Your Monthly Update
from the Community Development Partnership
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A Word from Jay...
As I write this column, I’m listening to the funeral service for Representative John Lewis, reflecting on the tumultuous and violent events of the past two months and the urgent need to bring an end to the legacy of racial injustice and systemic racism that plagues this nation and our own community.
Cape Cod is predominantly white and I’ve often noticed that many of us struggle to see examples of structural racism that appear to be more apparent on the other side of the canal. But they exist. Two examples that come to mind are our often used “local preference” set aside for new affordable housing developments and zoning that only allows for construction of single-family housing.
As part of our strategic planning process, we have committed ourselves to strengthening the CDP’s capacity to be a more diverse, equitable and inclusive organization. Our Board has committed to discussing these difficult issues at each meeting, deepening our understanding of the legacy of structural racism. Last month we discussed Richard Rothstein’s
The Color of Law: A Forgotten History of How Our Government Segregated America. The book describes a century of government policies and programs that have deprived African Americans the opportunity to build multi-generational wealth through home ownership. And the Board formed a working group to examine our policies and procedures for marketing and selecting residents of our affordable housing units through the lens of racial equality.
Through our partnership with Cape Cod Children’s Place, the Family Pantry, Helping Our Women, Homeless Prevention Council, Lower Cape Outreach and WE CAN, we issued a statement decrying racial injustice and committing to building and strengthening each of our organizations’ capacity for diversity, equity and inclusion. You can read the statement here:
https://capecdp.org/news/press/statement
Our mission is to lead the Lower Cape in building a diverse year-round community of people who can afford to live, work and thrive here. The first step to building diversity is to eliminate systemic racism and committ ourselves to addressing bias and discrimination in all corners of our community. We hope you will join us in this difficult work.
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Jay Coburn
Chief Executive Officer
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Adam Howard: Finding community at Harbor Hill
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“I never want to give it up, because I don’t know if I’d ever be able to find
another affordable place like this”
Adam Howard
Resident, Harbor Hill
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For many residents of Provincetown, the summer brings good weather and excitement, but also stress over housing. Many endure the “Provincetown shuffle” where they move out of their winter rentals which are then rented to tourists, scramble to find seasonal housing, and then return in the fall. Harbor Hill’s year-round rentals provide stability to residents so they can avoid the chaos of Provincetown housing. One of the first Harbor Hill residents was Adam Howard.
Adam is a Service connected disabled Navy veteran living in one of Harbor Hill’s two ADA certified accessible units. Adam had lived Provincetown before, but had never expected to move back full time. “It’s really difficult to find accessible units anywhere,” recalls Adam, “Most places you apply and get stuck on a wait list, and you’re just waiting for an opening” Adam was one of the first applicants for Harbor Hill, and among the first to move in this past winter.
*Photo: The inside of Adam's apartment at Harbor Hill
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Supporting Local Business
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Laura Shabott: the business of being an artist
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“
It’s a big leap to hire an employee, but I was able to create a job in the middle of the pandemic thanks to the CDP and the GROW program.”
Laura Shabott
Artist, Provincetown
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Like many artists who land in Provincetown, Laura Shabott is a wash ashore. She first learned about the storied art colony from a friend in the early 90’s, while attending art school. After graduation in 1995, she moved to the Cape full time.
Laura spent her early years in Provincetown exploring a number of different mediums, including writing and acting. Laura describes her early art career as being unique to a small artist community. “You have the opportunity to create different types of art with help from friends and the community,” notes Laura who is now primarily a painter. “On the other hand, there are sixty galleries in this small town, so it’s very competitive.”
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*Photo:
Laura with one of her paintings displayed at Provincetown Commons
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Supporter Spotlight: Manny and Liz Smith on working for
real systemic change
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"These businesses whom the CDP helps, like Karoo Restaurant, Mac’s Seafood, and Neighborhood Auto ultimately give back to our community"
Manny Smith
Wellfleet Resident and CDP Advisory Council Member
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Wellfleet residents Manny and Liz Smith want to make change – sustainable systemic change that provides support to people with low to moderate incomes, whether through rental assistance, property tax relief, food security or childcare. Committed to the communities where they have lived, the Smiths have involved themselves with local non-profits as well as municipal government.
