Business View Magazine - November 2016

94 Business View Magazine - November 2016 terms of how they’re administering their programs. We also have a large training sector that we do on both the CDBG and HOME programs.” In fact, the NCDA is a national leader in providing CDBG and HOME training to grantees. The Association’s CDBG Basics Course is nationally known for its comprehensive coverage of the CDBG program and the Association’s cadre of HOME workshops provides demand-response training on this very intricate federal program. Look believes that a primary mission of the NCDA is to provide opportunities for those members who work with these federal programs in their own communi- ties to have a forum where they can bounce ideas off of one another and help each other understand how they’re doing things. “We’ve got membership across the country from New England down to L.A. and from Seattle down to Miami,” he says. “And each commu- nity does things slightly differently. We can learn from each other how best to use these funds.” In addition to its twice-yearly conferences, the NCDA also publishes a monthly newsletter, keeping its mem- bers informed about developments in housing and community development. Its website, NCDAonline, provides links to other related sites and allows mem- ber to communicate more effectively with each other and the NCDA staff. The NCDA also educates members of Congress. “NCDA leads the Community Development Block Grant Coali- tion that consists of many different national associa- tions that all support the core Community Development Block Grant program,” Watson says. “And through that