Although the 2015 Summer Quarterly Conference and Gala Celebration are behind us, the memories will be with us for years to come. There will be many photos posted to OCCD’s website if you missed it. It’s hardly enough to say thank you to our chairman and anniversary committee leader, Rollin Seward, and his committee of dedicated volunteers. Along with the work of our wonderful staff, particularly Pat Richards and Deb Mayes, and Ohio Capital Corporation for Housing’s Rhonda Snyder, they produced the biggest and best celebration OCCD has seen in the past 50 years. The Gala was a night that I won’t forget; and once again, I want to thank the countless volunteers and our staff who helped make this summer’s celebration of community development in Ohio a resounding success.

One of the highlights for me was having 18 past-presidents together at the Ohio Statehouse. Thanks to the HUD and OCD staff for supporting us in this anniversary recognition. And a special thanks to Jorgelle Lawson who helped bring Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Harriet Tregoning to the Gala as our guest speaker. Her remarks were insightful and right on target.

Thanks to Ken Lengieza for his steadfast leadership during this past year, and I know I’ll rely on his guidance in the coming year.

OCCD’s goal is to provide for the exchange of knowledge and results of experience; conduct trainings and meetings, and facilitate effective federal, state and local relations by achieving close coordination among agencies and other partners. We are dedicated to the principles of diversity and eliminating discrimination.

My goal for the next year is for OCCD to provide the best training, education, research and support to you, our members and our communities. What a great way to honor our 50th Anniversary. Let’s focus on the core principles that this organization was founded on, while we prepare for the future sustainability of both OCCD and our communities. I welcome your suggestions and input about OCCD’s direction, so please feel free to talk to me or any one of the board members as we kick off this exciting year.

Jack Riordan, OCCD Development Specialist

What Skills Will Be Needed To Get A Job This Year, Next Year, Five or Ten Years?

What skills will Add Value to a product or service that an employer will pay to have in their workforce?

These questions are important to communities since these are the skills that will keep companies in town and expand or to attract new employers. Without vibrant employers your tax base and population will shrink. For communities there are no universal correct answers, Real Estate Tax breaks are no longer the easy answer, but a supple of people ready to work is a part if the solution.

Two traits that most employers want whether plumbing contractors, makers of high tech products, or Mickey Ds are related to reliability;

Employees must show up on time and do their Job.

Employees must pass drug tests to keep insurance and Ohio Employee Compensations costs down.

Robotic Machines are taking over more and more jobs. The percentage of men 25-54 that are NOT Working has doubled since 1980. Computers are taking over the more routine mental and physical functions such as truck drivers and administrative assistants which employ 3 million men and women respectively. Daimler is developing a system of Simi truck trains in which only the first truck has a human driver.

The cover of the August 1st issue of Fortune Magazine highlights an article, “The 3 Skills Needed to Thrive in the New Work Place* Coding Isn’t One Of Them.” I am not ready to abandon STEM but an article by Geoff Colvin, “Humans are Underrated” points out that in the long term the skills that employers need will be inter personal skills such as relationship building, cultural sensitivity, ability to manage diverse employees, all right brain traits that today are found more often in women. BUT Geoff Colvin claims this will be a good thing because:

“The evidence is clear that the most effective groups are those whose members most strongly possess the most essential, deeply human abilities- empathy above all, social sensitivity, storytelling, collaborating, solving problems together, and building relationships.”

Later he relates these are predominately female skills and reports research that groups with the fewest or no men are the most effective. Eighty percent of the readers of my rambles are women and I can hear them cheer, “It’s about time.” The workforce participation rate for men in general and minority men in particular has been declining for half a century. Employment of American men is declining and working women are increasing. That trend will continue and will be ever greater among African American males.

