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Detroit may be the Motor City, but one of its latest projects to get the green light is a new $140 million streetcar line that project partners say is on track to be a major job creator and economic booster for the region.

The project is spearheaded by M-1 RAIL, a nonprofit organization formed in 2008 to lead the design, construction and operation of a streetcar that will connect Detroit’s downtown, midtown, North End and New Center districts. M-1 RAIL was organized after Detroit hosted Super Bowl XL in 2006 and local private sector and philanthropic leaders saw the need for a more reliable public transit system along Woodward Avenue, one of Detroit’s main arteries.

“We see this as the catalytic driver, the economic engine, the future tax base and revenue driver of the city of Detroit,” said Jeni Norman, M-1 RAIL’s chief financial officer. “When you look at streetcars and what this type of system has done in other cities, there’s a multiplier effect that happens to surrounding neighborhoods.”

Scheduled to begin operation in 2016, the 3.3-mile M-1 RAIL project will have 20 stations at 12 locations. It will serve Detroit’s central business district, Wayne State University, two major hospitals, museums, performing arts venues and three professional sports stadiums.

Supporters expect the project will stimulate a half-billion dollars in economic development along the Woodward corridor and will be a game-changer for improving job access in the region. Norman said that only 39 percent of Detroiters work within the city limits and that many jobs are located beyond the reach of low-income residents who lack transportation options. In addition to bringing area residents closer to work, M-1 RAIL partners expect the streetcar project itself will create between 700 and 750 jobs. Nearly 30 percent of construction and concurrent road work, amounting to nearly $40 million in contracts, has been awarded to businesses certified as Detroit-based, minority or women-owned or disadvantaged business enterprises, according to M-1 RAIL.

The streetcar route is designed to connect with existing public transit lines, including Detroit Department of Transportation (DDOT) buses, Suburban Mobility Authority for Regional Transportation (SMART) buses, the Detroit Amtrak station and The People Mover, an elevated single-track loop that circulates through downtown. M-1 RAIL will also connect with Transit Windsor, which is a daily bus line that travels between Detroit and Windsor, Ontario. M-1 RAIL plans to operate the streetcar for 10 years, after which a newly established regional transit authority will likely take over, said Norman.

Financing

Project partners said that because the streetcar is a public infrastructure project in an economically underserved community, the project couldn’t support traditional debt. As such, they said new markets tax credit (NMTC) financing was essential to move the project forward. “This clearly demonstrates to the transit world that there are creative ways to bring financing to the table,” said Paul Childs, M-1 RAIL’s chief operating officer. “As far as we know, it’s the first streetcar project leveraging new markets [tax credits] for design and construction activities.”

Five community development entities (CDEs) contributed a combined $42.4 million of NMTC allocations. “It’s such a large private project that [M-1 RAIL] had to do a lot fundraising, but there was still a significant gap in the budget to move the project forward,” said Kelsey Hamory, an underwriter at New Markets Support Company, the NMTC affiliate of the Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC), one of the project’s CDEs.

Invest Detroit committed to providing $18.4 million in NMTC allocation in two tranches. “M-1 RAIL is at the core of Invest Detroit’s targeted areas of redevelopment and will serve to accelerate job creation, and retail and population density,” said Mary Seaberg King, senior vice president of Invest Detroit. “These activities promote vibrant and sustainable neighborhoods which strongly support Invest Detroit’s mission and collaborative initiatives for Detroit’s renewal.”

National Community Fund, an affiliate of United Fund Advisors, provided a $9 million NMTC allocation. “We see this project as having a far-reaching, dynamic impact on Detroit’s economic vitality and revitalization that could be a model for other cities,” said Colin Rowan, principal at United Fund Advisors.

Many of the CDEs were interested in M-1 RAIL as a way to continue supporting some of their previous investments in Detroit. Great Lakes Capital Fund (GLCF) provided an $8 million NMTC allocation to M-1 RAIL through its subsidiary, Cap Fund New Markets LLC. Peter Giles, GLCF’s community development finance analyst, said this contribution to M-1 RAIL is meant to enhance GLCF’s existing $500 million in investments around the city, which includes numerous low-income housing tax credit (LIHTC) developments.

