WELCOME TO THE APRIL 2006 NEWSLETTER OF THE CENTER FOR INNOVATION IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING DESIGN This month’s newsletter includes links to a number of design related articles, several articles about addressing homelessness, a number of articles about issues surrounding homelessness, and a few articles regarding workforce housing in addition to several articles that have to do with funding, legislation and other issues related to affordable housing design. Be sure to look at the announcements, studies released, and upcoming events section of the newsletter for information you may find useful.   Title Summary ARTICLES Design Related Articles Optimizing Driver-Pedestrian Interaction by Design The Katrina Cottage: Cute beats cutting-edge when it comes to temporary shelters. Migrant Workers Cram into Cars, Sheds, Boxes Factory-Built Homes to Fill Need for Work Force Housing Nagin Reneges On Fema Trailer Park Site iPad and i-Life, the next generation of starter homes Community Gardens And Property Values Yes, in your backyard: BLM Land Could Host New County-Sponsored Mobile Home Park Building Green Affordable Housing In Nyc Balancing Affordability, Preservation, And Gentrification In Atlanta 'Angel's Camp' Pilots Would Be Built in D.C. Area, Sacramento Designing A Socially Just Downtown Homelessness Related Articles Soaring Real Estate Prices Make Job of Housing Homeless Tougher Low-Income High-Rise Project Approved in Dallas Nonprofit Coalition Working to Help 'Chronic' Homeless Plan Gives Mentally Ill Option to Jail L.A's 'Historic' Plan To Tackle Homelessness New Elder Shelter Delivers Peace of Mind Homeless Will Receive Preference for Subsidized Rents Homeless On Doorstep Of Posh Neighborhood Workforce Housing Related Articles Workforce-housing Project in Islip Quietly Progresses Housing Perks on the Rise for Middle Class Housing Help Plan Hits Snag; Proposals Would Help Teachers, But What About Others? Group Criticizes Housing Recovery Plan; Proposal Excludes Middle Class, It Says Miami Leaders Unveil Housing, Wage Initiatives University's Affordable Oasis; Housing Plan That Helps Recruit Faculty Yale University Extends Homebuyer Program Young Professionals Club Backs Affordable Housing for Young Professionals City To Offer Teachers Up to $15,000 in Housing Help Teachers, Other City Employees to Get Priority in Buying New Condominiums Funding, Legislation and other Affordable Housing Issues New Land Trust Aims to Build Nation's Largest Portfolio Builder Turns Toward Inner City: Kimball Hill Sees Profit in Providing Affordable Housing Seattle High-Rises to Fund Affordable Housing Fund Launched to Back Rehabilitating Housing Catholic Charities Plans 4,000 New Orleans' Area Homes Tax-credit Housing Sets Pace in Memphis Signs Point to Rollback of City Program That Spurs Development Banks to Help in Housing Repair Replacing lost housing is off to a slow start: Increase in Document Fees Would Finance Housing for the Needy Trust Fund Supporters Seek Enough Money to House 6,000 Families Annually San Francisco Condo Builders Told to Weigh Displacement Seven Towns Unite to form Regional CDC Housing Costs Drive Migrants From Boston And San Francisco Inclusionary Zoning and the Value of Diversity Public-housing Sell-off is Proposed Housing Prices Put Americans on the Move Shotgun Development; Builder's Remedy Has Some Town Officials Feeling Powerless ANNOUNCEMENTS     Awards of Excellence in Affordable Housing Built Responsibly Telling Stories: Reflections on Community Design:  ACD Conference, June 2006 James A. Johnson Fellow Nominations Due May 31  STUDIES RELEASED Are Housing Initiatives Driving up Prices? Paper Tracks Multifamily Housing Preservation Efforts  Homes for an Inclusive City: A Comprehensive Housing Strategy for Washington, D. C. Rebuilding the Social Infrastructure of New Orleans EVENTS Rural Rental Housing Preservation Conference, May 24-26  Michigan Conference on Affordable Housing. ARTICLES    Design Related Articles OPTIMIZING DRIVER-PEDESTRIAN INTERACTION BY DESIGN The interaction between drivers and pedestrians is one of the more important considerations when you are making decisions about parking.  