By Dana Bykowski
March 1, 2004

At a check presentation at Baltimore's city hall February 10, Baltimore Mayor Martin O'Malley joined the Nehemiah Foundation, the Nehemiah Corporation of America's charitable giving arm, in presenting a donation of $15,000 to the East Harbor Community Development Corporation. The money will help fund the East Harbor's Flag House Courts development — a local program committed to building 183 rental units and 155 homeowner'ship units for lower income families. This waterfront community will also have retail shops, a community and youth development center, a micro-business center, and green space.

"Nehemiah is proud to be a part of the expansion of a mixed-income community that will provide affordable housing to many and stimulate new development of the surrounding Baltimore neighborhood. Whether through The Nehemiah Programâ that provides free downpayment gifts to would-be homeowners or through partnerships such as this, we are diligent in our mission to help move people from homelessness to homeownership," said Hazaiah Williams, Executive Director of the Nehemiah Community Foundation. "We are pleased to assist the East Harbor Community Development Corporation in increasing affordable homeownership in the Baltimore community and look forward to a continued relationship."

The Nehemiah Community Foundation makes grants throughout the nation to non-profits working in the areas of affordable housing, economic development and education. The East Harbor Community Development Corporation is a community-based organization dedicated to the revitalization of affordable housing in the Baltimore area and supports economic empowerment and self-determination for moderate- to low-income residents.

"Nehemiah's generous grant will work towards the expansion of Flag House Courts - a complex being built to help ensure all hard working people throughout Baltimore have viable housing options," said Talib Horne, Executive Director of the East Harbor Community Development Corporation. "This contribution helps us further in our mission to provide reasonably priced housing to over 300 hundred deserving families in this emerging community."

After the check presentation, Baltimore Housing Commissioner Paul Graziano led a meeting between representatives from CitiesFirstª and Baltimore housing officials. Participants in the meeting included: Executive Director of Nehemiah Community Foundation Hazaiah Williams, Director of Mortgage Assistance for Nehemiah Corporation Wayne Mittleider, Deputy Housing Commissioner for Development Doug Austin, Assistant Housing Commissioner for Land Resources David Levy, Assistant Housing Commissioner for Community Development Services Ruth Louie, Special Assistant to First Deputy Mayor Colm O-Comartun, Director of Mayor's Office of Community Investment David Costello, and Community Investment Specialist Robin Zimbler. Several prominent local community foundations were also present at the meeting, including Beth Harper from the Abell Foundation, Clarence Snuggs from Enterprise Foundation, and Sally Scott from the Goldseker Foundation.

y Scott from the Goldseker Foundation.

The meeting focused on various neighborhood development and homeownership initiatives taking place in downtown Baltimore. Additionally, O'Malley's office is interested in bringing the technical and financial resources made available to mayors through the CitiesFirstª program, one of those being the Nehemiah Community Reinvestment Fund. The Fund leverages investments in a revolving loan fund with its own capital to make below-market rate loans to local community- and faith-based nonprofit organizations. These loans produce affordable and special needs housing, community facilities such as childcare and senior centers, and nonprofit offices, and economic development projects, which create jobs and help revitalize economically stressed neighborhoods. Additionally, NCRF acts as a bridge to provide investors with a vehicle to drive community revitalization by facilitating the creation of equity funds to make real estate investments in low-income and underserved communities.

ty funds to make real estate investments in low-income and underserved communities.

"There is a great need in the Baltimore community for organizations like Nehemiah. We look forward to working with them, and finding the right project for them to be involved in. With the grant to East Harbor, and through their down payment assistance program they have proven that they are committed to helping Baltimore residents achieve the goal of homeownership, and we welcome them with open arms," said O'Malley.

The Nehemiah Corporation has gifted over $1.7 million in down payment assistance to over 550 Baltimore residents. For more information about the Nehemiah Corporation or CitiesFirstª, please contact Dana Bykowski, Managing Director of CitiesFirstª at U.S. Conference of Mayors headquarters at (202) 296-4094 or dbykowski@usmayors.org.