Connect Home Well on its Way in Macon to Helping Low-Income Families

Regional Administrator Jennings addressing and congratulating Connect Home Macon Bibb County Partners.

Recently HUD Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr. joined fellow Connect Home partners in a partners convening with Macon Housing Authority CEO June Parker, Chris Howard, Cox Communications, Jessica Walden, with EveryOne and other local leaders in Macon in an ongoing effort to move the process forward with key partners regarding internet access and availability for low income families in public housing in the Macon Bibb County area. The partner's convening provided a unique opportunity for partners to provide context in terms with what they are doing to contribute to the momentum since the July national Connect Home kick-off.

Jessica Walden, with EveryOne, discussed how they are working with the public housing authority and Cox Communications on facilitating the connection between the agencies and affiliates while Chris Howard, with Cox Communications discussed the supportive role and the goal of providing 1,500 tablets provided by Cox Foundation through a special adoption program in public housing sites with K-12 graders by next summer. Later in the day public housing residents were treated to a Click and Treat kickoff event in public housing to build stronger awareness of Connect Home and the availability and eligibility of the tablets as well.

"This is so much about collaborating to build a stronger sense of hope and opportunity for low income public housing tenants by them being able to access high speed internet to do school work and apply for job opportunities," said Jennings.

In July, HUD Southeast Regional Administrator Ed Jennings, Jr. and Macon-Bibb County Mayor Robert Reichert joined community and civic leaders in Macon to announce the extension of extended high speed broadband access for students of the Macon Housing Authority which builds on the Obama Administration's ConnectHome (http://connecthome.hud.gov/) initiative to expand high speed broadband to families living in HUD-assisted housing.

Through ConnectHome, Internet Service Providers, non-profits and the private sector will offer broadband access, technical training, digital literacy programs, and devices for residents in assisted housing units in 28 communities across the nation. The President and HUD Secretary Julián Castro announced that HUD selected Macon and the following twenty-six cities and one tribal nation to participate in ConnectHome: Albany, GA; Atlanta, GA; Baltimore, MD; Baton Rouge, LA; Boston, MA; Camden, NJ; Choctaw Nation, OK; Cleveland, OH; Denver, CO; Durham, NC; Fresno, CA; Kansas City, MO; Little Rock, AR; Los Angeles, CA; Memphis, TN; Meriden, CT; Nashville, TN; New Orleans, LA; New York, NY; Newark, NJ; Philadelphia, PA; Rockford, IL; San Antonio, TX; Seattle, WA; Springfield, MA; Tampa, FL; and Washington, DC.

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