People

In Memorium
Bennett Harrison
Economist, Activist, Saxophonist

Bennett Harrison, an economist who had a unique knack for bringing people together around issues close to the hearts of Shelterforce readers, died of cancer on January 17. Harrison's sweeping intellect fostered his prolific writings on community economic development, job training, industrial change, and income inequality. His most famous works were The Deindustrialization of America and The Great U-Turn, both co-authored with Barry Bluestone. Deindustrialization charted the decline of manufacturing in this country and its effects on the working class and cities. It was received cautiously by mainstream economists but widely embraced by the public. The term "deindustrialization" became part of the lexicon of American political economy. U-Turn examined the growing inequality of incomes that has pervaded U.S. society since the 1970s. Most recently, Ben Harrison wrote on community development and job training. He focused on bridges needed to connect inner-city people to suburban jobs. In itself, this was an intellectual "u-turn," a return to his earliest writings on what was then called "ghetto" economic development.

I've known Ben Harrison for most of my life. We met the first day of graduate school at the University of Pennsylvania and were immediately drawn together by our mutual misgivings about the wisdom foisted upon us in the classroom, our involvement in progressive politics, and our love of John Coltrane's music (Ben played the tenor sax professionally). He became a powerful and passionate intellectual force and political activist – involved in community battles, trade union activities, and electoral politics.

Harrison worked tirelessly and perpetually with friends, colleagues, and, especially, students. No one had a more devoted following of former students – including many from distant universities who corresponded with him and called him on the phone. People regularly came to see him at his office or his home. Visitors from all over the world were drawn into impromptu living-room seminars and debates on politics, economics, or music. These were not crypto-academic discussions. These talks were about matters of real importance to the people we work with and serve.

Ben's too-early passing deprives all of us who shared his work and ideals. Our community has been diminished by this loss. The nation has lost a public intellectual of the first rank.

HUD has awarded $36.9 million to prevent parents facing a housing crisis from losing their children and to help adults in HUD-assisted housing get jobs and become self-sufficient. The assistance includes $19.1 million for the Family Unification Program, which will provide rental assistance subsidies to about 3,000 low-income families; and $17.8 million for the Family Self-Sufficiency Program, which will provide funds to pay the salaries of a self-sufficiency coordinator in 530 small public housing agencies. The coordinators are expected to help an estimated 20,000 adults receiving HUD rental assistance to get jobs.

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and Fannie Mae have entered into a five-year partnership to provide expanded mortgage financing, homeownership counseling, and information to help underserved and minority families become homeowners. The multi-million dollar partnership aims to help at least 20,000 African-American households receive information on how to move toward homeownership. Fannie Mae will offer no-limit mortgage financing to NAACP clients using standard Fannie Mae products, and will provide up to $110 million in special financing products, including a new $50 million underwriting experiment tailored to the credit needs of the NAACP clientele. Consumer information: NAACP National Community Development Resource Center, 410-486-9227.

Fleet Financial Group and its subsidiary, Fleet Mortgage, have launched a $65 million purchase rehabilitation program to revitalize housing and provide opportunities for low- and moderate-income homebuyers. The program, HouseWorks, a joint initiative with Fannie Mae and the Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation's NeighborWorks network, is available to those who complete extensive homebuyer counseling programs offered by NeighborWorks organizations. Eligible borrowers may obtain up to 95 percent financing for single- and two-family homes, and up to 90 percent for three-family homes. Information: Terry Randall, Fleet Mortgage Group, 803-929-7971 or Marcia Ramos, Fleet Financial Group, 401-431-7327 .

Pennsylvania became one of the first states to create a program to make small-business and housing loans to underserved inner-city and rural areas. In December, Governor Tom Ridge signed a measure that will help create a $30 million state Community Development Bank. The bank, with $17 million committed in state funds and a target of $13 million from private commitments, will make micro-loans to ventures that can't qualify for traditional small-business loans. The money will be loaned out through participating nonprofit organizations that pass state and federal certification requirements.

The National Neighborhood Coalition (NNC) has joined 20 partner organizations in the Smart Growth Network (SGN) in signing an agreement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency to encourage development that better serves the economic, environmental, and social needs of all communities. Information: NNC, 202-986-2096 or email: nncncc@erols.com; SGN, www.smartgrowth.org

The Citigroup Foundation has given the Wildcat Service Corporation $1 million over the next three years to collaborate with three other New York City-based nonprofit organizations, Bowery Residents' Committee, Women in Need, Inc., and Lenox Hill Neighborhood House, to create a comprehensive approach to addressing the needs of the chronically unemployed. The grant, to be matched by the federal government, will create a consortium of nonprofits to assist individuals facing barriers to employment, including homelessness, domestic violence, and substance abuse.