American women are better prepared for the jobs coming on line. Last year the Bureau of labor Statistics reported that their survey of millennials showed that 32% of women and only 24% of men will earn bachelor degrees. On August 18, 2015 the Wall Street Journal reported on a study by Georgetown University Center for Education and Workforce, revealed that since the recession the economy has added a million jobs paying more than $53,000 per year and 800,000 jobs paying less than $32,000. Of these low income jobs only one third had health insurance and one quarter provided retirement benefits. The economy has not created the middle income jobs lost in the recession: there are 900,000 fewer middle income jobs today than 2008. Of the 2.9 million higher salary jobs added to date, 2.8 million went to those with at least a bachelor’s degree.

My bias is that both men and women need roles in life that give self-respect and incomes that provides for the needs of themselves and any offspring they generate. We all know the roles of men and women have changed and interwoven; there are no clear distinctions. However the mental and physical skills that evolved over tens of thousands of years are still hard wired, males are bigger and stronger and only females can give birth and are better equipped for child care, to some degree by the very skills more in demand today by employers. There has been no reduction in the need for babies or household management but the religious and cultural restrictions on limiting the number of children have been removed or are ignored. The Taj Mahal, one of the most beautiful buildings in the worlds, was built to honor a wife who died in delivering her 14th child.

There is much less need in today’s economy for males strengths, fighting and hunting skills; although we still need soldiers, police, and detectives, some of which are now women. These male skills in the past lead to leadership positions in government and religion which are still predominately held by men. Traditional male roles are no longer essential. BUT, when young men do not have a respected position in society, they cause trouble to get attention and they are packed with Testosterone.

In April the New York Times reported that for the 25 to 54 age group in the United Sates there are 1.5 Million black men missing because of early death or incarceration. I believed the loss is caused by involvement in the drug trade and it’s over policing. This loss, results in only 83 black men for every 100 black women. By comparison there is almost one white man for every woman. Workforce participation is a growing problem for white Americans; in the last 20 years participation of white males went from 93% to 88.7% and for Black males it went from 70.0% to 63.6%.
As you might have guessed I am concerned about the effect of men not working, what will be the result of men not having meaningful employment that gives self-respect? How much more crime and violence will we generate by excluding more men from the productive side of our very profitable consumption society. Even the Pope sees something wrong with our workforce.

The Encyclical by Pope Francis, “On Care for Our Common Home” is a great read even for me who no longer pays dues or attends meetings of his former Catholic Faith. In addition to extensive coverage of the global damage to the environment, he includes a section titled; “The Need to Protect Employment” which points out that technological efficiency may not always be the best policy for humanity. Section 128 reads:

“We were created with a vocation to work. The Goal should not be that technological progress increasingly replace human work, for this would be detrimental to humanity. Work is a necessity, part of the meaning of life on this earth, a path to growth, human development and personal fulfillment. Helping the poor financially must always be a provisional solution in the face of pressing needs. The broader objective should always to allow them a dignifying life through work. Yet the orientation of the economy has favored a kind of technological progress in which the cost of production is reduced by laying off workers and replacing them with machines.”

Perhaps one day enough of our political leadership will realize that there is more to governance than tax cuts and reelection.

The old lady with cats told me in no uncertain terms, “We women are finally getting our due and you poo poo our cause. Women have been saving your over, muscular male existences for eons. We are finally getting an equal place at the public tables; we have always ruled the private in- house table”

Debra Mayes, OCCD Training Coordinator

Our very first training was Construction Management presented by ICF International in December of 2004. It was a two-day training attended by 60 at the Holiday Inn Worthington which is now Doubletree Worthington. That is your OCCD trivia for the quarter.

Due to the OCD Housing Conference at Sawmill Creek directly the week following the OCCD Fall Quarterly, there is no training scheduled for October 27th.

Speaking of the 2015 OCD Housing Conference……you can register on-line at www.occd.org. This year, session topics include – Determining Income & Allowances, Residential Plumbing System Inspections, Fair Housing: Concepts, Compliance and Practice, to name a few.  If you have questions regarding any of the sessions, please contact OCD.  For questions regarding registrations contact Patricia Richards – 937-652-3523.

