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Networking at the San Francisco Training Institute

We’ve been mindful about including expert instruction and peer learning in the NeighborWorks Training Institute. But networking informally with colleagues, and focusing on personal growth, is also important and having a relaxed and positive mindset will help facilitate your learning all around! Check out the fun and impactful activities we’ve built into the timeslots around course offerings—and be sure to add these activities to your schedule as time permits. We will be adding new activities so check back regularly to the event platform site to sign up.

streetcar and bikers in San Francisco

Kick-Off reception

Sunday, April 30,  3 - 5 p.m.

After you check in at Registration, swing by the Kick off Reception for networking and fun on Sunday, from 3:00 to 5:00 pm.  There will be games, swag bags (while supplies last) and light appetizers as well as short presentations from the San Francisco CVB and others to welcome you as they provide event highlights and city offerings to help you make the most of your NTI experience.
Featuring a first timer corner.
Location: Hilton San Francisco, Union Square

Opening plenary session

Monday, May 1  - 4:30 - 5:30 p.m.

Join us for an exciting opening plenary to kick off the week. You’ll learn more about what’s in store at this event – and beyond. You’ll also get an overview of resources and personal development opportunities and you’ll have a chance to connect with NeighborWorks Training staff. More details, topics and speakers to come, so save the time slot!
Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Grand Ballroom A, Grand Ballroom Level

Walk and talk (self-led) NEW!

Ongoing Monday - Thursday

Sign-up to be matched with one or two NTI registrants to meet, walk and talk at your leisure. Get some steps in and discuss topics of mutual interest to benefit your work, life, and fitness. NeighborWorks will do the matching and provide the exchange of contact information. This is self-paced activity based on your mutual convenience. Perfect for the person that wants to pick someone's brain on a project or new to NTI and wants to make new friends.
Location: Self-led
 

Wellness at Work: Speed walking through the streets of San Francisco NEW!

Tuesday and Thursday, 6:45 - 7:30 a.m.

Hi! I'm John Flanagan. I'm a native San Franciscan and still reside in Downtown San Francisco. I've been running since the late 90s and have done numerous triathlons and a couple of Ironmans. I'm happy to show you my beautiful city! The route includes: right out of the hotel to Market Street. Then, straight down Market Street to the Ferry Building and back. Sites along the way: Union Square, Cable Cars, Financial District, The Embarcadero, and the Ferry Building.
Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Entrance Lobby

Grab your own lunch and meet and greet with people from your region NEW!

Each region will have a designated location for NWO members to meet and socialize with other members from their region. Bring your own lunch and networking skills.

Midwest Region

  • Iowa, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Minnesota, Nebraska, North Dakota, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan, Indiana

Tuesday, 12 - 12:45 p.m.

Meet and Greet networking opportunity for participants in the Midwest Region Bring your lunch, network with Regional NeighborWorks Organization staff, and meet the new Midwest West Regional Vice President, Deletta Dean. 
 
Organizer: Carolyn Young
Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Continental 4, Ballroom Level
 

Northeast Region

  • New England, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Puerto Rico, Virgin Islands

Tuesday, 12 - 12:45 p.m.

Come meet your colleagues from the Northeast region (New England, NY, NJ, PA, DE, Puerto Rico and the Virgin islands). Bring your lunch and network. How often do you say to someone – “Let’s meet up at the NTI” and then you never do? Here is your chance. NeighborWorks staff of the region will be there to greet you. Hope you join us!
 
Organizer: Joan Straussman, NeighborWorks America
Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Grand Ballroom A, Grand Ballroom Level
 

Southern Region

  • Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia, Washington, D.C.

Tuesday, 4:30 - 5:15 p.m.

Did you know there was a meet up just for the Southern Region?
Yes, there is!! And, we would love to meet you and celebrate the great work you do to create communities of opportunity throughout the Region. So, if you are from Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, West Virginia or the District of Columbia, come out and meet your peers and the NeighborWorks America Southern Region Team.  We hope to see you there!   
 
Organizer: Dr. Christie Cade and the Southern Region Team, NeighborWorks America 
Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Grand Ballroom A, Grand Ballroom Level

Western Region

  • Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Texas, Washington, Wyoming

Monday, 12 - 12:45 p.m.

