[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 50 (Thursday, March 21, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E325-E326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




IN RECOGNITION OF THE NATIONAL COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT ASSOCIATION'S 50TH 
                              ANNIVERSARY

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. EMANUEL CLEAVER

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 21, 2019

  Mr. CLEAVER. Madam Speaker, I rise today to commemorate the fiftieth 
anniversary of the National Community Development Association (NCDA). 
Since its genesis in 1969, the NCDA has been a pillar of support for 
cities and counties across the country, including the Fifth 
Congressional District of Missouri.
  The NCDA is a nonpartisan, national, nonprofit organization that was 
established to assist cities across the nation in administering the new 
U.S. Housing and Urban Development funds and programs created through 
President Johnson's Model Cities Program. In doing so, they rose to 
help address the great disparities in housing options and opportunities 
that had created racial and socioeconomic inequality in many of our 
great American cities.
  The NCDA represents cities on a federal level for programs such as 
the Community Development Block Grant Program (CDBG) and HOME 
Investment Partnerships, among a myriad of others. Specifically, the 
NCDA has fought to improve local infrastructure and provide greater 
accessibility to safe, decent, and affordable housing, as well as 
greater economic opportunities. Through these initiatives, the 
organization has expressed a commitment to providing tangible services 
that will strengthen both families and communities across the country. 
Through the NCDA's prestigious John Sasso Award and Audrey Nelson Award 
for Best Practices in Community Development, they annually recognize 
and celebrate significant contributions and solutions to affordable and 
alternative housing projects through federal grants.
  Moreover, as an integral part of the NCDA model, they respect 
diversity and inclusion in leadership as a fundamental part of 
effective leadership. Throughout their fifty years of service, the 
organization sought to represent diversified backgrounds and 
individualized expertise. They continue to include a wide variety of 
organizations and individual voices as we collectively search for 
solutions to urban difficulties and discover ways to implement greater 
equity in housing as time moves forward. These voices are brought to 
national attention each year at the National Community Development Week 
hosted by the NCDA. This annual conference educates Members of Congress 
on the achievements of federal programs like HOME and CDBG so that 
these programs can continue to address a need for affordable housing 
and community development.
  Today, NCDA membership has grown to include over 400 separate cities 
and counties. The organizations and governments represented across that 
vast membership continue to carry out a centralized goal and purpose. 
As they have been since day one, the NCDA continues to serve as a 
united, national institution to provide services and support for local 
governments and policy makers as they work on critical federal 
community development and housing programs.
  Madam Speaker, please join with Missouri's Fifth Congressional 
District in honoring the National Community Development Association for 
their remarkable achievements over the span of fifty years across the 
nation and in our own community. We stand to celebrate their indelible 
mark on our society.

[[Page E326]]

  

                          ____________________