Voices Blog – News & views for the community development field
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Staying afloat amid rising costs: Insights from the Federal Reserve Survey of Household Economics and Decisionmaking (SHED)
Get insights from the October 2022 survey on issues ranging from inflation to shrinking retirement savings to barriers to homeownership.
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Exploring the Federal Reserve’s commitment to community development and economic stability
A recent Federal Reserve History essay highlights the Fed’s rich history of commitment to community development, showcasing the central bank’s partnerships with community organizations, financial institutions, and government agencies.
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![[Watch] A Community Approach to Disaster Recovery](https://fedcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/diaster-recovery-cc.png?w=1024)
[Watch] A Community Approach to Disaster Recovery
Recovering from natural disasters can be difficult for underserved communities, with limited access to disaster funds & insurance. The Federal Reserve & FEMA share how their programs can help low- to moderate-income communities respond. Watch or listen on demand.
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Community perspectives and conditions from the Fed’s Beige Book, May 2023
Here’s what nonprofit and community leaders, and workforce professionals serving lower-income people shared with the Federal Reserve for the May 2023 Beige Book.
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Who can access their dream of homeownership?
Homeownership is an onramp to wealth for some Americans. For others, buying a house is out of reach. Here’s one way to pinpoint who is getting their foot in the door, and where.
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![[Watch] Two sides of one child care dilemma](https://fedcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/04/connecting-communities-early-child-care-dilemma.png?w=1024)
[Watch] Two sides of one child care dilemma
Families want quality early childhood education (ECE) but it’s often competitive to access and costly, especially for care during nontraditional hours. Providers face financial constraints of their own. What does recent research reveal? Watch or listen on demand.
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Community perspectives and conditions from the Fed’s Beige Book, April 2023
Here’s what nonprofit and community leaders, and workforce professionals serving lower-income people shared with the Federal Reserve for the April 2023 Beige Book.
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![[Watch] Amplifying small business voices—new findings from the Small Business Credit Survey](https://fedcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/CC-April-13-SBCS.jpg?w=1024)
[Watch] Amplifying small business voices—new findings from the Small Business Credit Survey
Find out how small businesses are dealing with hiring challenges, supply chain disruptions, and rising costs, plus what credit access gaps remain now that pandemic-related funding programs have ended. Watch or listen on demand.
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Coast to coast: Nontraditional approaches to affordable housing
Creating affordable housing in low- and moderate-income communities in the United States is a major challenge. Find out how some districts are addressing the issue.
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How have CDFI demand and capacity evolved since the pandemic? Federal Reserve survey aims to find out
Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs) are important to closing gaps in credit and capital access. The 2023 CDFI Survey aims to find out how CDFI demand and capacity have changed in the last two years.
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Care workers keep others in the workforce
Child care is vital to supporting the financial wellbeing of workers, households, and communities. But despite their essential role in the economy, child care workers long have faced barriers to being valued at work and fairly compensated for their work.
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5 things to know about participatory research
Communities benefit when research is conducted collaboratively with community members rather than to them. Here are five ways this approach, called participatory research, is different from a typical research process and how it benefits communities.