The Housing Enhancement Loan Program (HELP), administered by the Cuyahoga County Treasurer's Office, began as a First Suburbs Consortium (FSC) initiative in 1998 following a $60,000 grant to the FSC from the George Gund Foundation to establish an innovative program aimed at the maintenance and revitalization of housing stock in older suburbs. HELP allows homeowners in older suburbs to borrow money to repair or remodel their home or rental property at interest rates three percent below the lowest rate a bank would offer. As of November 2002, over $51 million had been loaned. Based on the success of the Northeast Ohio HELP program, the Cincinnati region implemented a linked deposit program in 2001.

The Economic Revitalization Initiative was an in-depth study aimed at offering solutions and actions to revitalize older commercial districts in inner-ring suburbs and offer marketing initiatives to help smaller businesses successfully compete with "big box" stores. This $250,000 research project was funded through grants from the Cleveland Foundation, CDBG Funds, and other private/corporate contributions.

One of the key achievements of this initiative is the development of a FSC Development Council.  The development council  provides professional services at an economy of scale for FSC communities and serves as a regional clearinghouse for redevelopment opportunities.  To contact the FSC Development Council please call Luke Frazier, Executive Director, at (216) 291-2855 or email at lfrazier@clvhts.com.

First Suburbs Consortium Position Papers will be the basis for the advocacy efforts for the organization in 2007.   

First Suburbs Consortium Position Papers (PDF)

(to get Adobe Acrobat Reader, click HERE)