickens joined to celebrate this fresh approach to tackling the city’s affordable housing crisis. Working with city leaders, developers, and planners to secure and preserve affordable housing options for residents […]

By ULI Atlanta During the month of March, ULI joins the nation in celebrating the achievements women have made over the course of history — by amplifying women’s profound impact in the real estate and land use industries. ULI has made a global mission commitment to pursuing unrelenting efforts to shape the built environment toward […]

A Florida-based firm’s wealth-stripping scheme is the latest threat to some of the country’s most vulnerable homeowners Homeownership has long been valued as a gateway to intergenerational wealth. Owning a home is a valuable resource for all families, but for communities of color, purchasing a home has historically been frustrated by discriminatory practices.  Discrepancies in […]

Georgia ACT’s 2023 Annual Housing Day at the Capitol was a huge success! Over 300 people (including students from Lambert High School) attended in person and virtually on February 22, 2023, to advocate for the present and future of affordable housing issues and solutions around the State.  Attendees were from Metro Atlanta and rural Georgia. […]

Given the sound economic conditions of the state economy in FY 2022, fiscal revenue surpluses exceed expectations and foreseeable economic development. During the 2023 legislative session, Governor Brian Kemp recommended reallocating $35.7 million to OneGeorgia to establish the Rural Workforce Housing Fund. This fund will allow local development and housing authorities to prepare land for […]

Adetayo Sanusi assumes the role from Sharon Gay Urban Land Institute (ULI)’s Atlanta District Council is pleased to announce Adetayo (Ade) Sanusi has been selected as the 2023 Chair for the Livable Communities Council (LCC). Sanusi assumes the role from Sharon Gay, who served as the 2020-2022 Chair. In his new role, Sanusi will lead […]

As one of the largest and fastest growing metropolitan areas in the Southeast, Atlanta offers tremendous opportunities, attracting investors, corporations and young professionals looking for a place to relocate. While the historic Westside has become a prime location for real estate investment, the price of homes has soared in recent years, leaving many prospective homebuyers […]

The scarcity of affordable housing in cities across the country has been well documented. From the onset of the pandemic, news headlines pointed to rapidly rising home sale prices and the increase in investors and corporate entities purchasing and renting out single-family homes, leaving current and prospective homebuyers and renters on the outside looking in.  […]

For a second year, ULI Atlanta will administer the Etkin Scholar’s program for 2022 – 2023. Last year, ULI Atlanta was one of five district councils to pilot the ULI Etkin Scholar Program designed to introduce college and university students with a real estate interest and degree focus to the resources available through ULI membership […]

On October 11, 2022, the nation lost one of our civil rights pioneers, Rev. Charles Sherrod. Rev. Sherrod took part in several civil rights movements, including serving as the first Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) field secretary and SNCC Director for Southwest Georgia and the Albany Movement. Albany, Georgia was the hub for voter engagement […]

Lower income households may be particularly impacted by child care shortages  Early childhood education settings are often among children’s first communities. Research shows that high-quality child care can have long-term benefits for children, including increased cognitive abilities, improved language development and better relationships with peers. Beyond the underlying benefits, child care is a necessity for most […]

By Natallie Keiser, Executive Director, HouseATL and Delilah Wynn Brown, Director of Real Estate, HJ Russell and co-chairs of The Leaders selection committee for 2022 As we begin to emerge into these first post-pandemic years, we can finally breathe a sigh of relief that the total unknown is behind us – and our resilience was […]

Reinvestment Fund financing is supporting a mixed-use development in Atlanta’s historic Sweet Auburn corridor (birthplace of Martin Luther King Jr.) called the Front Porch In the 1970s, the U.S. Federal Government authorized the creation of community development financial institutions (CDFIs) as part of its efforts to address poverty and racial discrimination in both urban and […]

ULI Atlanta Center for Leadership has entered its 14th year and is a powerful local resource to help guide the responsible development of the Atlanta region by strengthening connections and understanding among area organizations that guide and influence real estate development.  During the course of the nine-month program, participants meet each month with a specific […]

Reinvestment Fund has commissioned Brookings Metro to write a report entitled A Call To Action for HBCU Investment. Authors Dr. Andre Perry and Anthony Barr write, “In response to 2020’s racial awakenings, philanthropic organizations and wealthy donors collectively pledged billions in donations to historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs). While such philanthropy is welcome, it […]