05.13.08
ReliaTech, SF Connect, Salesforce.com and others help Hamilton Family Center Launch Pathways to Technology Program
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.
02.08.08
Single Room Occupancy (SRO) Hotel Residents are online
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.
04.04.07
Muni Wi-Fi Powers Hope at San Francisco Housing Project
An article in Wired highlights a great project that wired a housing project in San Francisco:
http://www.wired.com/politics/onlinerights/news/2007/04/wifiproject_0403/