Other dates to add to your calendar-

December 1-3, 2015 OCCH/OFA Housing Conference, Columbus
January 19, 2016 CHIP Application Training
January 20-21, 2016 OCCD Winter Quarterly

In case you missed it in the Special 50th Anniversary Newsletter, pictures taken during the 2015 OCCD Summer Annual and the 50th Anniversary Gala and After Party can be accessed through the following links-

50th Anniversary Gala at Statehouse

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1NhDRCWvdHcfklackE3N0NnbENXWEtNYlFaRk5yZHVlaEcxNzN5b3c4NExhSEFrVlNkZms&usp=sharing

2015 OCCD Summer Annual & After Party

https://drive.google.com/folderview?id=0B1NhDRCWvdHcfnRuVmNqQTZmTGlJWXVYYUZUemZENGJIZXMySzVTMlNkcmJ2TzdkMEJOb0E&usp=sharing

Change of address!!!! Please replace my old e-mail trainingcoordinator@occd.org with tc-occd@occd.org!!!!!

Reminder
Power Point presentations from the OCCD Quarterly meetings are posted to the OCCD website under Learning Resources-Post Training Materials when permission is given by the speakers. Occasionally, due to the size of the presentation because of pictures, this is not possible. The members’ only password is required to access. If you do not have this password, please contact Patricia Richards at office@occd.org.

Locations for 2015

The OCCD 2015 Fall Quarterly Meeting will held October 28-29, 2015 at Crowne Plaza North, Columbus.

Locations for 2016

The OCCD 2016 Winter Quarterly Meeting will be held January 20-21, 2016 (note a week earlier than usual) at the Embassy Suites, Dublin.

The OCCD 2016 Spring Quarterly Meeting will be held April 27-28, 2016 at Crowne Plaza North, Columbus.

The OCCD 2016 Summer Annual Meeting will be held July 27-28, 2016 at Toledo. We are going to TOLEDO!!

The OCCD 2016 Fall Quarterly Meeting will held October 26-27, 2016 at Doubletree Worthington.

Locations for 2017

The OCCD 2017 Winter Quarterly Meeting will be held January 25-26, 2017 (back to normal last Wed-Thurs) at the Crowne Plaza North, Columbus (change of venue)

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P.S.   My last OCCD quarterly location site visit was at Ohio Canopy Tours in Rockbridge (Hocking Hills). I see this as a potential team building opportunity!!

Can you believe Jack Riordan has never gone zip-lining?? Score another one for Debra!

David Goodman, Director

It is hard to believe my children are back in school and football season has started. It seems like we just celebrated the Ohio Conference of Community Development’s 50th anniversary. I enjoyed being part of the celebration in July to recognize this milestone.

At the time of my last message, the General Assembly was working on the state budget. I am happy to report Ohio has a balanced budget that once again cuts taxes for small businesses and all Ohioans.

The enacted budget also includes a new program for the Development Services Agency and extends funding for two others. The Abandoned Gas Station Cleanup Program will provide $20 million in grants to local governments to clean up and prepare abandoned gas station sites for redevelopment. We are working with the Ohio EPA and the Department of Commerce, Division of State Fire Marshal Buried Underground Storage Tank Regulation (BUSTR) to develop the program guidelines that will give these sites new life. Please email us with your contact information if you are interested in receiving information when applications are available.

A strong workforce keeps Ohio competitive. The Incumbent Workforce Training Voucher Program provides businesses with the funding they need to train their current workforce.  As technology evolves, so does the training needed to keep employees current.  Businesses can be reimbursed for up to 50 percent of the training costs. The online application will be made available on September 28, 2015, and applicants will have two weeks to gather the information to complete their application.  Starting October 14, 2015, applications will be accepted at 10 a.m. on a first-come, first-served basis. For more information, visit our website.

Another program focusing on workforce development is the Career Exploration Internship Program. It helps high school juniors and seniors learn more about a profession and gain better understanding of the skills, training, and education needed to enter a career. Together, a business and student develop internship goals and complete the application. Interns must be employed for at least 20 weeks and complete at least 200 hours of work and instruction. At the end of the internship, businesses participating in the program are reimbursed for 50 percent of the intern’s salary up to $5,000. For more information about the program, click here.