This is first and foremost an issue of safety: the less often that the two have to cross, the better. But it is not just about separation. The drivers on your site are also the pedestrians. How can you make the transition from being a driver to a pedestrian - and vice versa - a pleasant and convenient one? Enterprise Network News April 2006 THE KATRINA COTTAGE: CUTE BEATS CUTTING-EDGE Say what you want about the new urbanists... By Witold Rybczynski –- Slate ArchNewsNow March 4 MIGRANT WORKERS CRAM INTO CARS, SHEDS, BOXES Most of the 15,000 migrant workers about to arrive in California's Coachella Valley will sleep outside or in cars or sheds, a housing advocate told The Press Enterprise. The workers, who will harvest grapes and citrus fruits, have few housing options in part because migrant housing programs are competing with subdivision developers for land, the article said. KnowledgePlex April 5 FACTORY-BUILT HOMES TO FILL NEED FOR WORK FORCE HOUSING The developer of a new manufactured housing community in southwest Florida says his disaster-resistant homes will help solve Charlotte County's shortage of work force housing, reported the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. KnowledgePlex April 5 NAGIN RENEGES ON FEMA TRAILER PARK SITE Just months after approving the FEMA trailer site, New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has riled federal officials by halting all construction in the Algiers neighborhood. pr 06 2006 -- Boston Globe Planetizen April 10 IPAD AND I-LIFE, THE NEXT GENERATION OF STARTER HOMES With names such as iPad and i-Life, the next generation of starter homes aims to be cutting edge as well as compact. But will it solve the problem of affordable housing? [images, links]- Expat Telegraph (UK) ArchNewsNow April 13 COMMUNITY GARDENS AND PROPERTY VALUES Community gardens add value to neighboring properties in New York City, especially in disadvantaged neighborhoods, according to this NYU Law School publication. Apr 12 2006 -- New York University School of Law , NYU Center for Law and Economics Planetizen April 13 YES, IN YOUR BACKYARD: Homeless centers are rarely welcomed, but smart design can soothe neighbors’ fears...it would be encouraging to see talented firms lining up to offer their services...smart architecture can save public money — and maybe help...shake off the stigma [shelters] still carry. By Christopher Hawthorne -- Gin Wong Associates; Jeffrey M. Kalban & Associates; Sam Davis [images]- Los Angeles Times ArchNewsNow April 14 BLM LAND COULD HOST NEW COUNTY-SPONSORED MOBILE HOME PARK Clark County, Nev., commissioners concerned about recent mobile home park closures are planning to develop a county park and are considering an 18-month moratorium on park conversions, reported the Las Vegas Review-Journal. Since 2000, 16 parks have closed, with at least another three scheduled to shutter, county and state officials say. KnowledgePlex April 19 BUILDING GREEN AFFORDABLE HOUSING IN NYC South Bronx affordable housing goes big and goes green. Apr 20 2006 -- New York Times Planetizen April 24               AFFORDABILITY, PRESERVATION, AND GENTRIFICATION IN ATLANTA Briarcliff Summit, built in 1925, has 200 units that are falling apart. Are the owners taking advantage of federal housing subsidies? Should the building be restored? If so, how will residents be impacted? Apr 21 2006 -- Creative Loafing Atlanta Planetizen April 24                            'ANGEL'S CAMP' PILOTS WOULD BE BUILT IN D.C. AREA, SACRAMENTO A real estate developer with plans to create "college-like" campuses for the homeless in every state hopes to pilot his efforts in Washington, D.C., and Sacramento, Calif., reported Roll Call. Brett Bocook, founder and chairman of Angel's Camp, said he will soon begin lobbying Congress for funds. KnowledgePlex April 26                   DESIGNING A SOCIALLY JUST DOWNTOWN A grassroots coalition in Oakland used its organizing and design skills to produce a housing proposal the city couldn't refuse, despite the mayor's stiff opposition. Apr 25 2006 -- Shelterforce Magazine Planetizen April 27 Homelessness Related Articles SOARING REAL ESTATE PRICES MAKE JOB OF HOUSING HOMELESS TOUGHER In California, sky-high property values and competition from commercial developers are making it increasingly difficult for nonprofits to develop housing for the chronically homeless, reported The Press Enterprise. With area land costing an average of $125,000 per acre, even nonprofits flush with funding have trouble affording lots, the article said. KnowledgePlex April 5 LOW-INCOME HIGH-RISE PROJECT APPROVED IN DALLAS The Dallas City Council is backing a developer's plan to convert a vacant office building into a 209-unit rental complex for formerly homeless and low-income people, reported The Dallas Morning News. The complex will include efficiencies renting for as low as $348 a month and nine apartments renting at market rates. KnowledgePlex April 5 