Ask the White House Your Questions about Promise Neighborhoods

Do you want to learn more about what the federal government is doing to support distressed neighborhoods? Today, you have a chance to submit direct questions to federal officials Larkin Tackett (The Department of Education), Luke Tate (the Department of Housing and Urban Development), Thomas Abt (the Department of Justice), and Richard Frank (the Department of Health and Human Services), who will join in a panel discussion tomorrow at 3 p.m., moderated by Derek Douglas (Domestic Policy Council). The representatives will discuss how Promise Neighborhoods funding can work in conjunction with other place–based resources, and the overarching theory of change for the Neighborhood Revitalization strategy.

Earlier this month, the U.S. Department of Education announced a total of $10 million in awards to 21 Promise Neighborhood communities. Promise Neighborhoods is the cornerstone of a broader White House Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative that focuses and coordinates federal resources in order to build communities that promote cradle to career success.

Learn more in this recent blog post from the White House. From the blog:

The goal of the Initiative is to support the transformation of distressed neighborhoods into neighborhoods of opportunity – places that provide the resources, and environment that children, youth, and adults need to succeed. This means high-quality schools and educational programs; safe and affordable housing; thriving commercial establishments; art and cultural amenities; and parks and other recreational spaces.

To realize this vision, the Neighborhood Revitalization Initiative ensures that federal and local policy will coordinate to confront the problems facing high-poverty neighborhoods; high unemployment rates, rampant crime, health disparities, inadequate early care and education, and struggling schools contribute to intensify the effects of poverty.

We hope you’ll submit your questions; please send them by 10 a.m. tomorrow morning to Executive Editor Julia Serazio at julia [at] americancity.org. Then come back tomorrow afternoon to americancity.org to see the live chat streamed at 3 p.m.