HUD'S NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKS WEEK 2005 TO HIGHLIGHT TECHNOLOGY ACCESS, ECONOMIC OPPORTUNITY INITIATIVES
Media Mogul Russell Simmons to announce UniRush effort to promote financial literacy

WASHINGTON, DC - HUD's Fifth Annual Neighborhood Networks Week, August 1-6, will highlight local and national efforts to deliver technology access and promote economic and educational opportunity for residents living in HUD insured and assisted housing.

Many of HUD's more than 1,100 Neighborhood Networks centers are holding special events throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. The events showcase how Neighborhood Networks centers are delivering technology access to America's communities.

Neighborhood Networks Week 2005 coincides with the initiative's 10 th Anniversary. HUD created Neighborhood Networks in 1995 to connect residents to the endless opportunities of the digital age. The 2005 theme is "Invite the Neighborhood. Widen the Network." Neighborhood Networks centers will reach out to their communities to increase support and involvement. Locally sponsored Neighborhood Networks center events may include community outreach days, open houses, career days, health fairs, carnivals and grand openings.

Highlights of the week's events include a conference call with Russell Simmons, the renowned entrepreneur and media mogul who founded UniRush Financial Services. He will discuss the importance of financial planning and spotlight a new Financial Literacy Training Program that will be conducted at Neighborhood Networks centers. Entitled "Financial Empowerment," the conference call will take place at 1 p.m. (EDT) on August 3 rd.

The pilot program will be launched initially at selected Neighborhood Networks centers in New York, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, New Jersey and Washington, D.C. and will teach residents of HUD insured and assisted housing how to better understand and improve their credit scores, set financial goals, create simple budgets and manage money online. The program may later be implemented in centers located in California, Florida, Massachusetts, Ohio, Texas, Washington and Puerto Rico.

Other highlights for the week include:

• August 1st Neighborhood Networks Week 2005 kicks off with an introduction of the newly-formed Neighborhood Networks National Consortium. Kidz Online will host a live Web cast of the opening ceremony at 3 p.m. (EDT). The consortium brings together Neighborhood Networks consortia, currently 16 of them, to support the sustainability of Neighborhood Networks centers nationwide. The winner of the first Neighborhood Networks Essay Contest will be announced during the kickoff ceremony.
  
  
• August 2nd, at 1 p.m. (EDT), the Women's National Basketball Association will host a live Web chat with DeLisha Milton-Jones of the Washington Mystics. Ms. Jones is a former Olympic team star who supports educational youth programs.
  
  
• August 3rd, at 3 p.m. (EDT), the National Partnership for Immunization will host a conference call for Neighborhood Networks centers to discuss the importance of immunization awareness, and provide suggestions on how to promote immunization awareness among residents.
  
  
• August 4th, at 4 p.m. (EDT), Neighborhood Networks centers will have an opportunity to see video clips of students from the Northpointe Apartments Neighborhood Networks Center in Long Beach, California. The students recently participated in Imagine Mars, a national art, science and technology education initiative created by the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) and the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL). A live Web chat with NASA/JPL will follow the video clips.
  
  
• August 5th, at 2 p.m. (EDT), a conference call with the U.S. Department of Labor and its One-Stop Career Centers will highlight the online workforce development tools that have been customized specifically for Neighborhood Networks centers

A full schedule of the week's events is available on the Neighborhood Networks Website.

HUD is the nation's housing agency committed to increasing homeownership, particularly among minorities; creating affordable housing opportunities for low-income Americans; and 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.