Dear Friends,

For the North Shore Community Development Coalition,

neighborhood revitalization is a top priority for our work. As you’ll

see in this month’s newsletter, we focus on projects that have

substantial neighborhood benefits– building quality housing

such as Holcroft Park Homes Phase 2, engaging residents in

their community with voter registration drives, and partnering

with organizations to support youth in our community. We

provide a voice to the neighborhoods we serve– advocating on

local and national levels for investment into these communities.

This spring, I joined the Massachusetts Association of Community Development Corporations

(MACDC) as they met with Senator Scott Brown and other Congressional and Senate offices to

discuss upcoming policy issues that could effect local neighborhoods at the National Alliance of

Community Economic Development Associations (NACEDA) annual day on Capitol Hill. Senator

Scott Brown expressed his support for important affordable housing resources, such as CDBG

and HOME funds, and the impact of housing and small businesses on the local community. It is

vital that we continue to advocate for our residents throughout the region to provide the

neighborhoods we serve with the support they need.

Thank You,

In this issue

x

X

x

Spring 2012 Newsletter

The North Shore

Community

Development

Coalition provides

quality affordable

homes and fosters

economic

empowerment and

community

development in the

north shore.

In this issue:

Holcroft Park

Home Phase 1

Complete

Mural Unveiled

in Salem Point

Energize the

Earth attracts

over 400

runners

Call for

Increase in

Voter

Registration

New slate of

Board of

Directors

On May 23, the Massachusetts House of Representatives passed

the Community Development Partnership Act (CDPA), which was

included in the comprehensive job creation and economic

development bill (H. 4110).

In partnership with MACDC, The North Shore CDC has lobbied for the

CDPA for over a year with local, state, and national officials to allow

CDCs to leverage private investment in our communities and foster

local economic development. The CDPA now moves on to the

Senate; should it pass this year, CDPA would create a program that

engages private sector support for high-performing CDCs to expand

economic opportunities for families across the State.

Community Development Partnership Act

Mickey Northcutt, Executive Director

Don Bianchi of MACDC, Danny LeBlanc from Somerville Community Corporation, Joanna Ain from Housing Corp of

Arlington, Senator Brown, Mickey Northcutt from North Shore CDC and Allison Staton from MACDC.

Building Homes

New Faces at North Shore CDC

Jenny Li

The North Shore CDC welcomes Jenny Li,

recently hired as the accountant within the

organization’s finance department. Her

international work and educational experi-

ence from Salem, Ma to Shanghai, China

has allowed Li to develop an appreciation

of the beauty and challenge of accounting.

Li also enjoys outdoor sports and reading.

Board of Directors

The North Shore CDC also welcomed a slate of nine new members

to the board of directors at the May Annual Meeting. The new group

furthers North Shore CDC’s commitment to diversity in our board of

directors, which is presently composed of community leaders, ex-

perts in the field, and stakeholders from across the region.

Spring 2012 Page 2

Holcroft Park Homes: Phase 1 Completed

Residents, developers, and city-officials alike were pleased to see the first

phase of transformational affordable housing in the Gloucester Crossing

neighborhood completed. The development, Holcroft Park Homes, is a joint

project by the North Shore Community Development Coalition and the YMCA

of the North Shore, who teamed up in 2007 to buy 10 downtrodden proper-

ties with the focus of revitalizing the neighborhood’s two decade decline.

The first phase of the project, now complete, includes one building with 20

apartments on Mill Street and three buildings with three apartments each

on Grant Street. The whole development, set to be completed in 2013, will

house 58 low-income families in six new buildings.

Leonette Strout, President

Keller Williams

Salem

Kate Newhall, Vice-President

City of Beverly

Beverly

Judith Zolla, Treasurer

Greater Salem Employees Federal

Credit Union

Linda Anderson-Mercier, Clerk

River House, Inc.

Beverly

David Jacobson

Salem State University

Salem

Nathan Tiller

Beverly

Diana Kerry

North Shore Community College

Newburyport

Denise Deschamps

Beverly

Steve Britton

Beverly Cooperative Bank

Beverly

Alex Mitchell-Munevar

Greater Boston Legal Services

Salem

Elizabeth Duclos-Orsello

Salem State University

Somerville

Jennifer Raitt

Metropolitan Area

Planning Council

Beverly

Jason Silva

City of Salem

Beverly-Salem

Lesli Woodruff

Epsilon

Hamilton

Lucy Corchado

Point Neighborhood Association

Salem

Adria Leach

Salem State University

Salem

Jon Frey

The Davis Companies

Marblehead

Rev. Alan Froggatt

Second Congregational Church

Beverly

Doug Lanois

Tremont Capital

Hamilton

Rosario Ubiera-Minaya

Salem Education Foundation

Salem

Laura Sanchez

Point Neighborhood Association

Salem

Bill Luster

Salem

Residents are already beginning to see the impact of the revitaliza-

tion efforts on the neighborhood– commenting that there are fewer

drugs and violence than before. The quality housing has impacted

both the tenants living in proximity to the neighborhood and within

the new buildings. "They're beautiful units, beautiful buildings," re-

marked Robert Williams. "It's quiet and nice. It was a great idea for

the community." After losing his job and having to leave his lead

paint apartment, Williams, his pregnant wife, and son have found

stability by moving into the Holcroft Park Homes development.

