Wednesday, May 29, 2002
With great fanfare and a blessing from Archbishop Charles
Chaput, Denver's newest multifamily Neighborhood Networks computer lab had its
grand opening earlier this month in a converted ground floor unit of Humboldt
Apartments. Located in Denver's Cole neighborhood, an area rich in cultural
diversity with a strong community spirit, the Sister Mary Lucy Neighborhood
Networks Computer Lab is a significant resource for residents of the apartments
and the neighborhood.
The Neighborhood Network Center was named for Sister Mary Lucy Downey, a Sisters
of Charity nun who worked tirelessly for 22 years to bring housing opportunities
to residents of the inner city. From 1970 until her untimely death in 1992,
Sister Mary Lucy was Executive Director of the Archdiocesan Housing Committee,
with additional stints as President of the Colorado Association of Homes and
Services for the Aging, and President of the Association of HUD Management Agents
in Region 8. Well-known and loved by Denver's low-income, minority, elderly
and disabled communities and respected at all levels, those who knew her say
she would have felt honored to have her legacy live on in this active, neighborhood-friendly
site.
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Over time, HUD financial assistance to the Archdiocese of Denver's Housing
Committee helped the owner of Humboldt Apartments install security cameras and
lighting, fences and a new playground, and now the computer lab. The Neighborhood
Networks center also has a classroom and separate space for Denver Police Department
officers to make calls and complete paperwork. Police officers are natural role
models for the children, and many of Denver's finest also serve as volunteers,
helping train residents on the computers. Computer classes offered at the Sister
Mary Lucy Lab include Microsoft Word 98, 2000 Excel, Access, and PowerPoint.
All computers also have Internet access through high speed DSL modems.
The Sister Mary Lucy Lab joins more than 1,000 Neighborhood Networks centers
across the nation that provide educational resources and technology and life
skills training for residents of privately-owned HUD multifamily housing properties.
With this initiative, HUD is empowering welfare recipients and other low-income
persons to take advantage of new technology and become economically self-sufficient
by acquiring skills important to succeed in today's economy. Neighborhood Networks
also links children to new educational opportunities and enables senior citizens
to expand their horizons by giving them access to email, information on health
care and social services, and opportunities for life-long learning.
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