Dale
Gray Public Affairs Officer (913) 551-5542 |
For
Release Friday July 12, 2002 |
HUD LIAISON FOR COMMUNITY AND FAITH-BASED ORGANIZATIONS IN GREAT PLAINS REGION
KANSAS CITY, KS - Housing and Urban Development Regional Director Macie Houston today announced Deana Ervin will serve as the Department's principle liaison to community- and faith-based organizations in HUD's four-state Great Plains Region.
Ervin will act as HUD's
primary point of contact with faith-based and community groups seeking information,
technical assistance and funding opportunities in Iowa, Kansas, Missouri
and Nebraska. Deana has been with HUD's Kansas Missouri State Office for
over three years assisting local governments and community-based organizations
in the areas of economic development, neighborhood revitalization and affordable
housing opportunities. She is a former Director of the Business and Technology
Center at Donnelly College and has worked with several organizations including
the Texas State Auditors Office and the Greater Kansas City Community Foundation.
Deana received a Bachelor's in Business Administration in Accounting from
Prairie View A&M University and an MBA and MPA from the University of
Missouri-Kansas City.
"Deana will be an indispensable resource to these organizations as we seek to facilitate their participation in HUD's mission of providing critically needed housing and other services to people in need," said Macie Houston. "This is just one more way we can level the playing field for smaller faith-based and community groups who are doing so much good at the grassroots level."
Ervin said, "I'm
thrilled to be HUD's liaison to these community and faith-based groups.
I'm hopeful I can help
continue to break down the barriers that may prevent
the full inclusion of these important organizations in the Department's
work in their neighborhoods."
Shortly after taking
office, President Bush established Centers for Faith-Based and Community
Initiatives in five
major cabinet agencies, including HUD, to evaluate
policies, funding programs, and agency outreach efforts to
ensure that
they emphasize effectiveness and hospitality to faith-based and community-based
organizations. HUD Secretary Martinez directed a top-to-bottom review
of all HUD programs to identify barriers to the participation of community-
and faith-based organizations. As a result, HUD is working to remove these
barriers and reach out to
the faith community and other grassroots organizations
that are uniquely positioned to more effectively provide
social services
to low-income Americans.
Last month, Martinez
released a bilingual "how-to guide" to help faith-based organizations
encourage homeownership opportunities, particularly among minority families
who continue to lag behind historic homeownership rates. Ten Things Your
Faith Community Can Do To Encourage Homeownership offers faith-based grassroots
organizations an easy-to-read guide to promoting homeownership in their
communities. Earlier this year, Martinez also issued guidance to approximately
3,200 local public housing agencies granting them the authority to institute
"an open door policy"
for faith-based organizations to provide
social services to public housing residents.
HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership,
particularly among minorities, creating affordable housing opportunities
for low-income Americans, supporting the homeless, elderly, people with
disabilities and people living with AIDS. The Department also promotes
economic and community development as well as
enforces the nation's fair
housing laws. More information about HUD and its programs is available
on the Internet
and espanol.hud.gov.
###