Getting families connected online at home in Lawrenceville

Lawrenceville is taking the lead in a national housing trend helping individuals and families who make less than $35,000 a year receive state assistance for home Internet connection for the low cost of $9.99 a month. Lawrenceville Housing Authority (LHA), in partnership with national nonprofit EveryoneOn, powered by Connect2Compete, connected 212 apartments so each resident can receive 1GB of free Internet service a month at home with the option of upgrading to $9.99 a month for more bandwidth. The offer is being made through EveryoneOn’s partner, FreedomPop. EveryoneOn is a national nonprofit aiming to eliminate the digital divide by making high-speed, low-cost Internet, computers, and free digital literacy accessible to all unconnected Americans.

As an investment in our community, the housing authority is using our Capital Expenditure Fund to pay for this initiative. The nine housing units with Internet connectivity included are:  Floyd Braswell, Sally Craig, New Memorial, Hooper Renwick, Rich Martin, Rob Dunham, Omie Harris, Grady Holt, and Glenn Edge. All of the units will be supplied with one modem that will be managed by LHA.

LHA is also sharing information on providing affordable laptops and tablets to our residents thanks to EveryoneOn so that they can purchase laptops for approximately $200 and tablets for approximately $150 if they do not have one already. Residents are very excited to learn about the discounted computer offers and the ability to connect to the internet in their homes.

Internet access at home is a vital way to stay current with job opportunities and manage personal business. Today more than 80 percent of Fortune 500 companies—including Walmart and Target— post job openings online only and require an online application. Children without home Internet access feel the pain as well.  Over three-fourths (76%) of teachers report assigning online homework, but increasingly find themselves in the difficult position of leaving behind students without Internet at home or holding back “connected” students (Pew Research Center, 2013).

In addition to the units with free or low-cost free Internet service, free computer and Internet training classes are available to all Lawrenceville residents through www.everyoneon.org. EveryoneOn, supported by a national Ad Council digital literacy initiative, is connecting new users to free Internet resources and training to help folks do what they do better.

With the success of Lawrenceville’s program, we hope to expand the affordable home Internet options to more residents and help get “EveryoneOn.” The Lawrenceville model of home Internet access is also a model supported by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, adopted by other city housing authorities across the county.

If you do not live in one of the housing units with free or low-cost installed Internet, but would like to see if you are eligible to apply for free or low-cost Internet at home, visit www.everyoneone.org.

Questions about the program can be directed to Liz Pamfilis, Resident Services Coordinator, Lawrenceville Housing Authority.