On April 3rd, 4th, and 14th a total of more than 20 volunteers, and representatives from five Bay Area organizations came to each Hamilton Family Center program to teach the basics about computers. The Project Tech Connect Technology Fairs were part of the launch of Hamilton Family Center’s latest initiative: Pathways to Technology. Funded with a $50,000 matching gift from Salesforce.com, Pathways to Technology promotes digital inclusion and provides formerly homeless families with a computer for their home, one year of free Internet service, and the training they need to use that computer effectively. The results were wonderful.

50 Households attended a technology fair and got one-on-one help on the computer.

8 New formerly homeless families learned the skills they need at these fairs, and completed successful interviews. These families will receive Pathways to Technology computers soon.

64 Clients and community providers registered for the MyHousing.org Bulletin for monthly updates on childcare, training, summer camps, tax help, housing, etc.

5Other Bay Area services came to connect families with ongoing services from: St. Anthony Foundation Employment Program and Learning Center, The One California Foundation, Street Tech, Homeless Prenatal, and the San Francisco Public Library Project Read

Hamilton Family Center
Hamilton Family Center is the largest provider of housing options, eviction prevention assistance, shelter, and support services for homeless families in San Francisco. Starting with just one family shelter in 1985, they now operate six programs and an interactive website for homeless and low-income families. Their mission is to end family homelessness by moving families into permanent housing as quickly as possible and assisting at-risk families avoid eviction. With the Pathways to Technology initiative, Hamilton Family Center seeks to enhance a family’s quality of life by:

• Improving children’s performance in school: Kids can do homework on a computer at home for the first time.
• Improving family self-sufficiency: Families access www.MyHousing.org and other information online to stay stably housed and locate local resources.
• Increasing family income: Jobs, tax resources, budgeting tools, and online banking are all available online for families.

www.MyHousing.org
MyHousing.org is an online resource for low income families in San Francisco, Alameda and Contra Costa Counties. Hamilton Family Center launched this service in 2006, as Hamilton Family Center adopted a housing-first model to place homeless families directly into housing, Hamilton Family Center created this website to provide families with access to the services and information needed for families and children to be successful in permanent housing throughout the Bay Area.