Preparing Underinvested Communities for New Funding
<p>Earlier in her career, Robin Hacke believed that money alone could solve the problem of underinvested communities. As Hacke observed in a <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MWcCdThw3Ns&t=7s" rel="noopener ugc nofollow" target="_blank">Center for Community Investment video</a>, she thought, “They don’t have the money to do the projects and deals that they would like to do. We’re going to bring money — presto! — problem solved.”</p>
<p>Turns out it isn’t that simple. Marginalized communities typically lack development plans, which take money, time, and skill to develop. But those plans are needed to apply for state and federal funds, so, when funding becomes available, the communities that are most in need are shut out. “You can load money onto an airplane, and fly it to Detroit, and have it just circle around and around with no place to land,” Hacke said.</p>
<p><a href="https://medium.com/island-press/preparing-underinvested-communities-for-new-funding-1ed60a066f19"><strong>Learn More</strong></a></p>