Technical Assistance: Help Is On the Way

Information by State  Print version

Date: Thursday, August 9, 2007
Time: 3:00 — 5:30 p.m.

The Neighborhood Networks Initiative offers many resources to help support Neighborhood Networks centers, including onsite technical assistance. This support has proven to be a valuable resource in increasing sustainability for Neighborhood Networks centers. This extended training will offer an introduction to both the Initiative and the technical assistance process. Whether new to the neighborhood or veterans looking for a refresher, participants will receive essential information aimed at building a center’s capacity to operate efficiently, measure performance, establish vital partnerships, and create programs that lead to employment and self-sufficiency for residents. HUD resources available to Neighborhood Networks centers will be discussed and shared.

Materials:
Presentation 1
Presentation 2
Presentation 3
Presentation 4
Presentation 5
Presentation 6
Presentation 7
Presentation 8

Moderator:
Sarah Richey Johnson
Housing Program Manager
Neighborhood Networks
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development

Presenters:

Michele Higgs
Technical Assistance Coordinator
Neighborhood Networks
DB Consulting Group, Inc.

Michele Higgs has been a technical assistance coordinator with the Neighborhood Networks Initiative for more than two years. In this position, Higgs visits centers and collaborates with HUD Neighborhood Networks Coordinators to assist them with the efficient operation of Neighborhood Networks centers. Higgs has 20 years experience in nonprofit organizations, 15 of which were spent in a nonprofit housing organization that provided assistance to owners of multifamily housing for low-income residents in the District of Columbia. Higgs provided technical assistance to help owners maintain their properties and sustain their businesses. She also designed curricula to address the issues that were important to these owners and arranged for experts to counsel them. To maintain communications with the 400+ property owners in the database, Higgs produced a quarterly newsletter. She performed grantwriting tasks, developed procedures, conducted special events, and served as the spokesperson and liaison between the organization, the local government, the property owners and the residents.

Joyce Mortimer
Technical Assistance Coordinator
Neighborhood Networks
DB Consulting Group, Inc.

David Percey
Technical Assistance Coordinator
Neighborhood Networks
DB Consulting Group, Inc.

David Percey has extensive experience in organizational development, community building, and providing assistance to community-based organizations. His areas of expertise include research, strategic planning, proposal writing, collaborations, program development, and outreach. Percey has worked as a writer and editor on workforce development proposals. He has abstracted proposals for peer review written by community and faith-based organizations for the U.S. Department of Labor. Previously, Percey served at the Golden Vision Foundation as interim director and managed the Foundation’s International Friendship House for asylum seekers and refugees. While there, Percey developed organizational policy, collaborated with area organizations, implemented a community outreach plan, and secured funding from public and private sources. He also designed and developed a volunteer program for refugees. Percey earned a bachelor’s degree in anthropology and English from Bloomsburg University, and a master’s degree in international relations and international communications from Boston University.

Laura Thomas
Technical Assistance Coordinator
Neighborhood Networks
DB Consulting Group, Inc.

Laura Thomas has provided remote and onsite technical assistance to Neighborhood Networks centers nationwide for two years. Through technical assistance, she has worked to increase the sustainability of Neighborhood Networks centers located on government subsidized properties. Thomas provides developmental skills and techniques to Neighborhood Networks center staff in the areas of: partnership development and maintenance; 501(c)(3) tax-exempt application; workforce development program design and implementation; tracking and evaluation of performance; health resources; outreach to residents and stakeholders; Strategic Tracking and Reporting Tool (START) business plan development; and grantwriting. Thomas has worked with Neighborhood Networks center staff to set up, implement, and when applicable, revitalize programs and services through outreach, partnership development, and strategic planning. Prior to joining Neighborhood Networks, Thomas was a senior procurement billing analyst, and later a corporate buyer, for Legg Mason Inc.