NONPROFIT COALITION WORKING TO HELP 'CHRONIC' HOMELESS A comprehensive program to permanently house chronically homeless people in the Las Vegas valley area has shown notable success in a short time, program officials told the Las Vegas Review-Journal. KnowledgePlex April 5 PLAN GIVES MENTALLY ILL OPTION TO JAIL Officials in Erie County, N.Y., want to alleviate jail overcrowding by placing mentally ill and formerly homeless inmates guilty of minor crimes in supportive housing, reported the Buffalo News. About 275 of the county's 375 mentally ill inmates are incarcerated, often repeatedly, for misdemeanors or low-level felonies, the article said. KnowledgePlex April 5 L.A'S 'HISTORIC' PLAN TO TACKLE HOMELESSNESS Los Angeles County approves a controversial $100-million plan to move relocated homeless services currently concentrated in downtown's skid row to five suburban centers. Apr 09 2006 -- Los Angeles Times Planetizen April 10 NEW ELDER SHELTER DELIVERS PEACE OF MIND Thanks to grants from the Buffalo, N.Y., Urban Renewal Agency, Catholic Charities and the Salvation Army are now offering emergency shelter to seniors who are homeless, abused or neglected, or incapable of caring for themselves, reported the Buffalo News. KnowledgePlex April 13 HOMELESS WILL RECEIVE PREFERENCE FOR SUBSIDIZED RENTS City councilors in San Jose, Calif., have set aside 100 Section 8 housing vouchers annually for chronically homeless people, reported the San Jose Mercury News. The vouchers will enable the city to offer permanent housing to people who could not otherwise access the city's affordable housing stock, said the city's housing director. KnowledgePlex April 19 HOMELESS ON DOORSTEP OF POSH NEIGHBORHOOD The City of Philadelphia plans to partner with a church to construct a shelter near the well-off Chestnut Hill neighborhood. Current residents aren't having it. Apr 21 2006 -- Philadelphia City Paper Planetizen April 24 Workforce Housing Related Articles WORKFORCE-HOUSING PROJECT IN ISLIP QUIETLY PROGRESSES On Long Island, N.Y., a coalition that includes Northrop Grumman is planning a housing development designed for defense-industry engineers priced out of the local housing market, reported Long Island Business News. KnowledgePlex April 13 HOUSING PERKS ON THE RISE FOR MIDDLE CLASS A Los Angeles Police Department reserve officer who serves on the city council has introduced a bill to review ways to direct city down-payment assistance to police officers and firefighters, reported the Los Angeles Times. KnowledgePlex April 13 PROPOSALS WOULD HELP TEACHERS, BUT WHAT ABOUT OTHERS? Provisions targeting housing aid to teachers and other types of workers "are becoming sticking points" in efforts to pass a single package of affordable housing laws in Florida, reported the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. Florida's House and Senate are both considering bills that would lift the cap on the state's housing trust fund and expand eligibility for trust-fund-supported housing to moderate-income people living in expensive housing markets. KnowledgePlex April 13 GROUP CRITICIZES HOUSING RECOVERY PLAN; EXCLUDES MIDDLE CLASS According to a New Orleans governmental watchdog organization, the Louisiana Recovery Authority's draft recovery plan excludes much of the middle class, reported the Times-Picayune. KnowledgePlex April 19 MIAMI LEADERS UNVEIL HOUSING, WAGE INITIATIVES Under a pilot program approved by Miami commissioners, municipal employees purchasing homes within city limits can apply for $25,000 in down-payment assistance, reported The Miami Herald. KnowledgePlex April 19 UNIVERSITY'S AFFORDABLE OASIS; HOUSING PLAN HELPS RECRUIT FACULTY A partnership led by California State University, Channel Islands, is developing a community of 900 low-cost homes and apartments as well as retail businesses on state land near the university, reported The Daily News of Los Angeles. KnowledgePlex April 19 YALE UNIVERSITY EXTENDS HOMEBUYER PROGRAM Yale University in New Haven, Conn., is extending its Homebuyer Program through December 2007, according to a university press release. Under the program, university employees who buy homes in certain city neighborhoods receive $25,000 -- $7,000 initially and the rest in annual installments of $2,000. Since its inception in 1994, the program has helped more than 730 Yale employees -- divided almost equally among unionized staff and faculty and management -- buy homes. KnowledgePlex April 19 YOUNG PROFESSIONALS CLUB BACKS AFFORDABLE HOUSING In Sarasota, Fla., some housing advocates worry that young