by Dana Bykowski
March 4, 2002

Nehemiah President & CEO Scott Syphax spoke to the Mayors at the annual Winter Leadership Meeting in Key West, Florida. Syphax shared some of the significant accomplishments of CitiesFirst™ since it's conception nine months ago. Specifically, Syphax highlighted CitiesFirst™ partnership initiatives such as the Sacramento Valley Fund, Genesis L.A. Fund investment, and The Nehemiah Urban Land Trust. Under the direction of the U.S. Conference of Mayors, these programs have helped to transform communities and promote prosperity for urban communities.

Executive Director, J. Thomas Cochran, touched on the importance of the partnership, "We are very excited about this partnership with Nehemiah, and will continue to work closely with them to provide our members mayors with new and innovative ways to combat the serious problem of affordable housing in our nations cities," Cochran said.

The CitiesFirst™ Nehemiah Sacramento Valley Fund initiative is a $40 million real estate equity fund that will invest mixed-used development projects in low and moderate-income communities of the six-county Sacramento Valley region. The goal of the Fund is to achieve a double-bottom line return-to achieve mid-teen returns for its investors while contributing to high quality growth in the regions through urban infill development and investment. This Fund will serve as a vehicle for Smart Growth that will make urban communities more livable be encouraging well-designed mixed-income and mixed-use developments within existing neighborhoods. CitiesFirst™ will invest in infill, brownfield, and transit-oriented types of projects that will build on the comCitiesFirst™ also participated in the investment of an urban development initiative, Genesis LA Fund. This is an economic growth initiative focused on facilitating the development of selected land parcels in disadvantaged, under-served Los Angeles neighborhoods in order to stimulate economic growth in these areas with private investments and jobs. Unveiled in March 1999, Genesis LA was designed as an initiative that will continue for years. The means of continuing this initiative is through the ongoing efforts of the Genesis LA Economic Growth Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. This nonprofit was created by the City of Los Angeles in 1998 to carry on all of the current activities of the Genesis LA initiative. CitiesFirst™ was the only The CitiesFirst™ Nehemiah Urban Land Trust initiative is adding $1million for funding beyond our pilot cites Charlotte, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Atlanta. In September 2001, NULT issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to supportive, housing social service agencies for NULT funding in Indianapolis. After receiving three excellent applications in response to the RFP, Midtown Mental Health was chosen for NULT funding. Midtown Community Mental Health is a division of Wishard Health Services and operates a program called Youth 2 Adult Transitional (Y2A). The Y2A team targets youth between the ages of 16-22 who are challenged by mental illness or substance abuse. Y2A clients are youths who were previously wards of the court placed in supportive housing, To encourage engagement, the Y2A team works with youth in non-traditional settings to create "youth friendly" outpatient offices. The Y2A team has formed non-traditional partners such as local coffee houses, churches, businesses and other youth oriented organizations. Staff provides individual, group, and family counseling, case management, vocational services, psychiatric evaluation and medication monitoring. Through a transitional housing facility Y2A will assist some youths into moving into permanent housing. Currently, CitiesFirst™ is working with Midtown Mental Health to identify a home for Y2A. Once selected the facility will be provided to the organization with a long term, affordable lease.

CitiesFirst™ also participated in the investment of an urban development initiative, Genesis LA Fund. This is an economic growth initiative focused on facilitating the development of selected land parcels in disadvantaged, under-served Los Angeles neighborhoods in order to stimulate economic growth in these areas with private investments and jobs. Unveiled in March 1999, Genesis LA was designed as an initiative that will continue for years. The means of continuing this initiative is through the ongoing efforts of the Genesis LA Economic Growth Corporation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation. This nonprofit was created by the City of Los Angeles in 1998 to carry on all of the current activities of the Genesis LA initiative. CitiesFirst™ was the only The CitiesFirst™ Nehemiah Urban Land Trust initiative is adding $1million for funding beyond our pilot cites Charlotte, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Atlanta. In September 2001, NULT issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to supportive, housing social service agencies for NULT funding in Indianapolis. After receiving three excellent applications in response to the RFP, Midtown Mental Health was chosen for NULT funding. Midtown Community Mental Health is a division of Wishard Health Services and operates a program called Youth 2 Adult Transitional (Y2A). The Y2A team targets youth between the ages of 16-22 who are challenged by mental illness or substance abuse. Y2A clients are youths who were previously wards of the court placed in supportive housing, To encourage engagement, the Y2A team works with youth in non-traditional settings to create "youth friendly" outpatient offices. The Y2A team has formed non-traditional partners such as local coffee houses, churches, businesses and other youth oriented organizations. Staff provides individual, group, and family counseling, case management, vocational services, psychiatric evaluation and medication monitoring. Through a transitional housing facility Y2A will assist some youths into moving into permanent housing. Currently, CitiesFirst™ is working with Midtown Mental Health to identify a home for Y2A. Once selected the facility will be provided to the organization with a long term, affordable lease.

The CitiesFirst™ Nehemiah Urban Land Trust initiative is adding $1million for funding beyond our pilot cites Charlotte, Indianapolis, Baltimore, and Atlanta. In September 2001, NULT issued a Request for Proposal (RFP) to supportive, housing social service agencies for NULT funding in Indianapolis. After receiving three excellent applications in response to the RFP, Midtown Mental Health was chosen for NULT funding. Midtown Community Mental Health is a division of Wishard Health Services and operates a program called Youth 2 Adult Transitional (Y2A). The Y2A team targets youth between the ages of 16-22 who are challenged by mental illness or substance abuse. Y2A clients are youths who were previously wards of the court placed in supportive housing, To encourage engagement, the Y2A team works with youth in non-traditional settings to create "youth friendly" outpatient offices. The Y2A team has formed non-traditional partners such as local coffee houses, churches, businesses and other youth oriented organizations. Staff provides individual, group, and family counseling, case management, vocational services, psychiatric evaluation and medication monitoring. Through a transitional housing facility Y2A will assist some youths into moving into permanent housing. Currently, CitiesFirst™ is working with Midtown Mental Health to identify a home for Y2A. Once selected the facility will be provided to the organization with a long term, affordable lease.

To encourage engagement, the Y2A team works with youth in non-traditional settings to create "youth friendly" outpatient offices. The Y2A team has formed non-traditional partners such as local coffee houses, churches, businesses and other youth oriented organizations. Staff provides individual, group, and family counseling, case management, vocational services, psychiatric evaluation and medication monitoring. Through a transitional housing facility Y2A will assist some youths into moving into permanent housing. Currently, CitiesFirst™ is working with Midtown Mental Health to identify a home for Y2A. Once selected the facility will be provided to the organization with a long term, affordable lease.

Syphax expressed the importance of the partnership to the Mayors, " I encourage you to use CitiesFirst™ as a resource for your cities. We are not competitors with your existing programs; we are simply a non-profit organization with a mission to get people into affordable housing and help people who are at a disadvantage work toward independence."