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>Metro Atlanta Foreclosures up in February - AJC

 

 

Dear Partners,


The Piece by Piece Initiative continues to move forward thanks to your energy and momentum.  Since our last update, we have added more Piece by Piece partners, bringing our new partner total to 134!  Our newest partners include the City of McDonough and Summech Community Development Corporation.


HUD Regional Director Ed Jennings presents grants to housing counseling organizations in Georgia.Last week was significant in the life of this Initiative.  On Tuesday, February 1, HUD's Southeast Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr. announced grants totaling over $4 million to over 20 Georgia housing counseling agencies as part of HUD's commitment to the Piece by Piece Initiative.   Ed Jennings was joined by counseling agency grantees, officials from the Georgia Department of Community Affairs, Atlanta Regional Commission (ARC) and ANDP for the announcement.  For more detail, view HUD's press release.


Later in the afternoon, ARC convened a Piece by Piece sector meeting targeting local government community development officials.   More than 35 representatives of the City of Atlanta, Clayton County, DeKalb County, Douglas County, Fulton County, and Rockdale County along with other key stakeholders shared best practices in code enforcement, housing data collection, Neighborhood Stabilization Program activities, innovative uses of federal subsidy funds, and strategies for engaging across jurisdictional department lines on the issue of foreclosure.  The group will convene again in April.  On Friday, the Westside Home Builders Association coordinated a second meeting of the Douglas County Piece by Piece task force, a group of key Douglas County-based stakeholders who are working together to localize the Initiative to meet the County's unique foreclosure challenges. 


As promised, we are sending you the Piece by Piece public commitment form.  We ask that you review the form, continue to engage in thoughtful discussion with colleagues and peers within your industry sector, and contact us directly if you have questions or would like to discuss your commitment in more detail.  The forms are due by Friday, April 15.  The commitment forms will be published (as submitted to us) in a compendium document that can serve as a resource guide for all stakeholders.  You will note that the form captures general background about your organization (mission, etc...) and phone/email for the person in your organization who will serve as the Piece by Piece contact.  The Piece by Piece compendium report will allow us --- as a group --- to gauge our progress through the life of the Initiative.  Our goal is to issue bi-annual progress reports with a reconvening meeting in November or December. 


We have included one completed commitment form (Douglas County Westside Homebuilders Association) as an example.  We will forward others as we receive so you have more background to inform your own organization's commitment. 


Piece by Piece related sector meetings, events and activities will be posted on the calendar available at www.atlantaregionalhousing.org/calendar.  Please visit the site regularly. 


We appreciate your continued engagement and support.  We look forward to receiving your commitments.  Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions. 


Susan Adams
Piece by Piece Coordinator