professionals' support of moderate-income housing could undercut low-income options, reported the Sarasota Herald-Tribune. City commissioners voted to double or quadruple the number of allowable units for downtown developers that make 10 percent of their projects affordable to middle-income buyers, the article said. KnowledgePlex April 26        CITY TO OFFER TEACHERS UP TO $15,000 IN HOUSING HELP Under an agreement with the United Federation of Teachers, The New York City Department of Education is offering certified teachers with at least two years of experience up to $15,000 in housing assistance, reported The New York Sun. KnowledgePlex April 26      TEACHERS, CITY EMPLOYEES TO GET PRIORITY IN BUYING NEW CONDOS San Ramon, Calif., plans to require a condo conversion project to give sales preference to teachers, first-responders, city employees, and others who work in the city, reported the Contra Costa Times. The 250-unit rental complex was built under an affordable housing agreement between the developer and the county. The deal required the units to be set aside for moderate-income renters for 20 years. Now the developer wants to transform the apartments into condos and sell them to moderate-income buyers under a 45-year affordability requirement. City officials -- who are negotiating priority status for certain workers -- support the proposal because it will allow more city employees to live in the city, the article said.   KnowledgePlex April 26  Funding, Legislation and other Affordable Housing Issues NEW LAND TRUST AIMS TO BUILD NATION'S LARGEST PORTFOLIO Irvine, Calif., is planning to launch a community land trust charged with acquiring more residential housing units than any other community land trust in the nation, reported the Los Angeles Times. KnowledgePlex April 5 BUILDER TURNS TOWARD INNER CITY, PROFIT IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING To reach a broader range of income levels, a development consortium using mostly market financing is constructing a mixed-income, mixed-use neighborhood on former public housing land in Chicago, the partners told the Chicago Tribune.  If successful, the financing model -- which requires less federal funding than similar projects -- could be replicated nationwide, said David Hill of Kimball Hill homes. KnowledgePlex April 5 SEATTLE HIGH-RISES TO FUND AFFORDABLE HOUSING As part of a downtown development package, the Seattle City Council voted to allow downtown residential developers to exceed current height limits by paying into a fund for low- and moderate-income housing, reported The Seattle Times. KnowledgePlex April 13 FUND LAUNCHED TO BACK REHABILITATING HOUSING A new investment fund from Enterprise Community Partners and Deutsche Bank hopes to raise $15 million to invest in revitalizing lower-income neighborhoods, reported The Baltimore Sun. KnowledgePlex April 13 CATHOLIC CHARITIES PLANS 4,000 NEW ORLEANS' AREA HOMES Catholic Charities plans to build 4,000 rental units in the New Orleans metro area, making it one of the city's larger landlords, reported the Times-Picayune. KnowledgePlex April 13 TAX-CREDIT HOUSING SETS PACE IN MEMPHIS For the first time, developers in Memphis, Tenn., are now constructing more complexes funded in part by housing tax credits than standard market-rate apartments, reported The Commercial Appeal. KnowledgePlex April 13 SIGNS POINT TO ROLLBACK OF CITY PROGRAM THAT SPURS DEVELOPMENT A tax abatement program credited by many with helping to create more than 110,000 residential units in New York City may soon be cut back, reported The New York Sun. In KnowledgePlex April 13 BANKS TO HELP IN HOUSING REPAIR Two major lenders serving landlords in poor New York City communities have pledged to assume more responsibility for the state of the buildings they finance, reported Newsday. One of the lenders is New York Community Bank, which just won state approval to acquire Atlantic Bank of New York. The activist group Housing Here and Now had been trying to block the acquisition, saying the bank failed Community Reinvestment Act standards by financing "slumlords." KnowledgePlex April 13 REPLACING LOST HOUSING IS OFF TO A SLOW START: "Everybody's drooling, waiting for the building boom to begin"...