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Media Center | Press Releases « 2005 Press Releases »
2005 Press Release
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Neil Cotiaux, FHLBank of Pittsburgh: 412-288-2851;
cell: 330-703-0753; Neil.cotiaux@fhlb-pgh.com
FHLBANK, PARTNERS LAUNCH COMMUNITY REVITALIZATION
TRAINING PROGRAM: LEADERSHIP, PLANNING, CAPACITY BUILDING
ARE FOCUS OF NEW INITIATIVE
PITTSBURGH, PA, February 23, 2005 — An
initiative to help community leaders plan for and carry
out effective and comprehensive community revitalization
efforts is being launched by the Federal Home Loan Bank
of Pittsburgh (FHLBank) and 15 funding and program partners.
Called Blueprint Communities, the initiative
will involve 16 to 20 urban and rural communities across
Pennsylvania during 2005, with the prospect of expanding
the program to communities in Delaware and West Virginia
going forward. The initiative is designed to serve as
a catalyst to revitalize older communities and neighborhoods
by fostering strong local leadership and collaboration,
focusing on planning and goal-setting strategies, and
building local program capacity to sustain community
growth.
The FHLBank, aided by program partners and an advisory
group, will select communities to participate. To be
eligible, communities must:
- have a population between 1,000 and 20,000,
- demonstrate local leadership,
- have basic development capacity and
- be able to assemble a leadership team committed
to attending training sessions.
In addition, communities or neighborhoods with a strategic
plan that is less than two years old may be eligible
to participate if the plan is insufficient or limited
in scope and does not represent a comprehensive strategy.
Requests for proposals will be sent to interested and
eligible
communities beginning March 28 and are due to the FHLBank
by
June 15. Communities will be chosen June 30.
The Heartland Center for Leadership Development, a
nationally recognized authority on leadership and community
development, will conduct four full days of community
revitalization training. An additional day of training
will focus on development capacity. Training for eastern
Pennsylvania communities will be held at the Willow
Valley Resort in Lancaster, PA, September 15–16,
October 31 and December 13–14. Training for western
Pennsylvania communities will be held September 7–8,
October 19 and December 7–8 at Hidden Valley Resort
near Donegal, PA.
Communities participating in Blueprint Communities
will receive training and expenses with a fair market
value of $7,500. Benefits include:
- Four days of leadership and development training,
materials, meals and lodging
- A one-day capacity and technical training session
- A community profile highlighting key indicators
and trends
- Potential for interim technical assistance after
completion of the first two-day session
- Opportunities for grant assistance upon graduation
- A complete action plan for improving a specific
community or neighborhood
- Ongoing technical assistance
- A chance to renew leadership skills and build a
team for action
"By the completion of training, communities will
have developed a vision, a draft community plan and
a clear action strategy, including a funding strategy,
a process to measure outcomes and a timeline to move
their process forward," said John Bendel, director
of Community Investment at the FHLBank. "Our hope
is that Blueprint Communities will build capacity, momentum
and trust among community stakeholders, as well as provide
the basis for the development and implementation of
practical, achievable strategies in participating communities."
Representatives of eligible communities should assemble
training teams including a banker, a community developer
and a community representative as well as other key
stakeholders and meet all required deadlines. Five individuals
from each neighborhood will comprise each team. In addition,
a $500 administrative fee will be required of successful
applicants, to be offset by the $7,500 value of the
program.
Interested community or neighborhood representatives
or those wishing to refer a community for consideration
may contact the FHLBank by April 28 in one of three
ways:
Funding partners for the Blueprint Communities
initiative include Pennsylvania Rural LISC, Sovereign
Bank, PNC Bank, NA and the FHLBank of Pittsburgh.
Program partners include the Governor's Office of Housing
and Community Revitalization, Pennsylvania Department
of Community and Economic Development, Pennsylvania
Housing Finance Agency, Philadelphia Neighborhood Development
Collaborative, Pittsburgh Partnership for Neighborhood
Development, University of Pittsburgh– Graduate
School of Public and International Affairs, U.S.D.A.
Rural Development, U.S. Department of Housing and Urban
Development, Federal Reserve Bank of Cleveland, Federal
Reserve Bank of Philadelphia and The Heartland Center
for Leadership Development.
The FHLBank of Pittsburgh, with assets of more than
$61 billion, serves nearly 350 financial institution
members in Delaware, Pennsylvania and West Virginia.
It is one of twelve FHLBanks, all private cooperatively
owned banks that provide wholesale housing finance,
community lending and correspondent banking services
to member banks, savings and loan institutions, credit
unions and insurance companies.
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