Did you know there was a meet up just for the Western Region? Yes, there is!! And, we would love to meet you and celebrate the great work you do to create communities of opportunity throughout the Region. So, if you are from  Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, New Mexico, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Texas, Washington and Wyoming, come out and meet your peers and the NeighborWorks America Western Region Team on Monday, May 1st from 12:00 p.m. – 12:45 p.m.   We hope to see you there!
 
Organizer: TBD 
Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Continental 4, Ballroom Level

Neighborhood tours and "Chat and Chew" NEW!

Experience! Fruitvale Village (FTV)

Wednesday, 5 - 9 p.m.

The Unity Council welcomes you to the Fruitvale Transit Village (FTV), a nationally recognized and award-winning Transit-Oriented Development (TOD) model in the heart of the Fruitvale neighborhood of Oakland, California. Studied in public policy, urban planning, and community development programs across the nation, the Fruitvale Transit Village is a shining example of how community-rooted TOD design can preserve neighborhood culture and character in the face of immense commercial and residential displacement pressures. During the visit, participants will engage in a walking tour to our nationally acclaimed Casa Arabella affordable housing developments as well as Casa Sueños, the current construction site to 181 affordable housing units, adjacent to Casa Arabella. Visitors will conclude their vibrant tour by experiencing renowned indigenous dining at Wahpepha’s Kitchen, Oakland’s revolutionary new Native American restaurant located right in the heart of the Fruitvale Transit Village.
Learn more about The Unity Council.
 
Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Grand Ballroom A, Grand Ballroom Level
Bus pick up/drop off location:  Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Taylor Street

Tenderloin, Mission District and Chinatown neighborhoods

Join a tour featuring three communities of San Francisco’s Tenderloin, Mission District, and Chinatown. The tour will highlight community development initiatives to address the unique challenges of each of these historic BIPOC communities, including housing, business and family wealth building strategies employed by: Mission Economic Development Agency (MEDA) to fight against the gentrification of SF’s historic Latino community; Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corporation addressing the challenges of advancing a diverse community in the neighborhood most impacted by people experiencing homelessness and access to quality health; and by Chinatown CDC to address the challenge of supporting over 500 families with children to thrive and even transition out of single room occupancy hotel rooms. The tour will end with a tasty dinner in the Mission District at Bissap Boabab highlighting the unique small businesses that help define and give hope to this historic Latinx community.
 
Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Grand Ballroom A, Grand Ballroom Level
Bus pick up/drop off location:  Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Taylor Street

Hayward and San Leandro communities

Eden Housing is excited to host NeighborWorks’ May NTI and showcasing several of our properties in Alameda County, specifically the Hayward/San Leandro areas.  We will be showing you several properties.  If time and logistics permit, we will be starting the tour at Loro Landing in San Leandro, a site specifically for individuals with additional needs.  We will then go to Alta Mira, a family housing property in South Hayward, followed by Weinreb Place, one of our senior properties in Hayward.  We will finish the Eden Housing Property Tour at our Hayward Senior property where our corporate headquarters are located on the first floor.  We will end the tour at the delicious local Italian eatery, Acqua e Farina.  Eden is proud of our high-quality, safe, affordable, and sustainable properties and we look forward to meeting all of you!

Location: Hilton San Francisco Union Square, Grand Ballroom A, Grand Ballroom Level
This walking tour will utilize the BART public transportation system.

Mingle and dance NEW!

Thursday, 5 - 6:30 p.m.

Come show off your dancing moves at this happy hour.  We will provide snacks and a signature non-alcoholic mocktail while supplies last. You will provide the fun! A cash bar will be available to purchase additional drinks. This is a fantastic opportunity to get your heart pumping just before you venture out for dinner. Limited to the first 150 people.  Registration is required. 
 
Location: Parc 55 A Hilton Hotel, Embarcadero Room, Level 3

Afternoon Workshops:

Presentations on the latest topics in affordable housing and community development

Alternatives to Immediate Recapitalization

Recapitalizing Year 15 LIHTC properties has become very difficult with interest rates continuing to rise. NeighborWorks Capital's permanent financing solutions allow you to find the right path when you need to refinance or deal with an exit, to keep your residents happy and your property humming along. Come and talk to our Lending Team about ways we can help you solve a financing challenge.