“Part of our initiative is to fortify current investments and provide transportation to residents of [those developments],” said Giles. “We looked at our existing portfolio and found that within a mile or less of the M-1 route, GLCF had 16 [LIHTC] developments, totaling 1,400 units—all in highly distressed census tracts.”

For similar reasons, LISC contributed a $5 million NMTC allocation to M-1 RAIL, said Victor Abla, Detroit LISC’s director of lending and portfolio management. Abla said that the streetcar project aligns with LISC’s Building Sustainable Communities initiative to revitalize blighted neighborhoods with strategic investments. “We’re trying to link our neighborhoods with jobs and entertainment, everything from midtown to downtown,” he said.

Tahirih Ziegler, executive director of Detroit LISC, added that M-1 RAIL would encourage others to bring capital to the neighborhood. “We don’t usually invest in public transportation in this way, but all of the catalytic development that will result as part of the project is really important to our work,” said Ziegler. “We think this project ties into other opportunities for small businesses to come into the neighborhood and other jobs will be available to local residents.”

Others agreed. “We see it as a down payment on a larger regional system, connecting low-income folks to where they want to live and work,” said Aaron Seybert, vice president of Chase Community Development Banking’s NMTC group. “It makes for a more connected city and provides for a better economy.” Chase is providing approximately $13.5 million in tax credit equity and $2 million of its own NMTC allocation through Chase New Markets Corporation.

Other federal support came in the form of a $25 million Transportation Investment Generating Economic Recovery (TIGER) grant awarded in 2013 and a second $12.2 million TIGER grant in 2014, administered by the U.S. Department of Transportation. M-1 RAIL received dozens of donations, including $49.6 million from the Kresge Foundation, $10 million from Quicken Loans, $9 million in aid from the Detroit Downtown Development Authority and $7 million from the Penske Corporation.

Widespread support for the project at the federal, state and local levels highlights the importance of M-1 RAIL to Detroit’s revitalization, said Jared Fleisher a senior consultant on the project and an honorary member of the M-1 RAIL board.

“What it reflects is the depth and breadth of commitment in Detroit and Michigan by the philanthropic and corporate community,” said Fleisher. “It shows how they all came together on something that’s going to be transformative, catalytic and a long-overdue investment.”

Written By: Teresa Garcia, Staff Writer – Novogradac & Company LLP

 This article first appeared in the December 2014 issue of the Novogradac Journal of Tax Credits.

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PORTLAND, OR , August 25, 2014 — United States Senator Ron Wyden applauded the success of an $18 million investment in federal and state New Markets Tax Credits for Albina Head Start.

The investment—a partnership with National Community Fund, a Community Development Entity affiliated with United Fund Advisors — will enable Albina Head Start to lower its debt burden and expand services to low-income families. The investment consists of $10 million in federal and $8 million in state New Markets Tax Credits.

“Albina Head Start’s programs have a direct impact on the current and future vitality of the Portland community, creating healthier kids, better readers, fewer high school dropouts and brighter futures,” said Senator Wyden, who chairs the United States Committee on Finance. “It’s exactly the kind of program the New Markets Tax Credits program is designed to support.”

Highlights of Albina Head Start’s services to the community include: family advocates to help families navigate county social service systems; free preventative dental care for children and pregnant mothers; an in-house Health Team that incorporates high school and college students working towards degrees in related fields; a fresh food partnership with a local catering vendor for healthier school meals; and a Mandarin Chinese immersion program.

“United Fund Advisors’ New Markets Tax Credits work with us will save our program hundreds of thousands of dollars annually,” said Ronnie Herndon, Executive Director of Albina Head Start. “That money will enable Albina to give better service to the children and families we serve.”

The NMTC allocation will enable Albina Head Start to refinance five existing Head Start and Early Head Start program properties in Portland, lowering the organization’s debt burden and freeing up resources to expand services. The five properties serve 367 students from birth through five years of age.

