Technology Matching Fund – Page 2

Seattle Housing Authority looks for ways tech can help us connect

Story by Hillary Sanders

It was an especially cold December afternoon when I visited the STAR of Seattle in the Central District. I was greeted by Misha, a STAR volunteer, who was sitting at the front desk in a room full of purring computers. STAR stands for Special Technology Access Resource and its mission is to empower people of widely varying abilities and disabilities to build community using computers, the internet and assistive technology.

I was floored when I toured the assistive technology available in the Center — things I didn’t even know existed like a braille printer and enlarged print keyboards for people with low vision.

In an era where we often talk about how technology alienates us (think of your family looking at their phones instead of each other at the dinner table), Seattle Housing Authority (SHA) residents are finding ways to connect with each other through technology.

In 2015, the Technology Matching Fund through the City of Seattle, allocated $24,269 to the SHA to replace a total of 18 computers; nine at the STAR of Seattle and nine at the Westwood Heights Technology Center.

In collaboration with Full Life Care, a non-profit situated adjacent to the STAR that supports people with chronic illnesses, and physical or developmental disabilities, the TMF also provided for the creation of a database capable of tracking visitors at six SHA computer labs.

The STAR of Seattle is the largest of the SHA computer labs and is the only one open to the public.

Mike Pollack, the Information Systems Manager at Full Life Care, says the STAR and Westwood Heights Centers combined serve about 200 people per year, while Jefferson Terrace, Denny Terrace, and Barton Place serve between 40 and 80 residents each. Data collected from the labs is helping to assess resident needs and inform future grant applications.

Full Life Care, for example, recently received grant money to build out a mobile computer lab that will expand computer access to more SHA buildings. The mobile lab will also provide community workshops on everything from how to protect your privacy when using social media to digital photography and video chatting.

According to volunteer Dorene Cornwell, the STAR Center is a place where people can come and gain access to the resources they need, at a pace that works for them.

“I’m a big fan of peer support and of emphasizing the community value of shared space,” Cornwell says.

That’s why SHA residents organized the Resident Leadership Development Team Seattle Conference, held on December 16th. One of the sessions, “Accessing Technology in Low-income Communities,” covered a broad range of topics including how to coordinate trainings in SHA buildings, the process of applying for technology grants, and programs that provide low-cost internet and discount laptops.

As more essential activities like banking and job applications migrate online, Cornwell explains, the challenges for people in her community multiply. Sure, online resources can be really convenient, “but if somebody is not comfortable with the technology, it’s just another dang intrusion, another way to be frustrated when our lives are kind of difficult anyway,” Cornwell says.

This begs an important question: how de-sensitized are we becoming to the privileges that our personal technological devices grant us? I wrote this article entirely on my smartphone, but for some, even accessing an online article presents major obstacles.

When it comes to all of the devices we use and have access to on a daily basis, having the skills to make the most of that access, Cornwell emphasizes, “is never to be taken for granted.”

The City of Seattle is now accepting applications for the 2017 Technology Matching Fund (TMF). In 2016 the city awarded 10 community organizations a total of $320,000 in Technology Matching Funds. This funding assists more than 2,500 residents in historically underserved or underrepresented communities who lack the necessary technology access and essential digital skills to thrive in the 21^st century.

East African Community Services proves representation is key to education

Story by Damme Getachew

East African Community Services (EACS) is a lighthouse for hundreds of youth who simply want to succeed in education and life. It’s located in the New Holly Neighborhood Campus in Southeast Seattle, where more than 65 percent of residents are East African.

As a first-generation Somali-American, Executive Director Faisal Jama knows what it’s like to be in the shoes of the students he passionately serves. There is an opportunity gap that East African youth experience in traditional school systems, and even within their own communities, Jama says.

As children of immigrant parents, or as immigrants themselves, East African youth grow up with less understanding of how to successfully navigate the education system than their counterparts.

That’s why EACS exists — to provide “culturally responsive” K-12 education programs during after-school hours throughout the academic year and in the summer.