- USA Today ArchNewsNow April 18 INCREASE IN DOCUMENT FEES WOULD FINANCE HOUSING FOR THE NEEDY Legislation providing a consistent funding stream for Kentucky's Affordable Housing Trust Fund won approval from a state Senate committee and is headed to the full Senate for consideration, reported the Lexington Herald-Leader. In recent years, the trust fund has received $500,000 annually from the Kentucky Housing Authority. KnowledgePlex April 19 TRUST FUND SUPPORTERS SEEK MONEY TO HOUSE 6,000 FAMILIES Affordable housing advocates working under the auspices of the Campaign for Housing Carolina have asked state lawmakers to set aside $50 million annually for the state's housing trust fund, reported The News & Observer. KnowledgePlex April 19 SAN FRANCISCO CONDO BUILDERS TOLD TO WEIGH DISPLACEMENT In San Francisco, residential builders and city officials disagree over whether a temporary halt to a condominium project in the Mission District constitutes a de facto moratorium on development, reported the San Francisco Chronicle. The Planning Commission initially exempted the developers from conducting an environmental impact report, the article said. However, objections by affordable housing advocates led supervisors to reverse that decision. The supervisors also required the builders to evaluate the project's impact on the area's supply of lower-income jobs and affordable homes. KnowledgePlex April 19 SEVEN TOWNS UNITE TO FORM REGIONAL CDC A new regional community development corporation will help struggling towns in Worcester County, Mass., work together to promote economic development, a Dudley official told the Telegram & Gazette. KnowledgePlex April 19 HOUSING COSTS DRIVE MIGRANTS FROM BOSTON AND SAN FRANCISCO Recently released Census data show that domestic migrants are fleeing the high housing costs of America's coasts in favor of more affordable environs. Will the tech regions start running out of techies? Apr 21 2006 -- Wall Street Journal Planetizen April 24 INCLUSIONARY ZONING AND THE VALUE OF DIVERSITY In New Mexico, a developer's proposal to fulfill Santa Fe County's new inclusionary zoning law by building affordable homes off site is raising questions about the value of diversity, reported the Albuquerque Journal. The developer, which plans to build a 264-lot luxury subdivision west of the city, would meet its affordable housing quota by building 112 low-priced units at a separate site, the article said. KnowledgePlex April 26              PUBLIC-HOUSING SELL-OFF IS PROPOSED Salt Lake City's Housing Authority has proposed doubling the city's affordable housing stock by selling off all of its public housing or converting some apartments to voucher units, reported The Salt Lake Tribune.    KnowledgePlex April 26    HOUSING PRICES PUT AMERICANS ON THE MOVE According to a new Census Bureau report, Americans are migrating from northeastern and West Coast cities with expensive housing markets to Sun Belt areas offering more affordability, reported CNNMoney.com. Many observers believe that regional variations in home values are impacting migration patterns, said a Census Bureau demographer. KnowledgePlex April 26  BUILDER'S REMEDY HAS SOME TOWN OFFICIALS FEELING POWERLESS In New Jersey, local officials and housing advocates disagree over whether the "builder's remedy" -- created in 1983 by the state's high court -- has resulted in sufficient affordable housing, reported The Record. Under a series of rulings by the New Jersey Supreme Court, known as the Mount Laurel decisions, courts gained the right to overrule local zoning in municipalities that haven't met their state-mandated affordable housing goals.       KnowledgePlex April 26   ANNOUNCEMENTS AWARDS OF EXCELLENCE IN AFFORDABLE HOUSING BUILT RESPONSIBLY The Home Depot Foundation has announced its second annual national competition for Awards of Excellence in Affordable Housing Built Responsibly. The awards program seeks to identify, recognize and showcase the outstanding and innovative work of nonprofit housing development corporations engaged in green building-healthy home construction and rehabilitation.   Enterprise Network News April 2006 TELLING STORIES: REFLECTIONS ON COMMUNITY DESIGN:  ACD, JUNE 2006 ACD seeks to convene community designers to share their experiences in community-based participatory practice, and collectively explore the legacy of work done under the mantra of "community design." The Association for Community Design's 2006 Annual Conference, "Telling Stories: Reflections on Community Design," will reflect upon the personal stories that have enriched the practice of community design, and have contributed to a growing community design movement--over 30 years in the making. LOS ANGELES, CA Apr 17, 2006 -- Association For Community Design Planetizen April 20       JAMES A. JOHNSON FELLOW NOMINATIONS DUE MAY 31  The Fannie Mae Foundation is currently accepting nominations for the 2006 