Remote learning. Remote work. Remote medical care. Remote means online and a large percentage of the population, especially people with low-incomes, people of color, immigrant families, individuals with disabilities and seniors, lack the money, time and other resources to purchase service and devices and become digitally literate. That leaves a large segment without access to information, services, benefits, schools, banking and so much more as just about everything basic in life has gone virtual.

In 2020, the Seattle Housing Authority, with support from the City of Seattle, partnered with the Multimedia Resources and Training Institute at SHA’s Yesler community to launch a Family Digital Navigators program. The program enlisted young people living in the Yesler community to help about 60 resident families build digital skills and gain access to critical online services.

Hermela, one of the navigators, exemplifies the passion the young recruits have for the program. “I thrive to be the voice of the community that represents me. Digital access is becoming one of the biggest necessities especially nowadays because of the pandemic. Hence, I want to make sure that I have done everything within my power, so my people have equitable access to this necessity.”

In 2022, thanks to a $1.8 million grant from the Washington State Department of Commerce Broadband Office, SHA is expanding the existing Digital Navigators pilot program and bringing a range of digital navigation services to more than 5,000 people served by SHA, which represents a significant portion of those in Seattle without internet access. An estimated 15 percent of Seattle households overall lack any kind of basic internet access. The estimate for SHA residents is as much as 65 percent of households.  

Internet access and access to technology is a modern necessity, not a luxury. Without reliable technology access SHA residents are increasingly disadvantaged in life. The state grant will allow SHA to offer digital navigation services at scale to enable SHA residents to connect to literal lifelines and ensure they are able to maintain needed services and benefits, re-enter public life, return to old jobs or retrain for new ones, attend school and much more. 

SHA will hire five part-time and 10 full-time Digital Navigators, one Technology Support Specialist and one Digital Equity Support Specialist and will distribute more than 2,000 laptops, tablets and other devices to residents. The project also includes upgrading five outdated computer labs at SHA residential locations and creating three mobile computer labs.

At a minimum, residents will receive personal computers, tablets, hot spots and other devices and learn how to set them up; learn how to log in to personal or shared computers, connect to the internet and set up email and related accounts; receive foundational training in understanding basic operating system commands, opening a browser, making online queries and searches, and navigating the internet; use contemporary meeting apps such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams and Google Meet; and use Microsoft Office and create documents with word processing and spreadsheet software. Through the pilot at Yesler, SHA has learned that the Digital Navigators also remain a lifeline for residents in the early days and months after their training.

There is no better reward for the young navigators and everyone at SHA than seeing a child succeed through online learning, a disabled person ordering food and medicine delivered to her home, a resident who lost his job find a new one through online job search and interviewing or an isolated senior enjoying online family time, and knowing the digital gap is narrowing.

For more information, email SHA's Supportive Services Coordinator Maria Ursua at maria.ursua@seattlehousing.org or SHA's Digital Equity Coordinator Asfaha Lemlem at asfaha.lemlem@seattlehousing.org.