“We focus on being proactive, not reactive so that our kids are prepared,” Jama explains. Students start algebra by 8th grade instead of 9th and take math for four years instead of the three-year high school requirement.

They also hold frequent workshops where community members come in to talk about their careers, family, culture and identity, providing East African youth with tangible role models for success.

“In our community, there are a lot of people that are serving our kids, but it’s not us…” Jama emphasizes. “We make sure our professionals and our volunteers can relate to them.”

In other workshops, students engage in discussions on African and African-American literature. It’s important that one knows where you come from — it encourages self-love, Jama says.

Since its inception, EACS has transitioned alongside the East African immigrant community it serves — from aiding newly-arrived refugees in the ‘90’s with necessary social services, to offering full-blown educational training for the children of those same families a generation later.

As Jama puts it, EACS doesn’t intend to be-all and do-all for East African youth. Instead, the organization recognized that becoming an education-only institution was exactly what the kids needed.

In partnership with local colleges, student-teachers instruct their classes. EACS also regularly employs high school students as interns and brings in volunteers from the community to ensure strong support in the classrooms.

Since their full transformation in 2013 to an education organization, EACS has seen a 30 percent increase in student enrollment. “It’s all from word-of-mouth,” Jama explains. Parents are telling other parents.

EACS alum Ahlaam Ibraahim is an example of what continuous and culturally-relevant support can do. Ibraahim was recognized for her high academic achievements in a recent Seattle Times article, and has become well known for her community activism. She even launched her own initiative, “Educating the Horn,” in connection with EACS recently, to help high school students fill out college applications and apply to scholarships.

Beyond college, EACS is also laying the groundwork for more representation from the East African community in the tech industry. With support from the City of Seattle Technology Matching Fund EACS recently began its ICT (Information Computer Technology) Learning Center to offer robotics along with college and career readiness classes. Students gain programming skills, learn how to code and use JavaScript, and more.

“The key is bringing in people that can show them what it looks like,” Jama says. “It’s about career awareness.”

He says it’s not just STEM learning that’s beneficial, it’s the visual depiction that people of color can and do succeed that reaffirms the youth’s belief in themselves and their own ability to thrive.

Lake City organization is a quick study in teaching digital literacy to adults

Story by Damme Getachew

For hundreds of adults in the Seattle area looking to expand their education, Literacy Source is a crucial first step.

At their Learning Center in Lake City, students experience a broad range of classes intended to build their language and literacy skills.

As Literacy Source Executive Director Lynn Livesley explains, the organization’s strength is not only in their small class sizes — with a maximum of 15 students per class — but also in the way they keep their content accessible.

“Adults walk with their feet,” she says, “they don’t have to be here, they choose to be…the classes have to be relevant and respectful of their time.”

Throughout a typical week, Literacy Source offers adult basic education (ABE), English as a Second Language (ESL), GED prep, math, citizenship test prep, and their new Online learning courses (made possible through a City of Seattle Technology Matching Fund grant) at convenient times.

About 120 active volunteers facilitate in the classroom or work one-on-one with students every day. Volunteer tutor Wendy Mullen meets with her student for 90 minutes, twice per week.

Classes and tutoring revolve around each student’s individual goals. Each student is supported by an assigned instructional advisor, who takes care to understand why learners are there and where they want to go. They check-in with their students across six-week terms. No two classes are alike because they are tailored to a cohort’s needs and ambitions.

Tess Griswold, an ABE instructional advisor says this is exactly why they are successful — a culturally responsive curriculum and a classroom built around mutually agreed upon rules is the norm.

“It’s not prescribed, it’s not scripted, it’s something that really comes from them and where they are at,” she says. “We intentionally meet them at their level.”

Yumiko, a student in a level four ESL class, moved to Seattle from California where she worked as a dental assistant at a Japanese-speaking facility. She’s at Literacy Source because she wants to improve her English-speaking skills so that she can eventually work as a dental assistant anywhere. But for now, learning how to use a computer is helping her do better at her current job.

