Community-Development Conference in Los Angeles Will Attract Approximately 2,000 Professionals, $3.7 Million in Economic Impact

LOS ANGELES, CA--(Marketwired - April 26, 2016) - An approximately $3.7 million boost is coming to the Los Angeles economy when almost 2,000 community development professionals from around the country convene in the city for the NeighborWorks Training Institute May 2-6. 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 Training Institutes give community-development professionals the expertise to help them build vibrant communities," said Paul Weech, chief executive officer of NeighborWorks America.

Included in the many courses and workshops is a May 4 symposium focusing on "Symposium: Race, Culture and Opportunity (ML923)". This is the second in a year-long, four-part series, Creating Economic Opportunity. The symposium, sponsored by JPMorgan Chase, will examine the different structural systems that affect progress in community development, share racial and economic data that illuminate the challenges and opportunities we face, and highlight successful strategies that strengthen communities.

Among the symposium speakers are: Connie Rice, Esq., The Advancement Project; Dr. Manuel Pastor, Professor of Sociology and American Studies & Ethnicity, the University of Southern California; Matika Wilbur, photographer from Project 562; Lori Gay, President and Chief Executive Officer of Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County; and Dean Matsubayashi, Executive Director of the Little Tokyo Service Center Community Development Corporation (LTSC).

The NeighborWorks Training Institute in Atlanta is supported by a variety of partners, including JPMorgan Chase and JPMorgan Chase Foundation, Wells Fargo Housing Foundation, Bank of America, HUD, Citi and Citi Foundation, Bank of the West, Capital One and BB&T.

In addition to the training institute, NeighborWorks America supports organizations working to serve the Los Angeles community throughout the year. In 2015, NeighborWorks organizations in California generated nearly $1.2 billion in total direct investment and assisted 53,415 individuals and families with affordable housing. The NeighborWorks organizations in Los Angeles are: A Community of Friends, the Little Tokyo Service Center Community Development Corporation, and Neighborhood Housing Services of Los Angeles County. To read more about NeighborWorks organizations' impact in Los Angeles 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, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit, 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.