Community-Development Conference in DC Will Attract Nearly 2,200 Professionals, $3 Million in Economic Impact

WASHINGTON, DC--(Marketwired - December 03, 2014) - A nearly $3 million boost is coming to the Washington, DC economy when almost 2,200 community development professionals from around the country convene in the city for the NeighborWorks Training Institute Dec. 8-12. The conference is hosted by NeighborWorks America, a national, Congressionally chartered nonprofit that creates opportunities for people to live in affordable homes, improve their lives and strengthen their communities. 

"NeighborWorks America's Training Institute offers community development practitioners relevant and critical education to excel in their work," said Chuck Wehrwein, acting chief executive officer of NeighborWorks America.

Included in the many courses and workshops is a Dec. 10 symposium focusing on "Exponential Impact: Connecting Health, Housing and Community." The event will explore the link between health, home and community, as well as the range of choices individuals make on a day-to-day basis that can affect their health. The event will highlight how housing affects health, and where the community development and professional health sectors can work together to improve health outcomes.

Among the speakers at the symposium will be Jonathon Wilson, deputy director, National Center for Healthy Housing; Madeleine Shea, PhD, deputy director, Office of Minority Health, Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services; and Douglas Jutte, MD, MPH, a pediatrician, professor and population health researcher at UC Berkeley's School of Public Health. The NeighborWorks Training Institute is supported by a variety of partners, including Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Citi, Citi Foundation, US Department of Housing and Urban Development, Bank of America, Capital One Foundation, E*TRADE, Morgan Stanley, and BB&T. 

In addition to the training institute, NeighborWorks America supports organizations working to serve the metro Washington, DC community throughout the year. In 2013, NeighborWorks organizations generated more than $75 million in total direct investment and served nearly 3,000 individuals and families in Washington, DC. The NeighborWorks organizations in Washington, DC are Community Preservation and Development Corporation and Manna. To read more about NeighborWorks organizations' impact in Washington, DC, and other areas of the country, view the NeighborWorks America interactive map. 

For more information about NeighborWorks America, visit www.neighborworks.org.

About NeighborWorks America

For more than 35 years, NeighborWorks America has created opportunities for people to improve their lives and strengthen their communities by providing access to homeownership and to safe and affordable rental housing. In the last five years, NeighborWorks organizations have generated more than $19.5 billion in reinvestment in these communities. NeighborWorks America is the nation's leading trainer of community development and affordable housing professionals.