The Role of Housing to be Featured at Next Delta Communities Meetings

GREENWOOD, MISS. â€• Housing, which can serve as an asset for families and economic development driver, is the subject of the next Delta Communities meetings, a series that focuses on life in the Arkansas and Mississippi Delta.

The Delta Communities project hosted by the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis continues Dec. 1 in Greenwood, Miss., and Dec. 2 in Helena, Ark. The theme will be The Role of Housing as an Asset for Families and Economic Development Driver for Communities in the Delta.

Local, state, regional and national housing leaders will focus on challenges and opportunities in the Delta region at these meetings. They will be co-hosted by the Corporation for Enterprise Development, a national nonprofit working to achieve financial security and economic opportunity across the country.

Topics will include improving access to quality housing for renters, homeowners and manufactured home residents. Also, participants will discuss opportunities to expand access to credit for nonprofit housing developers focusing on rental and homeownership options and how housing can support family stability and improve financial opportunities.

This set of meetings is identical in format, so registrants are encouraged to attend either the Helena or the Greenwood meeting. For more information or to register, visit https://www.stlouisfed.org/events/2016/12/cd-deltacomm1201.

The Delta Communities series began in June and is presented by the Community Development department of the St. Louis Fed, which addresses challenges confronting low- and moderate-income communities in the Federal Reserve’s Eighth District. Earlier meetings identified challenges and opportunities of living in the Delta, focused on how credit affects small businesses, gave tips on building the right team and provided ideas for how to finance community and economic development projects.

Future meetings include:

• Tapping the Community Reinvestment Act for Community and Economic Development
  Jan. 19 – Greenwood  |  Jan. 20 – Helena

Media interested in additional information or who would like to attend should contact Maria Hasenstab at 314-444-8321 or maria.e.hasenstab@stls.frb.org.