Over the past 30 years, Community Development Corporations have been established in communities throughout the United States. Indiana is no exception with CDCs from Indianapolis to Tell City, from Lake Michigan to the Ohio River. These organizations provide assistance to residents of low-income communities and work with the private and public sectors to achieve economic and social revitalization of these designated communities. Drawing upon the rich human and physical resources of the locality, CDCs map the existing assets of the neighborhood as they develop a comprehensive approach to revitalization. They support neighborhoods by providing housing production, economic development, and an array of social support services.
CDCs provide services allowing homeowners and renters to make informed choices. They stimulate the growth of needed services in these underserved communities through the development of commercial properties and by providing local businesses and entrepreneurs links to capita. Indianapolis community development corporations are providing training and services to assist individuals in securing and keeping jobs that support families.
CDCs first arrived on the scene in the 1960’s, often with ties to the anti-poverty movement. During the late 1970’s and 1980’s, a second wave of organizations emerged as the federal Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Program began providing a new source of income for community based projects. The CDBG program was an important catalyst for new local initiatives in both housing and economic development. In the 1980s and 1990s many new agencies formed, primarily around affordable housing and the availability of the federal HOME Investment Partnership Act, and other housing specific funds.