Voices Blog – News & views for the community development field
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Exploring student loan alternatives and postsecondary financing innovations
Many students take on debt to pay for postsecondary education and training, but other options are available. Here’s what experts told us at a recent conference.
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4 ways the CRA encourages banks to work hand-in-hand with their neighbors
The Community Reinvestment Act can help lenders chart a different future for low-and moderate-income neighborhoods. Here are four examples.
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Unequal inflation: Why rising prices are not the same for everyone
New research tells us that inflation may impact different people in different ways. People’s experiences with rising prices depend on where they live, how much they earn, and how they spend.
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![[Watch] High-Quality Early Care and Education: Cost, Affordability & Racial Equity](https://fedcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/connectingcommunities-ece-1920x1280-1.jpg?w=1024)
[Watch] High-Quality Early Care and Education: Cost, Affordability & Racial Equity
The pandemic highlighted the important role early care and education (ECE) plays in supporting working-age parents. In this webinar, gain insights from research on the cost of providing high-quality ECE, challenges low- and moderate-income families face in paying for it, and the racial and ethnic equity issues at play. Watch on demand.
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Supporting entrepreneurship for rural economic development
Entrepreneurs are the life blood of a community’s economy. Investing in and supporting entrepreneurship ecosystems can lead to the growth of additional entrepreneurial activity in a community.
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How the Fed’s ‘trove of data’ underscores the importance of small business credit access
Access to credit is vital for small businesses. The Federal Reserve’s annual Small Business Credit Survey provides critical data and insights for policymakers, small business support program managers.
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Going over the benefits cliff: The catch of higher wages
Landing a better-paying job is the dream of many Americans. But what happens when a higher salary makes it harder to pay the bills?
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A collaborative approach to one state’s child care challenges
Lack of affordable, high-quality child care prevents many individuals from going back to work after the COVID-19 pandemic—and from entering the job market altogether. In Delaware, first-hand insights from parents, employers, and small business owners inform solutions to easing child care challenges in the state.
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![[Watch] Investing in Rural Prosperity: Framework for Advancing Economic Prosperity](https://fedcommunities.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/11/rural-prosperity-connecting-communities-1920x1280-1.jpg?w=1024)
[Watch] Investing in Rural Prosperity: Framework for Advancing Economic Prosperity
In this webinar, get to know a framework for advancing shared economic prosperity in rural communities across the United States. Watch on demand.
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MAPD brings communities’ mortgage relief needs into focus
When making decisions about distributing emergency pandemic-relief funds to distressed homeowners, state officials are using a new tool to identify where those funds are needed most.
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Eviction moratorium highlights need for tenants to have counsel
A growing number of states and cities have passed laws that say low-income tenants have the right to counsel when they’re facing eviction. Most come with funds to implement the right to counsel.
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Why are Native American-led CDFIs invisible to banks?
“In our 35 years extending credit to Native communities, not once has a bank invested in our work. Instead, we’ve relied on CDFI Fund grants, foundations, and philanthropic investors,” says Tawney Brunsch, executive director of Native CDFI Lakota Funds.