Director's Corner: Update on the Neighborhood Stabilization Program

Nearly a year ago, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) awarded $3.9 billion in grant funds to governments across the country to help stabilize areas hardest hit by foreclosures and abandoned properties. Wayne County was the recipient of $25.9 million of those funds. Wayne County's NSP allocation represents more than half of the approximately $50 million in total grant funds Wayne County has received from HUD this year, a nearly a five-fold increase in our normal allocation. As a result of the increased demand for processing these funds, Wayne County entered into agreements with Community Improvement Group (CIG) and the Wayne County Land Bank (WCLB) to administer components of NSP.

CEO Robert Ficano's objectives for NSP funds where simple: direct the grant funds into areas with high levels of foreclosures and abandoned properties; leverage the grant funds against private investment and; in the process, create jobs and stimulate local economies. When the initial funding announcement was made, I immediately assembled a team within EDGE to develop a comprehensive plan to direct funds to areas of Wayne County in the most need of community stabilization. Since the development of our strategy, my team has been working tirelessly at implementing the stabilization plan.

So far, Wayne County has awarded over $14 million in NSP funds to developers and sub-recipients to stabilize neighborhoods and communities. Activities include rehabbing foreclosed and abandoned properties, demolishing blighted structures and assisting homebuyers with financial resources - a key component of our NSP plan. The Homebuyer Assistance Program offers homebuyers down payment assistance and weatherization assistance. Combined with HOME dollars, a separate grant program, we have been able to each a broader segment of the population than previously possible.

While putting the pieces together to spend our federal allocation has been an arduous task, HUD will release the NSP funds for use beginning in mid December. The careful planning and hard work of the EDGE team, the Land Bank, and CIG, ensures that these funds will produce the maximum possible benefit for our communities.

Community development requires a holistic approach to address safety, security, and the challenges faced by individual citizens. Through NSP and HOME, we are not only able to address these issues, but we are able to stimulate the economy and create jobs for those in the building trades. EDGE's approach to economic development recognizes that building partnerships at the community level and empowering individuals is just as important as attracting new companies to Wayne County. Through partnership and support from HUD, we are doing everything we can to ensure all citizens of Wayne County survive and thrive during these challenging economic times.

Turkia Awada Mullin is an Assistant CEO and Chief Development Officer of Wayne County's Economic Development Growth Engine (EDGE).