GICH helps communities improve their quality of life and economic vitality through the development of locally-driven housing and revitalization strategies. This is achieved through:
- Technical assistance
- Collaboration
- Expert presenters
- Training
- Facilitation
- Consensus building
- Networking
- Mentoring
What you'll do
During the three-year program of technical assistance and cross-community sharing, participating community housing teams will:
- Attend two retreats a year with other participating communities
- Identify issues and needs, available resources, and potential obstacles
- Develop new ideas about meeting local housing needs and enhancing community development
- Learn about best practices and available resources and funding for housing and community development
- Produce a community housing plan with objectives and goals
- Begin implementation of the action plan
What you can achieve
The following are some examples of initiatives that have been undertaken by communities as a result of their participation in GICH:
- Targeted a distressed neighborhood for revitalization
- Developed multi-family tax credit apartments
- Redeveloped a failed subdivision
- Revised out-dated codes and ordinances and adopted new ones
- Increased code enforcement
- Removed abandoned or dilapidated homes
- Created a Land Bank Authority or Community Land Trust
- Obtained first CDBG and CHIP grants
- Developed a rehabilitation program
- Provided housing counseling and down payment assistance
- Completed sewer/water infrastructure improvements
- Wrote and adopted an Urban Redevelopment Plan
- Created a Redevelopment Authority
- Obtained Opportunity Zone designation
- Conducted a housing assessment and windshield survey
- Partnered with Habitat for Humanity, Rebuilding Together, Work Camp, churches
- Convened neighborhood clean-up days
- Established neighborhood watch programs
- Launched an education/public awareness campaign
What must interested communities do?
What do others have to say?
The entire city has benefited from the GICH experience
We planned and toured and learned together. Our community assessment showed the need for affordable housing for our senior citizens. Although it took two years, we now have senior apartments currently under construction that fit right in with our city. The entire city has benefited from the GICH experience - our planning department, our codes and enforcement officer, our team. This is a vital program to all cities.
