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HUD Neighborhood Network Centers Respond to Need for a Computer-Savvy America
By Charles C. Famuliner National Field Director, Neighborhood Networks Initiative U. S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Brooklyn’s Starrett at Spring Creek is like city within a city. An estimated 20,000 New Yorkers live in the nation’s largest rental housing development, with an ethnic and economic mix that’s a microcosm of America. The Starrett Information Technology and Education Center (SITEC), a Neighborhood Networks center, recently opened at this HUD-assisted property. Twenty-five Pentium II PCs are each equipped with a CD-ROM drive. There are scanners, color printers, and Internet access. Center organizers know about the imbalance between haves and have-nots when it comes to computers -- the statistics and the serious implications -- so they know the value these computers play in the lives of the residents. Devorah Fong, Vice President for Public Affairs at Starrett at Spring Creek, says of the center, “It’s really a magnet because it can be so many things to so many different people. It brings diverse people together and it can answer almost everyone’s needs. That is really the underpinning of our center.” What Neighborhood Network Centers Provide Centers help lower-income residents reach their goals and achieve economic self-sufficiency through access to education, job training, healthcare, social services and more. Centers help children become better students, provide parents and adults access to job skills, childcare and transportation, and assist senior citizens to remain independent. Learning how to use a computer is at the core of Neighborhood Networks' philosophy because computers have become a gateway to knowledge and employment. In the four years since HUD introduced the Neighborhood Networks initiative, the centers’ services and programs have expanded widely. Local partners, such as hospitals and other healthcare providers, bring onsite health care services and wellness information; educational institutions and nonprofits offer tutoring, mentoring programs and other needed services. More than 500 Centers in Operation Neighborhood Networks is a HUD community-based initiative, serving residents of HUD-assisted or -insured housing communities. There are 500 centers in cities and rural communities nationwide, including five in New York City. Around the country, there are about 700 more centers in various stages of development. HUD Secretary Andrew Cuomo says, "Ultimately, our ambition is to build a self-sustaining and robust Neighborhood Networks initiative that empowers HUD communities" Centers are started with support from a cross-section of property owners and managers, residents and community partners. For sustainability, they rely on partnerships with and support from local businesses, nonprofit organizations, healthcare and academic institutions, faith-based organizations, federal and state government agencies and individuals. Contact the Neighborhood Networks Information Center at (888) 312-2743 or on the Web at www.neighborhoodnetworks.org. What You Can Do in New York Want to start, partner with, or refer your organization’s clients to a Neighborhood Networks center in New York? HUD New York Office William Miecuna 26 Federal Plaza, Room 32-000 New York, NY 10278-0068 Phone: (212) 264-0777, Ext. 3713 Neighborhood Networks Centers in New York City: Starrett Information Technology Education Center (SITEC) Starrett at Spring Creek, Brooklyn Devorah Fong, (718) 240-4545 Elva McZeal Computer Learning Center East New York, Brooklyn Annuri Bullock, (718) 342-0875 Henry Phipps Plaza’s Neighborhood Networks Computer Learning Center Rosehill (East 20s), Manhattan Ed Bartosik, (212) 686-6533 Taino/STRIVE Computer Learning Center East Harlem, Manhattan Eric Arroyo, (212) 987-2727 Diane Armstrong Family Learning Center Astoria, Queens Aiysha Parks, (718) 777-6440
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