“The projects supported by New Markets Tax Credits provide much-needed opportunities and infrastructure in distressed communities,” said Carl Talton, Ex Officio Chair of UFA. “We appreciate Senator Wyden’s leadership on behalf of this important program and we look forward to the economic impact NMTC projects will continue to have in Oregon.”

As chair of the Senate Finance Committee, Wyden is working to renew the NMTC, which expired at the beginning of this year. In May, the committee passed an a two-year extension of the credit as part of a bipartisan bill that Wyden is now working to pass through the full Senate.

About United Fund Advisors

UFA is a fund manager and financial services company that provides tax-advantaged investment capital and advisory services for community development and renewable energy projects throughout the country. With over $2 billion of assets under management, all of UFA’s investments and services are driven by its triple bottom line mission “to create opportunities for profitable investments which enhance social and environmental yields.” UFA’s investments have incorporated a wide array of alternative financing tools, including NMTCs, Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credits, Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits and EB-5 capital. For further information, visit www.unitedfundadvisors.com.

National Community Fund is a community development entity formed by Portland Family of Funds Holdings, Inc. and UFA. NCF partners with economic development agencies to provide below-market, flexible financial products for high-impact projects located in highly-distressed urban and rural communities throughout the country. NCF was recently awarded its seventh consecutive NMTC allocation from the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund of the U.S. Department of Treasury. In 2014 NCF was awarded $55 million in NMTC allocation authority, bringing NCF’s total allocation awards to $442 million.

About Albina Head Start

Albina Head Start has been educating, informing, and enlightening Portland’s low-income children and families since the 1960s. It currently serves more than 900 children in the Portland area from birth through age 5 through its home-based program, and in 51 classrooms in 24 locations throughout Portland. Albina Head Start was awarded a 2012 Spirit of Portland Award for Outstanding Organization.

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PORTLAND, OR, August 28,2014 — United Fund Advisors (UFA) today announced three recent investments that will support entrepreneurship, economic development and job creation in Portland, Oregon. The UFA Community Investment Fund investments in Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO), Oregon Angel Fund (OAF) and Portland Seed Fund (PSF) will help provide access to capital for small businesses and spur innovation in underserved communities and businesses throughout the region.

“At UFA, our investments are guided by a core mission to create triple bottom line returns—and these three organizations clearly meet that criteria,” said Colin Rowan, Principal of UFA. “Together, MESO, OAF and PSF support meaningful job creation, provide critical growth and working capital to foster small business development in the community, and provide access to capital for groups that face significant obstacles to securing the resources they need to grow and thrive.”

Since 2004, UFA has assisted in the financing of over $5 billion worth of community development and renewable energy projects throughout the country. UFA’s investments in MESO, OAF and PSF reflect its ongoing commitment to invest in projects and organizations that are committed to creating quality jobs and growing Oregon’s regional economy.

About United Fund Advisors

UFA is a fund manager and financial services company that provides tax-advantaged investment capital and advisory services for community development and renewable energy projects throughout the country. With over $2 billion of assets under management, all of UFA’s investments and services are driven by its triple bottom line mission “to create opportunities for profitable investments which enhance social and environmental yields.” UFA’s investments have incorporated a wide array of alternative financing tools, including NMTCs, Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credits, Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits and EB-5 capital. The UFA Community Investment Fund provides financial support and technical assistance to provide Oregon’s emerging small businesses with the capital, mentoring, and connections necessary to allow them to strengthen and grow Oregon’s regional economy.

 About Oregon Angel Fund

 The Oregon Angel Fund (OAF) is a community supported, professionally managed, investor driven angel fund. The fund provides investors privileged access to the most promising startups and early-stage growth companies in Oregon and SW Washington. Founded in 2007, OAF has grown to become the most active local venue for funding startups in terms of both participants and dollars invested.

 About Portland Seed Fund

The Portland Seed Fund (PSF) is a privately managed fund and non-resident accelerator focused on providing emerging companies the capital, mentoring, and connections to propel them to the next level. PSF’s proven 90-day mentor-led program works. Since Fall 2011, PSF’s first 36 companies have collectively raised $23M in outside capital and created more than 200 jobs. PSF’s portfolio covers a wide range of startups including those in enterprise, mobile, consumer internet, and consumer products.

About Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon

Micro Enterprise Services of Oregon (MESO) seeks to broaden economic opportunities for underserved entrepreneurs by providing business support to increase growth in income, assets, and business skills. Since July 2005 MESO has supported businesses with a diversity in trade and color. An experienced and dedicated staff provides clients with a minimum of three years of support, ranging from business planning, goal implementation, marketing, consulting, and financing. MESO’s clients engage in a wide array of economic activities that include frozen baked goods, child care services, video production services, beauty products, art, automotive services, marketing services, and a variety of other goods and services.

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PORTLAND, OR, June 6,2014 — National Community Fund I, LLC (NCF) was awarded its seventh consecutive New Markets Tax Credit (NMTC) allocation from the Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund of the U.S. Department of Treasury. This year NCF was awarded $55 million in NMTC allocation authority.

NCF is a community development entity (CDE) formed by Portland Family of Funds Holdings, Inc. (PFF) and United Fund Advisors, LLC (UFA) to provide below-market, flexible financial products for real estate projects in highly distressed communities throughout the nation.

$442 million in NMTC allocation since 2006

 Through a highly competitive application process, $3.5 billion of NMTCs were awarded to 87 to 87 CDEs in 32 states and the District of Columbia, from a pool of 310 applicants requesting a total of $25.9 billion in tax credits. This latest allocation brings NCF’s total allocation awards to $442 million since its inception in 2006. It received $65 million of NMTC allocation in 2008, $50 million in 2009, $60 million in 2010, $77 million in 2011, $85 million in 2012 and $50 million in 2013.

“The projects supported by New Market Tax Credits provide much-needed opportunities and infrastructure in distressed communities,” said Carl Talton, CEO and President of PFF. “We are proud to continue our track record of success in securing NMTC allocation for the National Community fund, and we look forward creating impact with future projects.”

Creating opportunities in distressed communities

NCF will use its NMTC allocation to expand its financing of projects that generate substantial community benefits to low-income persons and residents of highly distressed urban and rural communities. NCF will collaborate with its national network of economic and community development partners to identify and finance projects and businesses that create quality jobs, provide critical goods and services, and achieve environmentally sustainable outcomes. NCF will make loans with below-market interest rates and/or contain flexible or nontraditional rates or terms, and will offer patient equity at rates that are a fraction of those offered in the conventional marketplace.

See the NMTC Fast Facts for more on the benefits of this program.

PFF also manages Portland New Markets Fund I, LLC, a CDE that previously received and deployed $100 million of NMTCs in 10 projects throughout Portland with combined total project costs of nearly $250 million.

About United Fund Advisors & National Community Fund

UFA is a fund manager and financial services company that provides tax-advantaged investment capital and advisory services for community development and renewable energy projects throughout the country. With over $2 billion of assets under management, all of UFA’s investments and services are driven by its triple bottom line mission “to create opportunities for profitable investments which enhance social and environmental yields.” UFA’s investments have incorporated a wide array of alternative financing tools, including NMTCs, Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credits, Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits and EB-5 capital.

National Community Fund is a community development entity formed by Portland Family of Funds Holdings, Inc. and UFA. NCF partners with economic development agencies to provide below-market, flexible financial products for high-impact projects located in highly-distressed urban and rural communities throughout the country. NCF was recently awarded its seventh consecutive NMTC allocation from the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund of the U.S. Department of Treasury. In 2014 NCF was awarded $55 million in NMTC allocation authority, bringing NCF’s total allocation awards to $442 million.

About Portland Family of Funds

PFF is a mutual benefit corporation that undertakes economic development activities in Portland, Oregon. PFF manages Portland New Markets Fund I, which received a $100 million NMTC allocation in 2004. PFF is also the controlling entity of nationally focused NCF, which has received $442 million of NMTC allocation since 2007. For further information, visit http://www.portlandfunds.com.

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“This investment will enable Roseburg Forest Products to retain nearly 1,000 permanent jobs at the Dillard Mill—a critically important economic engine for the surrounding Douglas County community,” said Carl Talton, Manager of NCF. “The project is a perfect example of the New Market Tax Credits program’s value in providing much-needed opportunities and infrastructure in distressed communities.”