“Because of our size and the fact we are not within a big institutional structure, we can be very nimble, flexible, and intentional about creating opportunities for the people we are working with,” Livesley explains.

In 21st century America, this includes increasing digital literacy for low-income adults.

Literacy Source has created a center-wide Digital Literacy curriculum which promotes technology use in some form in every single class, both in their Learning Center and in off-site programming. Focus areas include basic internet functionality, email, Google Docs, Google Maps, and Canvas (a learning management system used in higher education).

Specific objectives are outlined across their Fall, Winter, Spring, and Summer terms with increasing complexity as time goes on.

“The majority of our students want to know how to use a computer,” says Instructional Director Cat Howell, “For some, it is the first time they’ve even touched one, so we start from the beginning.”

Workforce Coordinator and Instructional Advisor Janet Arbogast says that a lot of assumptions are often made when it comes to instructing adults about digital literacy.

“Jobs that have previously been non-technological are starting to transition,” she explains. As tasks become more automated, workers are expected to catch on to new programs and databases quickly.

But as Arbogast points out, it can be very difficult if digital training is not done in the right way. That’s why Literacy Source steps in to provide in-depth pre-training before new systems go live, and partners with other organizations to host classes on-site. Recently, they conducted a 10-week long training at NW Hospital.

“Showing workers something once and assuming they will get it just doesn’t work,” Arbogast continues. “As NW Hospital workers got the hang of the new program, they were able to phase out of the class.”

The unique strategies used by Literacy Source are meant to ensure that digital literacy continues long after students exit the classroom, in ways that both improve job performance and will fundamentally change a student’s life.

“Change happens with education,” Livesley affirms. “Education is the starting point for any individual.”

In 2016 the City of Seattle awarded 10 community organizations a total of $320,000 in Technology Matching Funds (TMF). This funding will assist more than 2,500 residents in historically underserved or underrepresented communities who lack the necessary technology access and essential digital skills to thrive in the 21^st century.

Asian senior healthcare organization uses technology to fight social isolation of seniors

Story by Joy Okot-Okidi

Founded in the 1980s as the first Chinese nursing home operated by the Chinese community in the nation, Kin On now serves over 500 Asian seniors in the Greater Seattle area.

Asian cultures hold a tradition for families to care for their own, according to Kin On’s website, and caregivers and staff follow a holistic approach to care for their residents.

Their mission is to “support the elderly and adults in the greater Seattle Asian community by offering a comprehensive range of health, social and educational services sensitive to their cultural, linguistic and dietary needs.”

Since opening, Kin On has gone on to win several awards including an honor from the Northwest Asian Weekly Foundation, declaring Kin On Health Care an “Asian-American Pioneer in Healthcare.”

In October 2016, the facility opened a new community center as part of their Healthy Living Program, focused on the physical, mental and social aspects of health for adults over 50. Classes offered include EnhanceFitness®, Zumba®, ballroom and line dance, arts and crafts, technology, evidence-based health education, and more.

At the heart of the Healthy Living Program is the Kin On Smartlab, which was initiated with the City of Seattle Technology Matching Fund. The goal of the Kin On SmartLab was to “improve social isolation, to increase interaction through email, technology literacy and access to government resources online,” said Jessica Wong who was the main program coordinator from 2015-2016.

Wong said that Kin On serves many immigrants, mostly from China, Hong Kong or Taiwan. She says social isolation is a major problem, so the committee proposed the idea of a “SmartLab” to combat this, speaking to the educational, mental and social components of the Healthy Living Program.

The organization previously applied for the grant from the Technology Matching Fund, and after not being chosen, they applied feedback and received the grant the following year. The SmartLab operates in the 2,600 square foot community center and the program officially began in April of 2016, featuring “all-in-one computers” with a built-in monitor and speakers, allowing for easy take-down and set up, along with a projector allowing students to see skills being taught on a larger screen.

Its first set of classes included “Computers Made Easy,” teaching students basic fundamentals of using a computer. From April to July 2016, four, two-hour classes were taught once a month on select Saturdays by young professionals in the technology field. About 10 volunteers are present for each class to assist the students. There are also two open lab tutors who give one-on-one lessons twice a week.