James A. Johnson Community Fellowship Program. The program recognizes and rewards urban and rural affordable housing and community development professionals in the nonprofit sector for their years of service to the field. Johnson Fellows design and pursue development plans that may include research, travel, study, self-designed internships, and other activities to enhance their skills and knowledge. Fellows receive a $70,000 grant and a stipend of up to $20,000 for travel and education-related expenses. The deadline for nominations is May 31. KnowledgePlex April 26  STUDIES RELEASED ARE HOUSING INITIATIVES DRIVING UP PRICES? According to a new report from an Oregon-based housing group, smart growth planning efforts added $275 billion to the cost of homes in 2005, reported the Deseret Morning News. KnowledgePlex April 5 PAPER TRACKS MULTIFAMILY HOUSING PRESERVATION EFFORTS  The National Housing Trust has updated its Working Paper "State and Local Housing Preservation Initiatives." The paper tracks state and local government uses of low income housing tax credit allocations, private activity bonds, housing trust fund monies, and other resources to preserve multifamily, affordable homes. According to the working paper, an increasing number of states concerned about the loss of federally assisted housing are willing to dedicate a portion of their low-income housing tax credits to multifamily preservation. The number of agencies prioritizing preservation in their tax credit allocations plans has risen from fewer than six states four years ago to more than 40 city and state agencies today, the paper notes.  KnowledgePlex April 13 A COMPREHENSIVE HOUSING STRATEGY FOR WASHINGTON, D. C. Two years in the making, the District of Columbia's Comprehensive Housing Strategy Task Force, co-chaired by the Brookings Greater Washington Research Program Director Alice M. Rivlin, released its final report on April 5, 2006. The report sets forth a fifteen-year plan to preserve and develop housing in support of the mayor's vision of a growing, inclusive city of mixed-income and mixed-race neighborhoods. ArchNewsNow April 14 REBUILDING THE SOCIAL INFRASTRUCTURE OF NEW ORLEANS In a new collection of essays, urban scholars, health and labor economists, education and housing experts, and other researchers chart a course for rebuilding New Orleans' social infrastructure. The essays cover employment issues and challenges, rebuilding affordable housing, the future of public education, opportunities for young children, health policy responses, rebuilding cultural vitality, creating a better safety net, and policies that ensure equity. KnowledgePlex April 19 EVENTS RURAL RENTAL HOUSING PRESERVATION CONFERENCE, MAY 24-26  The Housing Assistance Council will host a conference on preserving rural rental housing May 24-26 in Seattle. The conference will focus on the challenges of -- and resources for -- acquiring, rehabilitating, and preserving housing built under the federal Section 515 program. Featured speakers will include Gideon Anders of the National Housing Law Project, Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Debra Schwarz of the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, and Larry Anderson of the USDA Rural Housing Service. Sessions will cover such topics as preservation opportunities; financial, programmatic, and policy resources; and assembling deals. On the last day of the conference, a panel of experts will analyze proposed or developing preservation deals. Registrations received by April 21 qualify for the early registration fee.  KnowledgePlex April 13 MICHIGAN CONFERENCE ON AFFORDABLE HOUSING. The largest conference of its kind in the United States, will be June 4-7 in Lansing. Educational tracks for the 2006 conference include ending homelessness, homeownership, creating and preserving multi-family housing, community economic development, organizational development, and asset management for individuals and families. LISC eNewsletter April 20 __________________________________________________________________________ The Center for Innovation in Affordable Housing Design, is a partnership between Penn Design at the University of Pennsylvania and the Peoples Emergency Center Community Development Corporation (PECCDC). The Center for Innovation in Affordable Housing is funded by a Community Outreach Partnership Center (COPC) futures grant from the Office of University Partnerships of the US Department of Housing and Urban Development. You can find out more about the OUP here, and more about the current COPC grants here.