Good morning! It’s Wednesday news day …
A pattern of HUD projects stalled or abandoned — Many have likely read this already (check out the 1300+ comments), but just in case: the Post recently released the results of an investigation into over 5,1000 housing construction projects across the country, 700 of which have “have languished for a decade or longer even as much of the country struggles with record-high foreclosures and a dramatic loss of affordable housing.” And at a time when demand far outpaces supply, “early one in seven projects shows signs of significant delay.” What is your take? (Do check out the reaction on DCentric too)
Women Are Strongest Believers in the Power of Supporting Causes — The Center for Social Impact Communication at Georgetown is rolling out the findings of a new study on cause involvement throughout the week. Much more details are to come; but today, you can check out the data on cause involvement by gender. A couple examples? “More than four in ten Americans (45%) are actively involved with supporting causes, and women make up a significantly larger part of this group than men [... and] women are more compelled to support youth-related causes like bullying and childhood obesity.”
Community Foundation Assets and Grantmaking Bounce Back . . . Partway — The Nonprofit Quarterly reported yesterday that “according to a new study by the Columbus Foundation, community foundations in the United States are ‘cautiously optimistic’ that the worst of the recession is behind them. While foundations are not at 2006 and 2007 levels yet, “average assets, donations, and grants all grew during 2010″ for 91% of those surveyed.
Note: Also sure to swing by Greater Greater Washington for their coverage of the Coalition for Smarter Growth‘s Young Planner Showcase, coming up a week from today!