FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 3, 2008

2008 HUD Spotlight on Excellence conference Aug. 11-12

Event provides opportunities for education about funding, and networking

The City of Kansas City, Mo., is co-sponsoring the 2008 HUD Spotlight on Excellence conference with the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development's Kansas/Missouri Region VII office. The conference will be Aug. 11-12 at The Westin Crown Center Hotel.

"This conference is a great opportunity for seasoned professionals in the housing and community development field, and for people beginning their careers in the non-profit development field who are looking for some practical information about the funding process," said Jacquelyn Powell, chairwoman of the conference's planning committee. Powell works in the City's Neighborhood and Community Services Department.

Projects featured at the annual conference will be from Missouri and Kansas, and will showcase how communities are being improved by one or more of the following formula and competitive grants: Community Development Block Grant Program, Home Investment Partnerships (HOME) Program, Emergency Shelter Grant Program, Continuum of Care Homeless Assistance Program, and Housing Opportunities for People with HIV/AIDS programs.

This conference also will include presentations and discussions about green initiatives and foreclosures that will be led by experts in these fields, and a bus tour of housing and community development projects. The deadline to register is July 10 and the registration fee is $120, which includes breakfast both days and lunch the second day.

For more information about the 2008 HUD Spotlight on Excellence conference, visit http://www.kcmo.org/neigh.nsf/web/hudsptlt or call Kimberly Harris, Neighborhood and Community Services Department, (816) 784-4566.

Media inquiries about this event should be directed to Teresa L. Clark, public information officer for the Neighborhood and Community Services Department, (816) 513-3247.