UPO Communications

Future home of UPO Ralph Waldo "Petey" Greene Community Service Center.

Future home of UPO Anacostia Community Service Center.

UPO uses several mechanisms to inform the public of activities, programs, and services. Aside from a quarterly newsletter, UPO actually produces a weekly public access television program entitled "UPO Citywide" seen locally on DCTV-5 (Comcast Cable) and DCTV 10 (Starpower Cable) Wednesdays at 10:30PM and Sundays 12-Noon. UPO also informs the public of activities via standard broadcast and print public services announcements and press releases. Another medium is the Internet <www.upo.org> where daily, UPO places agency information for the public's viewing.

The UPO Public Information Office is responsible for the agency's communications efforts including the production of the television program, publication of the newsletter, issuance of press releases/public service announcements, as well as development/maintenance of the agency's web site.


Many years of paying high rental rates to lease headquarters space will come to an end mid May 2002 when the United Planning Organization completes its headquarters relocation to a newly renovated facility at 301 Rhode Island Avenue, NW Washington, DC, in the historic LeDroit Park section of the city. The building, a former supermarket structure, had deteriorated and stood vacant for several years, ultimately becoming an eyesore for residents and passersby alike. There were numerous neighborhood safety concerns as continuing unhealthy atmosphere plagued the area. UPO saw an opportunity to enhance a historic and beautiful DC neighborhood and at the same time create a gleaming new agency presence along the well traveled Rhode Island Avenue area joining established entities as Howard University, Howard University Hospital, an existing Giant Supermarket center, the existing Rhode Island Avenue Center, the planned Rhode Island Avenue Plaza, and numerous religious institutions. The Rhode Island Avenue property isn’t the only development project on UPO’s plate. The entire financing package consists of three buildings, two others are located in the city’s Ward Eight section; (1) UPO Anacostia Community Service Center and (2) the UPO Ralph Waldo “Petey” Greene Community Service Center located in the Congress Heights community. Both are existing UPO neighborhood development facilities, centers that have direct contact with their respective communities. They likewise, will share in this initial agency building thrust. Once UPO decided it would acquire and renovate the facilities, a new phase began - the financing. Remembering that UPO is a nonprofit human service organization, a financing plan that benefits the city, its neighborhoods, UPO customers, while at the same time allowing the agency to substantially save in overall rental costs, was devised. The agency chose to obtain Tax Free Enterprise Zone bond financing for the acquisition and renovation of all three buildings. UPO Executive Director Benjamin Jennings stated the agency could save nearly $18 million over 25-year life of the bond, funds UPO can over time plow back into the city’s neighborhoods. UPO’s success in obtaining bond financing for its program support is further evidence of the agency’s worthiness as a vital community action resource in the Metropolitan Washington, DC area. Since UPO is often looked to as a leader in the community action community, such bond financing may even be worthy of consideration by the more than 1000 community action agencies nationwide, not only for physical facilities, but also for educational value to customer populations - especially school-age children. Agency staff are now prepping for the mid May 2002 relocation and will be up and running in the new headquarters building immediately following the move. Meanwhile, by the mid May date, UPO’s new central telephone numbers will be: UPO’s Central Switchboard (202) 238-4600 UPO’s Main FAX (202) 588-0270 ---30---



		New UPO headquarters building, 301 Rhode Island Avenue, NW Washington, DC. Building is located in the historic LeDroit Part community near Howard University.