Finally, I hope you will check out the fun Ohio things to see and do this fall in the TourismOhio Travel Guide. You can find it on www.discoverohio.com or download the Travel Guide app. Just search “Official Ohio Travel Guide” in your app store.

With your help, we’re continuing to make Ohio a great place to work and raise a family. Thank you, again, for all you do to build and sustain Ohio communities!

Jorgelle Lawson, CPD Director, U.S. Dept. of HUD

Another Fiscal Year!!! 2016 is here. We are off to a fast start!! CPD Columbus has added new staff and the Risk Analysis process has started in preparation for on-site monitoring visits.

CPD Staff Updates:

The CPD Columbus Field Office welcomes one new employee: Carolyn Buhler. Carolyn comes to CPD from the Office of Field Policy Management. Carolyn has experience in managing CPD programs from her previous employment with the City of Columbus and Portage County. Carolyn has a B.A. from Kent State. CPD welcomes her!! Hopefully, by the Fall Meeting, we will be able to introduce you to 2 additional employees.

CPD COLUMBUS FIELD OFFICE / NATIONAL PROGRAM UPDATES:

New CPD Cross-Program Funding Matrix and Dashboard Reports Now Posted - HUD's CPD Cross-Program Funding Matrix and Dashboard Reports provide funding information for each city and state that receive CPD program funds. The reports detail the size of each grant received over the past several years, as well as the total amount of funds currently available to be spent on affordable housing and community and economic development activities. To access the reports, please visit the CPD Cross-Program Funding Matrix and Dashboard Reports page.

Grant-Based Accounting – Technical Assistance - HUD has updated the Integrated Disbursement and Information System (IDIS) to begin phasing out the first-in-first-out (FIFO) accounting methodology. These changes ensure that IDIS both commits and disburses funds on a grant-specific basis, instead of using the FIFO (oldest money disbursed first) method that has been used for the Community Development Block Grant (CDBG), HOME Investment Partnerships (HOME), and Housing Opportunities for Persons With AIDS (HOPWA) Programs to date. HUD has launched a Grant Based Accounting page on the HUD Exchange to provide guidance to grantees on implementing this change. The following guidance is currently available: 

HUD is awaiting publication of a rule revising the CDBG Program regulations to fully implement grant-based accounting.

HUD Offers Financial Management Curriculum: Financial Management 101 - Through three online modules, grantees and subrecipients can complete a financial management curriculum designed to help them comply with federal grant requirements, increase effectiveness, and maximize efficiency. The modules are available at: https://www.hudexchange.info/training-events/financial-management-curriculum/

ConnectHome Initiative to Extend Broadband Access -- On July 15, 2015, President Obama and HUD Secretary Julián Castro announced a new initiative, ConnectHome, to extend affordable broadband access to low- to moderate-income families. Through ConnectHome, internet service providers, non-profits, and the private sector will offer broadband access, technical training, digital literacy programs, and devices for residents in assisted housing units in 28 communities across the nation. HUD is collaborating with EveryoneOn and US Ignite who worked with private- and public-sector leaders to build local partnerships and gather commitments that will increase access to the Internet for low-income households. These partnerships will bring broadband, technical assistance, and digital literacy training to students living in public and assisted housing across America. ConnectHome is encouraging the 28 participating communities to utilize a variety of HUD programs, including those in CPD, as possible funding sources to increase broadband to public and assisted housing in their communities. CPD plans to provide additional information and guidance in the near future. For more information visit HUD’s website at: http://connecthome.hud.gov/

Please continue to check your e-mails for updates from my office. If there are any changes in e-mail addresses, please let your CPD Rep or Myrna Cokes know as soon as possible. In addition, please provide updated staffing information to our office. This would include changes resulting from elections, office reorganizations, etc.

See you at the meeting.