For more than 75 years, Roseburg Forest Products, based in Dillard, Oregon, has provided forest products from Oregon’s timberlands. The company employs over 3,000 employees, including 971 employees at their multi-mill complex in Dillard. Roseburg and the local economy were hit particularly hard during the recent recession, as both are heavily dependent on new home construction and wood-product manufacturing.

In addition to providing working capital for Roseburg Forest Products, a portion of the NMTC financing was used to fund local economic development initiatives through a partnership between UFA, Sustainable Northwest and Rural Development Initiatives.

“Working with Sustainable Northwest and Rural Development Initiatives, two non-profit organizations focused on economic and community development in rural communities, we have identified several opportunities to provide financing in support of small business development in the area around Dillard, Oregon,” continued Mr. Talton. “We are pleased to be able to use our NMTC financing in an innovative way to support both Roseburg Forest Products and small business development efforts in the region.”

About United Fund Advisors & National Community Fund

UFA is a fund manager and financial services company that provides tax-advantaged investment capital and advisory services for community development and renewable energy projects throughout the country. With over $2 billion of assets under management, all of UFA’s investments and services are driven by its triple bottom line mission “to create opportunities for profitable investments which enhance social and environmental yields.” UFA’s investments have incorporated a wide array of alternative financing tools, including NMTCs, Renewable Energy Investment Tax Credits, Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits and EB-5 capital.

National Community Fund is a community development entity formed by Portland Family of Funds Holdings, Inc. and UFA. NCF partners with economic development agencies to provide below-market, flexible financial products for high-impact projects located in highly-distressed urban and rural communities throughout the country. NCF was recently awarded its seventh consecutive NMTC allocation from the Community Development Financial Institutions Fund of the U.S. Department of Treasury. In 2014 NCF was awarded $55 million in NMTC allocation authority, bringing NCF’s total allocation awards to $442 million.

About Roseburg Forest Products

Roseburg Forest Products, based in Dillard, Oregon, is a family-owned manufacturer of engineered wood products, lumber, plywood, particleboard and specialty panels. It owns and manages timberlands in the Western United States, and operates manufacturing facilities in the Western and Southern regions of the country.

About Rural Development Initiatives

Rural Development Initiatives, Inc. is a private, nonprofit 501(c)3 organization based in Eugene, Oregon. RDI was formed in 1991 in response to the timber industry crisis facing the Pacific Northwest. Today RDI is continuing to support rural communities as they work through challenging economic conditions. RDI’s nationally recognized programs and services help communities help themselves with effective and results-oriented training and resources necessary for individuals living in rural communities to build and sustain a better future in their communities.

About Sustainable Northwest

Sustainable Northwest is a non-profit based in Portland, Oregon that restores forests, rivers, and rangelands for healthier habitat and clean air and water. By bringing people together to find common ground, they are building a regional economy based on land stewardship, and markets for sustainable wood and clean energy. They are committed to finding workable solutions to natural resource issues that benefit both people and nature.

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An innovative solution to accommodate rural Alaska’s terrain brings thousands of Alaskans broadband internet.

PROJECT LOCATION:

Rural Alaska

THE PROJECT:

Rural Alaska covers 395,000 square feet and is home to 60,500 people, most of whom are Alaska Natives, the region’s aboriginal people. Residents of rural Alaska have historically received their phone, internet, and television services over high-cost and high-latency satellite connections and approximately 80% of rural Alaska residents do not have broadband internet.

Alaska’s terrain makes it extremely difficult to bury the traditional fiber-optic cables that are used to carry broadband signals into the home. In 2009, telecommunications company General Communication Inc. (GCI) began creating an alternative network known as Terrestrial for Every Rural Region in Alaska (TERRA). Rather than relying solely on fiber-optic cables, TERRA is a hybrid of both fiber-optic cables and a network of microwave towers. More than six years and $300 million later, GFI had lain over 400 miles of both submarine and terrestrial cable and built 109 microwave towers. Due to Alaska’s terrain, the towers had to be either flown or barged in, with 23 requiring installation to mountaintop sites via small fleets of helicopters.

