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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HUD Initiative Prepares Michigan Residents for Life Without WelfareComputer Learning Centers Bring High-Tech Training to ThousandsAugust 21, 1997 -- Pontiac, MI--Thousands of Michigan's government-assisted housing residents are preparing for life without welfare at their Neighborhood Networks computer learning centers. The centers are part of a community-based initiative launched by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development ("HUD") to help residents of government-assisted housing move from welfare to work. A new center located at Newman Court Apartments, 626 Kettering, in Pontiac will celebrate its grand opening on Sunday, August 24 at 2:00 p.m. The center is the fifth to open in the state and offers computer skills training and job placement for adults and educational programs for children. More than 3,000 Michigan residents who live at four other government-assisted housing communities in Detroit, East Lansing, Pontiac, and Kalamazoo already have access to the centers. Nine more Michigan centers are in the planning stage. Even before President Clinton signed welfare reform into law a year ago on August 22, the state of Michigan began its welfare reform, To Strengthen Michigan Families, by focusing on principles such as personal responsibility and involving communities. Neighborhood Networks is based upon such principles. Launched in September 1995, Neighborhood Networks is not a grant program. Instead, it relies on the initiative and resources of government-assisted housing residents and property owners, local businesses, educational institutions, private foundations, and other community organizations to establish centers and develop programs that best meet community needs. At Newman Court Apartments, the Newman Non-Profit Housing Corporation and Management Systems, Inc. have been major partners in making the dream of a computer learning center a reality. Following the center's ribbon cutting and open house, residents will commemorate the 25th anniversary of Newman Court Apartments with a celebratory program and reception. More than 230 Neighborhood Networks Centers have been established throughout the United States. According to a preliminary survey of 23 Neighborhood Networks Centers in operation for one year, 270 residents of government-assisted housing have found jobs and 13 have started their own business. At Lancaster Village Cooperative in Pontiac, Jo Ann Green supplements her Social Security income working 20 hours per week doing data entry, and Patricia Henderson is preparing for an accounting position. At Martin Luther King Apartments in Detroit, eight residents have just finished a 72-hour course learning Microsoft Office. Six of these residents are now working in clerical positions. Since January 1993, welfare caseloads in Michigan have fallen 35 percent, but nearly 443,000 state residents still receive government assistance according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. For additional information on becoming involved in Neighborhood Networks, visit the HUD Neighborhood Networks Site, or call the Neighborhood Networks Information Center toll-free at 888-312-2743.
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