Healthy Neighborhoods Inc

Baltimore city and the state of maryland call on healthy neighborhoods to manage the investment of public funds to support community development in city neighborhoods. The examples are the one mile radius funds ("omr")and the baltimore regional neighborhoods initiative ("brni"). Omr funds derive from a tax on video lottery ("slots") machines to be used to improve neighborhoods within one mile of pimlico race course. Each year the city grants to hni a sum of money which hni regrants to neighborhood based nonprofits. The projects are verydiverse: little league athletics, renovation of an abandoned movie theater into a community arts center, homeless services, housing development. To date $4.2 million has been invested. The brni program is another state community development program for which hni is the administrator.

Healthy neighborhoods supports baltimore city's middle neighborhoods by improving home values beyond appraised value, building homeowner equity, providing concessionary financing for acquisition/rehab, refinance/rehab and home improvement. Healthy neighborhoods supportneighborhood organizations to organize around community assets and positive asset driven marketing strategies. Healthy neighborhoods is active in 46 baltimore city neighborhoods. The healthy neighborhoods loan program has raised $105 million of debt from banks which hasfinanced the improvement of more than 780 homes. It has used the proceeds of a federal neighborhood stabilization program grant to invest $44 million to renovate 201 foreclosed and abandoned houses.

Matching loans and other grants