Presenters:

  • Lanie Wasserman, NeighborWorks Capital
  • Mike Hass, NeighborWorks Capital

Make Homeownership a Reality for Clients with Bank of America's Affordable Solutions

Join Bank of America to learn about the affordable solutions we offer housing counselors to assist clients in overcoming the barriers to homeownership. We will share a variety of resources made possible through our $15B Community Homeownership Commitment program, including:
  • Low down payment options
  • Proprietary grant programs
  • Our special purpose credit program (available in select markets)
Together, we can help make homeownership a reality for modest income and underserved borrowers and communities.

Presenters:

  • Danielle Taylor, Bank of America
  • Kathy Cummings, Bank of America

Never Comfortable, A Focus on Professional Personal Soft Skills for Counselors

A 60 minute interactive session that focuses on soft skills development for counselors that are looking to improve in the areas of communication, listening skills and how to work more efficiently when it comes to delivering counseling across all modalities (In Person/Face to Face, Internet/Virtually, Phone etc.)
 

Presenter:

  • Shane Darrisaw

HUD Updates 

Join a representative of the HUD Office of Housing Counseling for the latest and greatest in the world of housing counseling, foreclosure & eviction intervention, disaster response and recovery, and policy changes.

Presenter:

  • TBD
 

Realizing and Keeping the American Dream: Powerful Homebuyer and Homeownership Resources

This presentation will provide all attendees an at-a-glance look into why both of these resources have proven to be a vital part of homebuyer and post-purchase education success.

Presenters:

  • Lori Hall, L.L. Hall Consulting, LLC
  • Ann DiPetta, ADR Consulting

The NeighborWorks Compass® Strategy

This session will illuminate the strategy that NeighborWorks America is undertaking to create a premier client management system for our Network and the Housing Counseling Industry as a whole. It will cover our current systems and how they are surviving but highlight our new efforts to strive and ultimately thrive as a Client Management System of the future for all.
 

Presenter:

  • Arturo Weldon, NeighborWorks America

Ask the CounselorMax Expert

You have questions; we have answers! Join CounselorMax staff for a Q&A session where you, our valued CounselorMax endusers, can receive live technical support.

Presenter: 

  • Kevin Prophet, NeighborWorks America

Making Our Voices Heard: Tips and Tools for Affordable Housing Advocacy

This workshop, led by the National Low Income Housing Coalition (NLIHC), will discuss strategies for engaging with federal, state, and local elected officials to advocate for affordable housing, and how to effectively make your voice heard in the halls of power. Participants will learn how to combine data and storytelling to convey a message that sticks with policymakers. The workshop will include an overview of NLIHC's Gap and Out of Reach data, which quantify the shortage of affordable homes and the impact of the affordability crisis on the lowest-income renters, and how to effectively harness this data to make the case for housing investments. The presentation will also include an update about the state of housing policy on Capitol Hill and how to plug into ongoing federal advocacy efforts.

Presenter:

  • Courtney Cooperman, Housing Advocacy Organizer

Decorative Board-up as a Tool for Neighborhood Revitalization

When neighbors walk down the street and see vacant, boarded up houses, they don't feel a sense of a thriving, welcoming community. What if neighbors could walk down the same street and see the same houses – but now with fresh artwork that is attractive and welcoming? Imagine the difference! We know that one of the most challenging issues facing our communities is the high number of vacant homes and the problems associated with these homes – vagrancy, blight, arson and other crime. Chris Toepfer, of the Neighborhood Foundation in Chicago, will show you a cost effective way to secure vacant and abandoned buildings and revitalize neighborhoods. At this hands-on, visual workshop, you will learn the basics of the decorative board-up process, how it has impacted communities, and how to get a program up and running in your area. You will also learn how a decorative board-up program can generate local jobs and develop valuable work skills.

Presenter: 

  • Christopher Toepfer, The Neighborhood Foundation
Register now!
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