For years, Manny and Liz lived in the suburbs of Washington D.C. where they worked for the federal government. An economist by training, Manny first taught at Penn State but after two years went to work for the Department of Health Education and Welfare (which became the Department of Health and Human Services) where he focused on research, evaluation and policy development. Liz started out in the Navy then went to work for the Department of Labor. When she left to start a human resources and organizational development consulting business, the National Education Association became her client. After 10 years, the NEA hired her to manage their political efforts. In 2004, after a combined 60+ years in government Liz said, “we haveenough of politics,” and they both retired.
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Are you struggling to pay for needed repairs to your home?
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The Community Development Partnership’s Housing Rehabilitation Program has funds available for qualified year-round homeowners in Provincetown, Truro, Eastham and Harwich.
These funds come from a state grant that allows us to offer
0% interest
, 15-year
deferred forgivable loans
of up to $40,000 to pay for structural home repairs.
Over 430 residents on the Lower Cape have used these funds to take care of important repairs such as roofing and siding, electrical, heating and plumbing work, lead paint abatement, and energy efficiency upgrades to keep their properties in good condition for the long term. We use local contractors so we keep the money flowing back into our economy.
Because these loans are forgivable, as long as you own your house and remain in compliance,
you do not have to pay down the loan and the loan balance will decline each year over the 15-year term until it is fully forgiven
.
This program is intended to preserve existing homes for year-round homeowners at or below 80% of the median area income.
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For the third year in a row the CDP has been chosen as a beneficiary for The Gasp charitable bike ride!
Due to the health concerns of the coronavirus , this year's ride is entirely virtual. Participants will have the week of September 13th to ride a total of 62 miles on their own time, at their own pace, through their own neighborhood.
If you've never ridden with us before this is the perfect opportunity to get involved, and it is a great activity for families! There is a $25 entry fee and a $250 fundraising minimum.
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Business & Credit Workshops
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Update on Business & Credit Workshops
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I
n response to the evolving impacts of the Coronavirus, the CDP has shifted all trainings, workshops, technical assistance sessions, and appointments to a virtual platform until
further notice
. The status of in-person events may be changed in accordance with guidance from state and local officials.
We remain committed to serving our business clients
and our community. Staff is now working remotely and will continue our existing programs and services while also responding to the evolving challenges that this pandemic presents.
If you would like to schedule an appointment, please reach out to Pam Andersen at pam@capecdp.org or 508-240-7873 x18.
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Business Legal Consultations
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Attorney Melanie O'Keefe from the law firm La Tanzi, Spaulding and Landreth will be hosting free 30-minute consultations to answer questions related to small business law including:
- Best orginizational format for your business
- Partnership agreements
- Liability issues
Dates: August 11 and September 8
Time: 9:30 AM - 11:30 AM
Where: Via phone call
To book your
FREE 30-minute consultation call or email Marina at WE CAN - 508-430-8111 or marina@wecancenter.org
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GROW with the CDP and WE CAN
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The CDP is once again partnering with WE CAN to bring the GROW (Get Results with Others’ Wisdom) program to the Outer Cape this fall! This program for women business owners offers facilitated peer mentoring, accountability and a safe and confidential setting to work on adapting, stabilizing and/or growing your business in this new economy. The GROW program is facilitated by experienced business owners.
We have two upcoming info sessions. Join us to learn more about the program and see if it is the right fit for you:
- August 13th - 9:00 AM
- August 25th - 6:30 PM
To register for a
FREE
info sessions call or email Marina at WE CAN - 508-430-8111 or marina@wecancenter.org
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Additional COVID19 Resources for Businesses
We have created a separate page on our website that is a compilation of resources for local businesses, including various SBA, unemployment and other federal programs.
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If you or someone you know is interested in receiving weekly updates from our Business and Credit Program that are targeted to small businesses, please sign up for our
Inside Scoop
.
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Thank you
for supporting our efforts to support the Lower Cape community during this crisis.
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