If built in the contiguous United States, TERRA would stretch from Washington, D.C., to Seattle. This staggering project was made possible by a patchwork of federal grants, loans, and subsidies, as well as the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. Today, 45,000 residents in 84 rural villages have access to broadband internet. An additional $15 million in NMTC allocation from NCF will expand the TERRA network to seven additional villages and update nine existing towers to increase internet speed, serving primarily Alaska Native people such as Inupiat, Yup’ik Eskimo, and Athabascan Indian.

COMMUNITY IMPACTS:

• Create 19 full-time construction jobs.
• Create 1 full-time permanent job.
• All new full-time jobs will receive wages in excess of local living wage and employer-sponsored benefits.
• The project will assist with the expansion of broadband internet service to rural Alaska and upgrade service to high-speed internet for 18 schools, 18 health clinics, 61 homes, and 1,728 individual consumers. Students will be better able to access specialty courses and other distance learning opportunities that aren’t available at the physical school location.
• Broadband internet will provide better connectivity for first responders and expand the range of search and rescue public safety radios.
• Native healthcare groups will be able to use telemedicine via video conferencing, bringing urban doctors and rural villages together face-to-face without needing to travel.

COMMUNITY PROFILE:

This project is located across six census tracks in rural Alaska that are considered Low-Income Communities, Targeted Distressed Communities, and Non-metropolitan Counties as defined by the CDFI Fund.

FINANCING:

• Total Project Cost: $24 million
• NCF Deployed Allocation: $22 million
• Total NMTC Allocation: $21.6 million

PROJECT PARTNERS:

• United Fund Advisors (National Community Fund I, LLC)
• US Bancorp Community Development Corporation
• GCI Communication Corp.
• Twain Financial Partners, LLC

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Columbia Basin Health Association (CBHA) continues its mission of serving low-income residents in some of Washington state’s poorest counties with a state-of-the-art healthcare campus in the city of Othello.

PROJECT LOCATION:

Othello, Washington

THE PROJECT:

Since 1972, CBHA has served some of Washington’s poorest counties with a full scope of healthcare services, including primary medical, dental, optometry, behavioral health, maternity support, lab, and outreach services. To ensure more patients have access to quality care, CBHA is combining two existing facilities in Othello, Washington, into one state-of-the-art healthcare campus. The new 250,000-square-foot campus will include a 70,000-square-foot primary and multi-specialty clinic in addition to workforce supportive housing, a community and wellness center, and retail space.

The new campus will ensure patients have access to quality care in one location, expanding services by 25% to serve over 40,000 patients annually. It will also allow CBHA to accommodate new primary and specialty care providers, including mammography, orthopedics, physical therapy, dermatology, and ENT – services often hard to come by for residents in remote, rural locations such as Othello. Almost half of CBHA’s patients are seasonable and migrant farm workers, many requiring services in a language other than English. The new facilities will work to accommodate and effectively care for these patients. CBHA’s student and resident training programs will also be expanded, with additional rotations in medical, dental, behavioral health, and pharmacy.

COMMUNITY IMPACTS:

• Create 150 construction jobs.
• Create 65 permanent full-time jobs and maintain 288 permanent full-time jobs.
• Full-time jobs include living wages and employer-paid benefits, including health care, life insurance, matched retirement contributions, continuing education financial assistance, disability and an employee assistance plan.
• CBHA’s dental and pharmacy assistant training programs create opportunities for community members to be directly hired and trained in the medical field with no prior experience necessary.
• 25% more patients will be served annually, including more residents of nearby rural counties.

COMMUNITY PROFILE:

• MFI 53.18% of AMI
• Unemployment rate of 13%, or 1.65 times the national average
• Non-metropolitan
• Federally Medically Underserved Area

FINANCING:

• Total Project Cost: $30 million
• NCF Deployed Allocation: $7.8 million
• Total NMTC Allocation: $7.6 million

PROJECT PARTNERS:

• United Fund Advisors (National Community Fund I, LLC)
• U.S. Bancorp Community Development Corporation
• Community Hospitality Healthcare Services, LLC
• Columbia Basin Health Association
• U.S. Bank, N.A.

