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Program Providing Technology Equity to Vulnerable Communities
 
October 27 2020 – As COVID-19 has forced our society into a virtual one with the internet becoming as vital a resource as public utilities such as water and electricity, Community Partners of South Florida (CPSFL) is receiving nearly $500,000 in grants to help close Palm Beach County’s digital divide. Quantum Foundation, in partnership with Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties (CFPBMC) and other funders, awarded the funding to create four full-time positions dedicated to bringing technology access and education to areas of most need in Palm Beach County. 
 
Known as the gap between those who have access to computers and the internet and those who do not, the pre-existing digital divide has been widened during the pandemic. According to data compiled by Quantum Foundation, the lack of access to WiFi at home, and the lack of equipment to utilize the technology, poses a significant threat to the health of the county’s most vulnerable households. Once the digital divide gap is bridged, Quantum Foundation and other funders anticipate that individuals can access employment opportunities, families will be better able to apply for benefits, seniors will have an easier time refilling prescriptions or participating in a telemedicine visit, and children will get help with virtual schooling – all solutions that can impact a community’s health and well-being. 
 
“Data shows that residents of the most disconnected neighborhoods are expected to learn less, earn less, and live less than the average county residents,” said Eric Kelly, president of Quantum Foundation. “While water, electricity, and mail are known essentials to our society, WiFi has become as vital to our lives as these other utilities. The existing digital divide, made worse by the sudden shift to virtual learning and remote working, has created an environment in which equity gaps are likely to widen for a significant portion of our county’s population. The resulting negative outcomes are expected to further increase the burden placed upon healthcare providers, local governments, and nonprofit organizations to address the consequences of the digital divide. CPSFL, with its comprehensive approach to equity for all residents across housing, mental health and community services, is the ideal strategic partner to help us close the digital divide.”
 
According to the 2014-2018 US Census American Community Survey (ACS) in Palm Beach County, 17 percent, or 92,000 households, were not connected to high-speed internet. Further breakdown of the statistics shows those households earn 2.3 times less income, are 4 times less likely to have at least a bachelor’s degree, and were expected to live 8.4 years less. 
 
“There are five pillars to this program: infrastructure, which means ensuring towers are reaching specific areas; a quality devices component, which makes routers and computers readily available; high-speed internet access; affordability of these things; and the literacy to navigate the technology,” Kelly said.
 
Enter CPSFL, the Palm Beach County comprehensive development nonprofit that will serve as the operating agency for the Digital Divide Pilot Program. The funding will provide for CPSFL to hire and deploy three full-time community technology navigators and a project manager to work directly with residents in their homes or at community sites to provide internet service, devices, training, tech support, and educational content. Residents in the western communities of Belle Glade, Pahokee and South Bay, Riviera Beach, and the north end of West Palm Beach will be provided with needed services — either access to WiFi, hardware to connect, education, or all of these things on a case-by-case basis. 
 
“Access to technology is critical to changing the odds for individuals and families facing systemic obstacles,” said Scott Hansel, CPSFL CEO. “It plays a key role in how CPSFL provides a comprehensive system of supportive services, including housing, mental health services, and community services to work towards a more equitable system for all residents. Whether it’s applying for jobs or small business loans, accessing social services benefits, utilizing telehealth services, continuing education, or enjoying the psychosocial benefits of keeping in touch with family and friends online, technology is the new dividing line that leaves our most disconnected neighborhoods behind, causing detrimental consequences.”
 
Recipients will be chosen on a referral basis from schools and nonprofit organizations, and navigators will work with the clients, primarily those lower income households with students, working-age residents, and seniors with no preset eligibility requirements. The navigator will connect households with available resources and services they qualify for from government resources, and those who do not meet eligibility requirements will be connected with equipment as funding becomes available.
 
"Digital equity is essential in our efforts to give under-connected communities the access and opportunity they deserve," said Brad Hurlburt, CFPBMC CEO. "Nonprofit, business, and government must work in partnership with residents and community leaders to close the digital divide so that children have an equal playing field when it comes to their education."  
 
The pilot program is in the hiring process. To apply to serve as a community navigator or to learn more about the pilot program, please visit https://www.cp-cto.org/search-jobs-apply to learn more. 
 
 
 
ABOUT QUANTUM FOUNDATION:
Quantum Foundation’s mission is to fund initiatives that improve the health of Palm Beach County residents. In 1998, Quantum Foundation marked its rookie year as one of Palm Beach County’s newest and largest philanthropic organizations with an impressive $7.6 million granted to more than 40 Palm Beach County projects. Just over 20 years later, with assets of approximately $155 million, the foundation’s focus remains on keeping Palm Beach County healthy. Their awards to date total more than $145 million and have impacted hundreds of local nonprofit organizations. Every dollar the foundation grants continues to stay in the county to benefit local communities. For information about Quantum Foundation, or to learn about applying for grants, please visit www.quantumfnd.org or call 561-832-7497.
 
ABOUT COMMUNITY FOUNDATION OF PALM BEACH AND MARTIN COUNTIES:
The Community Foundation for Palm Beach and Martin Counties is one of Florida’s largest community foundations. At its core, the Community Foundation is an organization created with gifts from generous people committed to local causes. For donors, the Foundation serves as a philanthropic advisor. For the community, the Foundation serves as a grantmaker and a civic leader. Through the support of its donors and fundholders, the Foundation has addressed some of the community’s most pressing needs, including hunger, housing and education. www.yourcommunityfoundation.org
 
ABOUT COMMUNITY PARTNERS OF SOUTH FLORIDA:
Community Partners of South Florida is a $16 million comprehensive community development nonprofit agency headquartered in Riviera Beach that provides services to families facing social, emotional, and financial adversity. By using a unique, breakthrough approach integrating housing and financial empowerment, child and family mental health, and community services, Community Partners creates self-sustaining families and communities and serves as a driver for growing its local economy. For more information about Community Partners of South Florida, visit www.cp-cto.org. Community Partners is a proud chartered affiliate of NeighborWorks America, a national, nonpartisan nonprofit striving to make every community a place of opportunity.