HUD TO HOST NEIGHBORHOOD NETWORKS WORKSHOP IN PHILADELPHIA
Second Regional Workshop held in US this year

WASHINGTON - The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development will hold a Neighborhood Networks Regional Technical Assistance Workshop in Philadelphia on July 15 - 17. The event themed Neighborhood Networks: A Community Asset will feature Carol Galante, the new Deputy Assistant Secretary for the Office of Multifamily Housing Programs at HUD who will speak during the opening ceremony.

The three-day professional development workshop will provide Neighborhood Networks (www.neighborhoodnetworks.org/) stakeholders with the tools they need to help residents of Federal Housing Administration (FHA)-insured and -assisted multifamily housing properties achieve greater self-sufficiency and obtain greater access to technology.

The Philadelphia event is the second Neighborhood Networks workshop held this year. The first was in April in Dallas, Texas.

Like the Texas workshop, this one will present 14 new sessions. They include how to start a financial literacy program, teach more effectively, negotiate for results, secure funding in tough economic times, assess the changing job market to identify growing employment sectors, meet the unique needs of special audiences, promote center programs via a podcast, launch a cyber fundraising campaign, and take workforce development programs to the next level. These new sessions will complement core workshop sessions such as partnership development, volunteer recruitment, and program planning, as well as a greater number of peer-to-peer networking opportunities.

All sessions will include a hands-on learning activity and provide take-home resources. To allow participants to see how other Neighborhood Networks centers are innovatively meeting the needs of residents, staff from Neighborhood Networks centers will co-present many sessions.

A two-day grant writing workshop will be offered prior to the Philadelphia workshop. The comprehensive grant writing pre-conference session offers strategies and tips for writing award-winning grants from a grant writing expert. The session will cover the entire grant writing process from identifying potential funding sources to submitting a complete proposal.

For More Information

Individuals interested in attending the Philadelphia Regional Technical Assistance Workshop can obtain additional information, review the agenda, and register online by visiting the Neighborhood Networks Web site (www.neighborhoodnetworks.org/).

In 1995, HUD launched Neighborhood Networks to encourage property owners to establish multiservice community learning centers in FHA-insured and -assisted multifamily housing properties. Neighborhood Networks was one of the first federal initiatives to promote self-sufficiency by providing computer access to residents. Today, there are more than 1,400 centers in operation throughout the United States, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

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HUD's mission is to create strong, sustainable, inclusive communities and quality affordable homes for all. HUD is working to strengthen the housing market to bolster the economy and protect consumers; meet the need for quality affordable rental homes: utilize housing as a platform for improving quality of life; build inclusive and sustainable communities free from discrimination; and transform the way HUD does business. More information about HUD and its programs is available on the Internet at www.hud.gov and espanol.hud.gov. You can also follow HUD on twitter @HUDnews, on facebook at www.facebook.com/HUD, or sign up for news alerts on HUD's News Listserv.