Stories
Strong Support for Communities in the 2024 State of the Union
LISC’s Matt Josephs reflects on this year’s State of the Union speech, taking particular note of the president’s comments about affordable housing, child care, climate solutions and community safety. "Taken as a whole, the speech offered a strong and hopeful statement of purpose,” Josephs said, adding that it will take sustained leadership at all levels "to translate promising ideas into on-the-ground progress for families and communities.”
How Expanding Access to ARPA Has Expanded Access to Child Care
To support the struggling child care sector during and after the pandemic, Congress dedicated billions in child care relief funding under the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). The LISC Child Care and Early Learning team explores how minor but important changes in the administration of ARPA funding directed to child care programs can streamline deployment and make federal fund distribution more equitable.
Op-ed: Congress Can Help Make Housing Affordable — It Just Has to Act
The country needs a renewed commitment to affordable housing production programs, including expansion of the Low Income Housing Tax Credit and enactment of the Neighborhood Homes Investment Act, argue LISC board chair Robert E. Rubin and former U.S. senator Rob Portman in a joint op-ed in The Hill. "Fixing the chronic shortage of affordable and available housing for low-income renters and first-time homebuyers requires immediate intervention and long-term commitment,” they stress.
New Research Shows What Community Development Organizations Need Most: Support to Grow Their Organizational Capacity
Recent research highlights the importance and needs of nonprofit community development organizations. LISC’s Mark Kudlowitz examines how this data informs our work and the need for additional resources to support these groups’ abilities to help communities across the country.
Federal Programs in Action: How Funding Fuels Social and Economic Gains
In a new blog, LISC’s Matt Josephs connects the dots from community development policy discussions to actual funding streams, highlighting positive local outcomes that would not otherwise move forward. "It would be nearly impossible to unlock the tens of billions of dollars of private financing needed each year to scale up progress without strong federal support,” he writes. "We are grateful for the confidence federal agencies have shown in LISC and others in the community development finance field…"
A Playbook for Our Future: LISC Unveils Its 2023–2024 Policy Priorities
Strong public policies have always been critical to promoting affordable housing, economic development, health, and jobs. The urgency surrounding these issues remains ever-present. LISC SVP for Policy Matt Josephs zeroes in on the goals of LISC’s federal policy agenda in a blog highlighting proposals that tackle gaps in health, wealth and opportunity affecting millions of families and their communities.