In 2005, three residents of a Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Hotel in San Francisco’s Tenderloin neighborhood formed a Internet and Cable Committee. The group was highly motivated to figure out how to provide cable and Internet access to the building for the residents.

http://tinyurl.com/2olpdm

According to the Chronicle, “The McAllister Hotel was a low-rent flophouse before being fixed up and converted into one of the first supportive housing residences under Mayor Gavin Newsom’s Care Not Cash initiative, which cuts welfare to homeless people in exchange for housing them.”

After reading the above article, several agencies and organizations worked together to help the Computer Committee obtain Internet access, computer equipment, training and technical support.

In February 2006, Shih Yu-Lang Central YMCA donated a computer which had been refurbished as part of their youth  program. Google offered to pay for DSL for one year and Meracki donated equipment to carry the signal throughout the building.

Comcast also now provides broadband access service to the entire building. About 6 tenants have subscribed to the service and the others can use the wireless system installed by Meracki. The Internet Committee helped to install the wireless system and can help with troubleshooting any connection problems.

The 60 residents now have three computers in the lobby for public use and all have access to the Internet. Computers are being used mostly for job search, email, and just searching the web.

SF Connect (www.SFConnect) recruited volunteers to help the residents develop computer skills at weekly advice sessions. Dave Rinaldi and various volunteers have gone to the McAllister every week since March 2007. The advice sessions are full every week. Residents have created their own webpage http://www.mcallisterhotel.org/newsletter/ with information about building activities and useful resources for residents.

Access to the public computers, the weekly advice sessions and building-wide Internet access has created demand for computers. The residents contacted Alemany County Computer Resource Center (www.ACCRC.org) to apply for free computers for the residents.

This project demonstrates how a sustainable system can be created with an engaged partnership between residents, building staff, community-based nonprofits, businesses and volunteers.