ConnectHome Provides Foote Homes Families with Access to the World of Information

HUD SE Regional Administrator Jennings shows Foot Home families the new ConnectHome smart tablets which will allow them to access the internet

The City of Memphis (www.memphistn.gov/), Memphis Housing Authority, and T-Mobile in partnership with HUD hosted the ConnectHome (http://connecthome.hud.gov/) roll-out at the Foote Homes Community Building on April 13, 2016 which culminated with nearly 400 Foote Homes families receiving tablet devices to access free internet for one year.

The roll-out included remarks from Ed Jennings, Jr. HUD Southeast Regional Administrator, Sernorma L. Mitchell, HUD Memphis Field Office Director, Ian Randolph, the Chair of the Memphis Housing Authority, and Dorian Jenkins, Interim Director of the Memphis Housing Authority.

"ConnectHome Memphis helps children and parents receive the same opportunity to build a brighter future and to achieve their dreams through access to the world of information on the internet," said Ed Jennings, Jr. HUD Southeast Regional Administrator.

The Women's Foundation for a Greater Memphis (www.wfgm.org/), City of Memphis, the Memphis Housing Authority, and HUD helped make the event a success. After the initial ConnectHome roll out at Foote Homes the effort will expand to other Memphis Housing Authority public housing developments throughout 2016.

ConnectHome is a public-private collaboration to narrow the digital divide for families with school-age children who live in HUD-assisted housing. ConnectHome is the next step in President Obama's continued efforts to bring affordable broadband access, technical training, digital literacy programs, and electronic devices to all Americans.

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 Memphis, TN and the following twenty-seven 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; Macon, GA; 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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