SPRING 2016 NEWSLETTER


	Youth Climate Presentation

COMMUNITY BUILDING & ENVIRONMENT

This spring, NOAH's Youth Leadership Crew members remain very busy, performing research for the ClimateCARE initiative, working on community advocacy campaigns including their 'Clean Streets' (trash and litter), Safe Speeds and other projects, and making key public presentations to neighborhood groups. Pictured are NOAH youth leaders Michael Passariello, Stephan Marin and Alma Acuna speaking at a May conference about climate justice, where they led a workshop on the "Participatory Action Research Model". You may have seen them on the streets of East Boston with their clipboards asking questions of passersby!

NOAH's East Boston Climate Resiliency work continues to make great strides. The East Boston ClimateCARE team and partners have begun the Adaptation Planning Working Group (APWG) meetings. Program partners include climate change expert Dr. Paul Kirshen, NOAH 'green' consultant Kim


May's APWG Meeting

Vermeer/Urban Habitat, the City of Boston's Energy and Environment Department, the Community Design Resource Center of Boston, The Boston Architectural College, and additional agencies such as Massport, Boston/Water Sewer, DOT, MBTA, as well as the Urban Land Institute Boston/NE.

In May, CBE Director Chris Marchi, Community Organizer Magda

lena Ayed, NOAH's ED Phil Giffee and consultant Kim Vermeer attended The Kresge Foundation Urban Opportunity and Climate Resilience Grantee Recipient Convening in Chicago. Pictured: Here they are showing off some ClimateCARE program slides. We thank both The Kresge Foundation and Enterprise Community Partners for their belief in and support of our climate resiliency work!

Contact Director Chris Marchi at 617-418-8241 for more information about CBE climate change resiliency programs.


Shoe Shop Signage

REAL ESTATE NEWS

Shoe Shop Place: The official Shoe Shop Place signage has gone up! Applications for the housing lottery were selected on May 18. There were 349 applications for the 25 rental units in Middleboro, which is testament to the need for affordable family housing. The Certificate of Occupancy is expected by the end of May, with tenants moving in starting in July.


	Shoe Shop Lottery Drawing

Benfield Farms: A Solar PV System install-ation is sched-uled for June at this affordable senior development in Carlisle. Solar Flair is the installer of the PV system. Bank of America is purchasing the solar credits for the 39kw system. We are grateful that a $100,000 TD Charitable 'Housing for Everyone' grant will help in the cost of installation, so NOAH will


TD Charitable Foundation Award

only need to add a small amount of its own funds.

Coppersmith Village: The design team has submitted 95% of the construction documents for review by the City of Boston Department of Neighborhood Development, and is working towards 100% of the construction documents to go out to bid in June 2016. The total development cost is approximately $38 million. Fortunately, we have the sources to cover construction cost increases with the award of approximately $3.8 million in MassWorks and LIHTC equity pricing provided by MHIC, the equity investor, and East Boston Savings Bank, selected as the construction lender. This new development is being built up the street from NOAH's headquarters in East Boston. Many thanks to Mayor Marty Walsh and to Governor Charlie Baker and their administrations for their support of this much-needed project!

East Boston Acquisitions Working Group:

A dedicated group of East Bostonians, including NOAH, the East Boston CDC, local religious organizations, and concerned housing activists, continues to work towards developing a financially viable acquisitions program to purchase triple-deckers, with a mission of keeping rental units at affordable levels for working families. Looking to retain affordable


	EB Client Gentrification Evictions

rental homes in high enough numbers to create impact, they are working hard on an acquisition strategy with the City of Boston's DND, which has just issued an RFP for this initiative. Gentrification and displacement in and around East Boston have become real threats to low- and moderate-income families in the community. Rents have risen 40% over the last four years, with a median advertised monthly rent of $2,255 in Eastie today. Pictured: NOAH East Boston client evictions due to gentrification.

If you have any questions about NOAH's current or pending real estate developments or projects, please contact Executive Director Philip Giffee at 617-418-8240 or pgiffee@noahcdc.org.

STAFF CHANGES

We are sad to announce that we are losing two wonderful staff members, both from the Real Estate Department. Toby Kramer, right, Director of Real Estate, is retiring at the end of May after seven years at NOAH. She and her husband David are planning to move to San Diego, and are looking forward to spending more time with their children and grandchildren! Kristin Carlson, left, Real Estate Project Manager, is moving to a position much closer to home and family at the end of June. She will be the Senior Project Manager at Harborlight Community Partners in Beverly. Thank you to both of them for all their fabulous work! Bryan Wyatt will be NOAH's new Real Estate Director, and Andrew Weesner has been hired as Real Estate Project Manager.