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A world-class workforce training, culinary, and hospitality institute sets down roots in New Orleans, connecting the local community to quality employment opportunities and creating pathways for industry advancement.

PROJECT LOCATION:

New Orleans, Louisiana

THE PROJECT:

The hospitality industry is the largest employer in New Orleans, a city that boasts over 1,400 restaurants alone. NOCHI’s mission is to provide more employment and community engagement opportunities in the industry by way of no- and low-cost workforce training programs, culinary and baking certification programs, no-cost community education programs and revenue-generating food and beverage programs for visitors from around the world.

The project includes the renovation of a historic, five-story building in downtown New Orleans, accessible by public transportation. Upon completion, the project will include two culinary kitchen labs, two baking and pastry labs, a restaurant lab, a wine and spirits lab, a large event center including a banquet kitchen, a café open to the public, as well as traditional classroom and office space. About 21,500 square feet of the building will be subleased to Tulane University, who will operate a business hospitality entrepreneurship program.

COMMUNITY IMPACTS:

• Create 57 full-time construction jobs.
• Create 44 permanent full-time jobs and maintain 9 permanent full-time jobs.
• 100% of construction jobs will pay wages more than the local living wage, and 97% of permanent jobs will pay more than the local wage and provide employer-sponsored benefits.
• The project includes a Workforce Training Program that will train a minimum of 220 individuals annually, 60% of whom are projected to be minorities and 100% to be Low-Income Persons.
• The project includes community-based education programs to approximately 90 individuals annually, 60% of whom are projected to be minorities and 50% to be Low-Income Persons.
• Developed in partnership with the Culinary Institute of America, the project will also include certificate programs in Culinary Arts and Baking Arts to approximately 210 students annually, 25% of whom are projected to be minorities and 25% to be Low-Income Persons.

COMMUNITY PROFILE:

• 29% poverty rate
• Economic Development Zone

FINANCING:

• Total Project Cost: $35 million
• NCF Deployed Allocation: $9 million
• Total NMTC Allocation: $8.82 million

PROJECT PARTNERS:

• United Fund Advisors (National Community Fund I, LLC)
• IBERIA Civic Impact Partners, LLC
• Enhanced Community Development, LLC
• New Orleans Culinary and Hospitality Institute, Inc.

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One of Oregon’s largest nonprofit healthcare providers expands to include an integrated behavioral health and wellness center and a 52-unit affordable housing project.

PROJECT LOCATION:

Portland, Oregon

THE PROJECT:

Cascadia Behavioral Healthcare, a nonprofit healthcare provider focusing on mental health and addiction treatment services, redeveloped one of its facilities to include a new 24,540-square-foot integrated behavioral health clinic and wellness center and a new 52-unit Low-Income Housing Tax Credit affordable housing project, known as the Garlington Center and Garlington Housing respectively.

The new Garlington Center operates as a Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinic, providing a range of mental health and substance use disorder services, particularly to vulnerable individuals. Services include but are not limited to:

• Crisis mental health services including 24-hour mobile crisis teams;
• Outpatient mental health and substance use services;
• Psychiatric rehabilitation services;
• Services for veterans and members of the armed forces; and
• Connections with other providers and systems, such as criminal justice, foster care, child welfare, education, primary care, hospitals, etc.

COMMUNITY IMPACTS:

• Create 123 temporary construction full-time jobs.
• Create 24 permanent full-time jobs.
• Maintain 42 permanent full-time jobs.
• Over 95% of the more than 3,000 clients that the Garlington Center is expected to serve are anticipated to be Medicaid recipients.

COMMUNITY PROFILE:

• Poverty rate of 35%
• Unemployment rate of 12.2%, or 1.54 times the national average
• Interstate Corridor Urban Renewal Area

FINANCING:

• Total Project Cost: $12.5 million
• NCF Deployed Allocation: $11 million
• Total NMTC Allocation: $10.78 million

PROJECT PARTNERS:

• United Fund Advisors (National Community Fund I, LLC)
• Meyer Memorial Trust

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