People

Henry Cisneros has returned to the housing field, forming American CityVista, a joint venture with Kaufman and Broad Home Corporation. American CityVista will concentrate on building homes in central city areas traditionally overlooked by major builders. Cisneros formerly served as HUD secretary during President Clinton's first term. Most recently, he was president and chief operating officer of Univision Communications.

Reverend Harry A. Dawkins is the new executive director of St. Paul's CDC in Paterson, New Jersey. Most recently, Rev. Dawkins served as the executive director and chief financial officer of the Public Housing Authority in Westchester County, New York.

Habitat for Humanity Newark (NJ) recently announced the appointment of Hal T. Hamilton as its executive director. Previously, Hamilton had been the interim executive director of Corinthian Housing Development Corporation, also in Newark.

The Community Development Financial Institutions Fund has awarded the Institute for Community Economics (ICE) $450,000 for its revolving loan fund. Most of the award will be used to create a long-term permanent mortgage program for ICE borrowers. The program will provide 10- to 30-year financing for community land trusts and other resident and community-controlled multi-family properties, such as mobile home parks, co-ops, and rentals. ICE, 413-746-8660.

Portland, Oregon's Northeast Community Development Corporation (NCDC) ceased operations Aug. 31. Once a powerhouse nonprofit in housing revitalization in northeast Portland, NCDC turned 11 unsold homes back to mortgage lenders. Earlier this year NCDC lost funding from two private funders and the city, who claimed that it had not developed a solid business plan to provide low-income housing in the increasingly expensive northeast area. (The Oregonian, Sept. 8, 2000)

Renowned songwriter, producer, and musician Kenny Gamble was one of 100 nationwide winners of HUD's annual "Best of the Best" Best Practices Award, selected from more than 2,800 nominations. Gamble was recognized for his Universal Companies, a consortium of nonprofit organizations that provides and promotes affordable housing, housing renovation, jobs and education in South Philadelphia. Universal began in 1993 when Gamble decided to launch a "rescue operation" in the neighborhood where he grew up. www.hud.gov/library/bookshelf18/pressrel/pr00-215.html.

The Affordable Housing Network in Trenton, New Jersey has changed its name to Housing and Community Development Network of New Jersey. The organization says the name change reflects the increasing importance of linking affordable housing and broader community development. HCDN-NJ, 609-393-3752.

Impact Community Capital, an eight-member consortium of California's leading insurance companies, has unveiled a pooled community investment initiative in affordable housing for communities throughout California. Impact members purchased the mortgages of 12 multi-family rental housing properties comprising 1,456 units from the California Community Reinvestment Corporation (CCRC), a nonprofit lending consortium funded by 45 member banks and thrifts throughout California. By purchasing the mortgages, Impact's members provided $40.5 million that will be recycled into additional mortgage loans for low- and moderate-income families. Tupper Hull, KPC Communications, 916-444-2671.

HUD has awarded $500,000 to Communities In Schools (CIS). The funds will be used as seed money in 10 states for programs designed to help low-income students improve their performance and reduce the high school drop-out rate. Ranging from $2,000 to $25,000, the grants target empowerment zone communities, enterprise communities and sites in or near public or HUD-assisted housing. HUD, 202-708-0685; www.hud.gov/library/bookshelf18/pressrel/pr00-160.html.

Mercy Community Housing Georgia, a subsidiary of Mercy Housing SouthEast, has been awarded more than $6 million in federal low-income housing tax credits to revitalize parts of a historic neighborhood in its area. The tax credits, from the Georgia Dept. of Community Affairs, will develop 88 new units of affordable family housing and a community building for residents and the community out of a former hospital and a former school, both of which have been vacant for two decades. Robin Haddock, Mercy Housing, 912-920-6495.