WELCOME

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2010 2011

Associate

General

2011 Income Resources

Direct PublicSupport - 75%

Scholarship Income -13%

Program Income -12%

WELCOME! 2011 was an exciting year for the Arkansas

Coalition of Housing and Neighborhood

Growth for Empowerment (ACHANGE).

We hired our first full-time staff member,

acquired office space, conducted three

regional foreclosure prevention events, and

grew our membership.

Despite the economic challenges facing

affordable housing organizations today, the

members of ACHANGE remain focused on

providing safe, affordable housing for

Arkansans.

We look forward to a future where

affordable housing is recognized as integral

to successful communities and the overall

economic development of the state.

Karen Phillips, Board Chair

ACHANGE is a network of affordable housing providers, developers and supporting organizations that are working to increase the recognition of affordable housing’s importance to the state of Arkansas.

ACHANGE provides activities that strengthen the capacity of affordable housing providers and supporters.

Membership has increased by 120% since 2010

Debra Banks, Program Manager

EDUCATION AND TRAINING Education and training are important aspects of building strong organizations. ACHANGE believes in finding ways to provide continuous training opportunities for the staff of its member organizations. ACHANGE sponsors an annual training for practitioners during Homeownership

Month in June. A partnership with NeighborWorks America® allows a number of member organization staff to attend NeighborWorks® Training Institutes throughout the year.

In addition to the regular training and information sessions, ACHANGE conducted three regional “Keep Arkansas Home” Foreclosure Prevention Events in West Memphis, Springdale, and North Little Rock. These events provided a venue for homeowners who were facing foreclosure to meet directly with mortgage servicers in an effort to retain their homes. A fourth event provided the opportunity for mortgage servicers to discuss procedural guidelines and have a dialogue with housing counselors and educators.

As a part of the foreclosure prevention effort, agencies that provide foreclosure prevention and loss mitigation services were able to participate in a program that rewarded their efforts to help

Arkansans facing foreclosure. None of this would have occurred without great partners: • Fannie Mae

• Legal Aid of Arkansas

• Ally Financial

• Bank of America

“We got everything that we came for.”

Keep Arkansas Home event attendee.

MEMBERSHIP AND MARKETING “The times they are a-changing” (Bob Dylan, 1964)

Marketing is a means of communicating with customers and others in a way that will provide some overall value. In 2011, the members of ACHANGE decided that it was time to amplify their efforts while embracing new technologies.

In 2011, ACHANGE unveiled a new website and a new logo. ACHANGE established a presence on Facebook and Twitter in order to better communicate not only with members, but with anyone interested in affordable housing in Arkansas.

The Marketing Committee worked with the Program Manager to craft materials to market the organization and to promote events like the “Keep Arkansas Home” events and Community Development Week.

ACHANGE has embraced new technologies in order to communicate with internal and external customers. Quick Response (QR) codes have been used to share the website and videos.

The monthly newsletter is now a full-color digital news magazine. The result: Participation and open rates have increased.

PUBLIC POLICY Housing has undergone a dramatic and dynamic paradigm shift in recent history. Tightened lending standards, foreclosures, short sales, over-building in certain regions combined with steadily decreasing home sales and home values have left many states at the crossroads regarding safe, decent, affordable housing for all socio-economic classes. With traditional funding resources decreasing, opportunity exists to collaborate across many disciplines so that Arkansas emerges a stronger, more sustainable ecosystem for community and economic development.

In 2011, ACHANGE hosted “Housing: The Unrecognized Piece of Economic Development”, a Public Policy Symposium designed to bring housing developers, realtors, economic developers, community developers, financial institutions and government program leaders together to set a path for this new normal.

During the symposium, attendees listened to expert panels, reviewed the progress made on the previous policy agenda, and participated in a “town hall” session to craft the new agenda for 2012.

The Public Policy Committee has contracted with UALR’s Institute on Economic Advancement to produce a Policy Paper from the information gathered during the 2011symposium. The paper will be presented in 2012.

RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT “The future is now”

No work can be done without financial backing. It is a necessary part of a nonprofit organization’s existence. The Resource Development Committee has been hard at work, building the foundation to seek those resources that allow ACHANGE to continue its growth. In 2011, the Resource Development Committee held a mini-summit with the members of the Membership and Marketing Committee to create a roadmap for future development. The focus will be on material development, relationship building, and securing funding to continue the work. Thank you to the generous supporters of ACHANGE in 2011.

LOOKING AHEAD

In 2012, ACHANGE will continue its work as a founding member of Housing Arkansas, stressing the need for the funding of the Arkansas Housing Trust Fund. The funding of this legislation will prove to be a win-win for the state, for private and nonprofit individuals and for low-to-middle income Arkansans.

ACHANGE will continue reaching out to organizations and individuals, increasing our presence throughout the state. ACHANGE’s mission is to “collectively promote the cause of affordable housing”. Continued organizational growth will increase the influence and visibility of all affordable housing providers. Safe, affordable housing is important in transforming communities; thus,

housing should be no longer be the invisible piece of the economic development puzzle.

ACHANGE committees will continue to be actively involved in increasing the capacity of member organizations while simultaneously reaching out to newer

organizations. In the future, we may see a state certification process that will recognize quality and capable providers.

ACHANGE will continue to embrace new technologies to meet the needs of its members, providing training and meeting opportunities that will allow members to save on travel expenses. Regional opportunities will be explored to foster relationship-building in specific regions of the state.

401 Main Street, Suite 206 North Little Rock, AR 72114

(501) 766-3941 (501) 244-9670 (fax)

www.achange.org

ACHANGE Executive Committee Board Chair—Karen Phillips

1st Vice Chair—Barrett Allen

2nd Vice Chair—George Holcomb

Secretary— Frances Newsome

Treasurer—Cathy Carlock

Associate At-Large Board Member—Martie North

At-Large Board Member—Darryl Swinton

Committee Chairs

Education and Training Committee Chair—Roma Isom

Finance Committee Chair—Cathy Carlock

Membership & Marketing Committee Chair—George Holcomb

Public Policy Committee Chair—Darryl Swinton

Resource Development Chair—Charles Vann

Program Manager

Debra Banks

Winner 2011 Open Doors

Award

In recognition of outstanding efforts in

community redevelopment