By CHRISTINE DEVINE The Fairfield County Community Foundation has made a leadership grant of $10,000 to the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) to further strengthen and expand the Fairfield County Affordable Housing Network serving 22 towns in Fairfield County. The network works to increase information sharing among existing groups to expose them to best practices and improve their effectiveness. The overall goals of the Network are to stimulate and support the production of more affordable housing within FairfieldCounty. LISC will continue to manage the network, comprised of local volunteer groups and municipal employees in communities where affordable housing activity is relatively new and needs expert support to be effective. Stamford-Norwalk metropolitan area has the second most expensive rental market area in the nation. FairfieldCounty is known for its prosperity, but many families live in substandard housing or are homeless. Others have quality housing, but at a cost that jeopardizes their economic stability. Many who work in the county cannot afford to live there, traveling long distances to jobs, creating traffic congestion and draining energy they would otherwise give to their jobs. FairfieldCountys prosperity and economic vitality depends on access to quality, affordable housing for our residents, said Karen Brown, Vice President of Programs at the Fairfield County Community Foundation. Affordable housing impacts many other issues from traffic congestion to availability of a stable and well-trained labor pool and is and will remain among the greatest challenges facing our region.[CD1] About LISC LISC, which will manage the network, is a national organization that utilizes corporate, government and philanthropic resources to help nonprofit community development corporations revitalize distressed neighborhoods, creating vibrant places to work, do business and raise children. Since 1980, LISC has raised $12.9 billion to build or rehab 288,580 affordable homes and develop 47.7 million square feet of retail, community and educational space nationwide, leveraging nearly $38.3 billion in total development activity across the nation. For more information, visit www.lisc.org. About the Fairfield County Community Foundation The Fairfield County Community Foundation promotes the growth of community and regional philanthropy to improve the quality of life throughout FairfieldCounty. Individuals, families, corporations and organizations can establish charitable funds or contribute to existing funds. The Foundation also provides philanthropic advisory services, and develops and leads initiatives to tackle critical community issues. It is I compliance with the Council on Foundations national standards for community foundations. The Foundation has awarded $151 million in grants to nonprofits in FairfieldCounty and beyond. For more information, visit www.fccfoundation.org. [CD1]Ellen this quote is from last year. Do you want to take the lead on getting a new quote from Karen?
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