On Saturday, February 10, 2024 – HUD Great Plains Regional Administrator Ulysses Clayborn spoke to federal employee members of the Region VII Chapters of Blacks in Government (BIG) at the Robert J. Mohart Multipurpose Center, 3200 Wayne Avenue, Kansas City, Missouri 64109. BIG's purpose is to be an advocate of equal opportunity to African Americans in government in the local, state, and federal sectors. Regional chapters that were represented include: Greater Kansas City, Incorporated; Heartland Central, Nebraska; and the St. Louis Metropolitan.

The event was organized by Mrs. Alberta Walker, Senior Financial Analyst working within HUD’s Financial Management Center in Kansas City, Missouri and the Greater Kansas City, Incorporated Chapter Board and Membership Chair. It featured Clayborn speaking about the intersection of housing and health. Attendees learned how the Biden-Harris administration, HUD and other cabinet agency partners like the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) recognize that to have a healthy and fulfilling life, people need access to a stable and healthy home. Clayborn made sure that the crowd was aware of HUD Secretary Marcia Fudge’s priorities such as boosting wealth-building and homeownership opportunities, expanding access to affordable housing and rental assistance, increasing our nation’s housing supply, combating homelessness with a sense of urgency, ensuring communities can deal with climate change, and making it easier to navigate HUD programs and get needed services.

After the event, Mrs. Walker shared her thoughts on the day’s event, saying that, “Because of this training on HUD programs, our council of leaders in the region that make up the Kansas City chapter, are now poised to help shape the knowledge and capacity of other federal and other government staff about the need for safe, sanitary and decent housing.”

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