Last week, North Shore CDC staff and Gloucester Crossing residents

came together at the new development to beautify the planters of

the new Mill Street buildings. "It's great to see families settling in

and enjoying their new homes. Everybody who worked on the first

Phase is excited to be completing the project with Phase 2. Planting

together was a tangible way to celebrate the changes this develop-

ment has made," remarked Nina Cohen, project manager of HPH.

Joyce O’Neil, a resident of Gloucester Crossing, plants

flowers on Mill Street, part of the recently completed phase

of the Holcroft Park Homes Development.

Board of Directors

Talented young artists of the Salem

community were the focus of this year’s

Youth Get to the POINT Day, as they

unveiled a 12X16’ mural on Peabody

Street.

The Salem Mural, “Pride in Our Commu-

nity,” reflects the vibrancy and diversity

of the Salem point neighborhood

through a year-long, in-depth communi-

ty engagement process with residents

and youth of the city. Facilitated by

North Shore CDC’s leadership curricu-

lum and community visioning process,

the youth from Salem’s Boys & Girls

Club attended weekly artistic training at

PEM. The finished mural celebrates the

Point neighborhood’s history of diversity

and sense of community felt throughout

the city as it uses art to bridge a gap

between the Point neighborhood and

the greater Salem community.

Youth Get to the POINT Day not only

showcased art, but also focused on

community service in the heart of

Salem's point neighborhood. In a fun

community event complete with music

form DJ Stylez and food from Deli

House, ten local youth groups, including

Salem Cyberspace and Salem Charter

Academy, participated in hands-on ser-

vice activities including park clean ups,

an anti-littering march, gardening, an

anti-bullying presentation, and even an

African drum procession! Remarks by

the Director of Community Development

at the North Shore CDC were that the

event was “bigger and better [than last

year],” confirming it as a new tradition

for the engaged young people of

Salem’s community.

Salem Mural Project Unveiled

Spring 2012

Strengthening Communities

Page 3 Spring 2012

Energize the Earth Race

The North Shore CDC hosted its first annual

Energize the Earth 5K/10K Race on Earth Day at

Beverly's Lynch Park. A special thanks to our co-host

B&S Fitness, the many volunteers, vendors, and

sponsors who together supported and cheered on

the 450 runners. Congratulations to all who crossed

the finish line.

Voter Registration

Following the 2008 presidential elec-

tion, the Salem Point neighborhood

has had a steady decline in voter

turnout, especially in local elections.

Salem State University students, the

Point Neighborhood Association, and

North Shore CDC are working hard to

reverse this decline by canvasing the

neighborhood to register and inform

residents that their vote is important.

“Voting registration drives like this

raises a set of questions; such as,

who gets to decide what constitutes

America and American culture? Who

votes, who doesn’t vote or who has

access to voting, is a way of pushing

hard on that question.” commented

Liz Duclos-Orsello, a SSU teacher and

newly elected NSCDC board member

who assisted in leading the NSCDC

community development project.

The steady decline in voter participa-

tion may be attributed to a number of

changes, including the precinct poll-

ing location being moved out of the

neighborhood in 2010, language bar-

riers, and a lack of visibility from local

candidates.

With the focus of increasing civic en-

gagement, these voting registration

drives allow the neighborhood to

think about how they can influence

the future at both national and local

levels. The North Shore CDC’s neigh-

borhood canvasing campaign brought

together Salem State University vol-

unteers and community leaders from

the CDC and PNA to register 40

residents to vote and canvassed over

500 homes. The campaign will con-

tinue its efforts this fall culminating in

a “Get Out the Vote Drive.”

Special thanks to our many art donors

who supported the project: Rich Ransom

Kevin Hecht

Frost Forge Games

Nina Cohen

K. Benham

Natalie Blue

Jodi Sperling

John Mucciarone

Christine Sullivan

Jude Iannaccone

Craige Hird

Andrea Bellomo

Graham Bailey

Alexander Falk

Comcast

Davis Square Architects

Harbor Sweets

Highrock Covenant Church

New England Biolabs

Salem Cultural Council

Salem State University

Salem Waterfront Hotel & Marina

The Mural and sponsor plaque can be viewed across

from Peabody Street Park on Peabody St.

MOVIES IN THE PARK

Where: Peabody Street Park

Time: 8:00pm

When: Friday, June 29th

Friday, July 20th

Friday, August 17th

Where: Holcroft Park

Time: 8:00pm

When: Friday, June 22nd

Friday, July 27th

Friday, August 24th

A fun time for all ages!

SALEM BEVERLY

Rain dates will fall on the following Saturday. Movie specifics can be found at www.northshorecdc.org.