HOMEBUYER SERVICES UPDATE


	Phil Giffee, Rep. Adrian Madaro & Board Member & Citizens Branch Mgr. Michael Zaldumbide

Many thanks to Citizens Bank for their ongoing support of NOAH's Financial Capability programming! At an April event at the State House, the Bank awarded NOAH $40,000 in CITC funding. The Department provides FREE Financial Capability courses, coaching and counseling in both Spanish and English. The next course begins on Saturday, June 18th. To reserve a slot, clients can call 617-418-8264.

NOAH's HBS Director Diana Franco addressed attendees at two Boston consulate offices during April's Financial Literacy Month. Pictured: Diana speaking on Financial Literacy and NOAH's programming at the Mexican Consulate in Boston, with Vice Consuls Jacobi & Borja.

If you are interested in learning more about our Homebuyer Services activities, please contact Director Diana Franco at 617-418-8266. The Department also continues to offer high-impact bilingual low-cost First-Time Homebuyer and no-cost Foreclosure Prevention and Mitigation services; dates and times are listed in the Calendar below.

NOAH AWARDED 2016 CITCS!

NOAH has been awarded $150,000 in 2016 CITCs, the maximum allowed. Donors get half back in state tax credits or rebates with CITC. We are looking for donors who'd like to double the impact of their donation dollars! It's easy to do. So far this year, Citizens Bank, Sailors Snug Harbor and Boston Private Bank have made CITC commitments to NOAH - our special thanks go out to them!

Any individual or corporation can make a donation of $1,000 or more for a 50% state tax credit or refund. Depending on your tax bracket, your $325 final net donation could work like a $1,000 donation to help NOAH offer free or very low cost programming to seniors, disabled individuals, families, and children in need. For more information, please check out our website, contact your tax professional or call us at 617-418-8246.

MANY THANKS TO ALL OUR FABULOUS FUNDERS!

All of us at NOAH want to say THANK YOU to all our recent funders, including: Boston Private Bank, Citizens Bank, City of Boston DND, Ms. Lauren DeMayo, Harvard Memorial Church, The Hyams Foundation, Mass. Division of Banks, Mass. DHCD, MMBA (Mass. Mortgage Bankers) Foundation, NeighborWorks America, Sailors Snug Harbor and United Way of Mass. Bay & Merrimack Valley.

Without our wonderful supporters, we could not maintain our client services or programs at their current high levels. With them, we continue to create and maintain more sustainable neighborhoods, community services and affordable housing than ever before. We are so very grateful to all of them! We want to give a special shout-out to Citizens Bank for its wonderful support of our Financial Literacy programming and to The Hyams Foundation for its generous funding of NOAH's Youth Leadership Crew. And, as always, many thanks to long-time funding partners NeighborWorks America and United Way of Massachusetts Bay & Merrimack Valley. Thank you all.

PLEASE 'LIKE' US ON FACEBOOK!

NOAH's Facebook page has 3,037 Likes! If

YOU haven't done so already, we would really appreciate it if you would go to our Facebook page through the link below, and click the "Like" button -thanks!

UPCOMING EVENTS

Annual Battle of Noddle Island Regatta & Reenactment

The Second Annual Regatta and Reenactment will be held

on Memorial Day, May 30th, from 10 AM to 3 PM. For more information, please contact Community Organizer Magdalena Ayed at 617-418-8243 or mayed@noahcdc.org. Or click here to register!

First-Time Homebuyer Classes

The next available available Spanish First-Time Homebuyer course will meet at NOAH on June 28, June 29 and June 30 from 6:00 to 9:00 PM. The next English First-Time Homebuyer course will meet on July 19, July 20 and July 21, also from 6:00 to 9:00 PM at NOAH. Students learn from industry guest speakers, including home inspectors, as well as from NOAH staff, about how best to select and purchase a home and about appropriate loan products. Also, we are offering individual online course sessions in both English and Spanish. For more information, please call Dept. Director Diana Franco at 617-418-8266 or dfranco@noahcdc.org.

Loan Modification/Foreclosure Prevention Clinics

Our next free bilingual Loan Modification/Foreclosure Prevention clinics will occur on the following Monday evenings: June 6, 13, 20 and 27 and July 11, 18 and 25, from 5:30 to 8 PM, at NOAH. These workshops are the initial counseling and education sessions for NOAH's foreclosure prevention and mitigation counseling. The sessions are held in Spanish and in English. All of NOAH's foreclosure prevention education and counseling sessions are free of charge. Workshops are held weekly, except for holiday weeks. For additional information, please reach Carrie Tennant, Esq. at 617-418-8264 or ctennant@noahcdc.org.

Financial Capability Classes

The next free bilingual Financial Capability course will be held at NOAH on Saturday, June 18 from 9:30 AM to 3:30 PM and on Monday, June 20 from 6:30 to 9:30 PM.To register, please contact Carrie Tennant, Esq. at 617-418-8264 or ctennant@noahcdc.org.

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