The SmartLab is open to the community and seniors aged 50+ can sign up by phone, in-person, or with help from a family member or friend, through an online application which is offered in English and Chinese.

Seniors who sign up are encouraged to come in and ask questions about smartphones and tablets and computers. One former nurse from Kin On, Eliane Dao, has transitioned into becoming a regular student in the SmartLab. “It has been about three months and I am very happy that I have found a great teacher,” she explained, “He will teach you anything you ask.”

“We hope to grow to serve more people and also offer a larger variety of classes,” Wong said of Kin On’s goals for the future of the technology program. “For this coming year, we have improved our methods and how we teach by simplifying the classes with more repetition and practice time.” The 2017 classes schedule is now available online.

The SmartLab will continue to push towards its three main goals: combatting social isolation through online access to social media and communication platforms, improving technology literacy, and increasing access to health and government resources online.

For more information or questions, please contact Anne Nguyen who oversees Kin On’s Healthy Living Program at 206-556-2237 or healthyliving@kinon.org.

Seattle’s Millionair Club Charity is a one-stop transition from the streets to a job

Story by Esmy Jimenez

“Martin G. Johanson wanted everyone to feel like a millionaire whether they had a nickel in their pocket or nothing at all,” Executive Director Jim Miller tells me.

In his quest to make this vision a reality, Seattle’s Millionair Club Charity (MCC) was formed in 1921. A local businessman, Johanson watched as his city reeled from the economic devastation of WWI leaving many unemployed. While some charities were providing hot meals, Johanson believed the key to breaking the cycle and providing people with the agency to lead a dignified life was the privilege of a well earned paycheck.

“That’s why we’re a job-first organization,” Miller adds. While the organization couples job opportunities with housing support, the Millionair Club is known for having provided over 800 workers this year to over 1000 businesses who hired people who’ve experienced homelessness or are currently experiencing homelessness. For many that’s the first time someone’s offered them a tangible solution.

Currently the organization focuses on providing people with Food Handler’s Cards and MAST (WA State’s Mandatory Alcohol Server Training) licensing. Many people often lack the $10-$15 cost of a certification and that alone can be the barrier that keeps them from accessing a job. What’s more is that even if the money was available and prioritized, an online course means access to a computer is a necessity.

Herein lies the beauty of The Millionair Club. It’s a thoughtfully assessed system that foresees solutions to barriers that may be holding their clients back. It’s that kind of foresight that prompted the organization to develop a small, eight-station computer lab devoted to job support. But they didn’t stop there.

As the need grew and the positive effects rippled out, the social entreprise knew they had to keep up with the demand from their clients. With support from the City of Seattle Technology Matching Fund through a $21,800 grant, The Millionair Club developed their small computer lab into a Workforce Development site equipped with 32 workstations. Now folks can come in to the same place where they can shower, do laundry, store their belongings, eat a hot meal, pass their food handler’s certification test, and even get work clothes for employment the very same day.

“We love it when people say ‘I came in for lunch, I came out with a job!’” says Christine Rylko, Director of Communications at The Millionair Club. What’s more is that the organization also provides transportation to and from work and a completely free vision clinic for folks who need glasses (much needed for job readiness!) Coupled with housing opportunities, free showers and laundry, the place is a one-stop shop for people to get back on their feet.

This year alone this intricate system has helped 154 people transition to full time permanent jobs.

With over 4,500 people without a home identified during this year’s One Night Count and 6,000 more in King County shelters, that kind of program is revolutionary and indeed much-needed.

“I want to pass that on to anyone out there who needs help to work. The MCC is where it’s at for good clothing and work. In fact, I haven’t heard of any organization out there that’s like them. Everyone should come to the MCC for help because it’s #1,” says Sam, a client who experienced both the pains of homelessness and the joy of finding his way back to a secure home with the help of The Millionair Club.

With stories like this, the organization’s name is no misnomer. They are championing the way for Seattle’s homeless population to feel like millionaires themselves.