Intercommunity Mercy Housing receives grant to buy new computers for low-income residents at affordable housing properties in Washington
Nine properties will receive computers this month through a grant from the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound
06.08.2009 – SEATTLE - Nearly 2,400 low-income adults and children will have access to new Dell computers at their properties’ community centers, thanks to a $34,700 grant to Intercommunity Mercy Housing from the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound.
Intercommunity Mercy Housing used the grant to buy 56 new computers and software for the computer labs at nine affordable housing properties in Bellingham, Everett, Kent, Lynnwood, Olympia and Tacoma, Wash. Many of the computer labs are more than 10 years old and contained old equipment that residents used during after-school programs or for job searches, resume-writing and e-mail. Through a purchasing agreement Mercy Housing has with Dell, staff members will install the new computers, recycle the old equipment and make the labs available to residents again this month.
“Thanks to this generous grant from the Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound, our residents can break through the ‘digital divide’ that leaves many low-income people at a disadvantage when it comes to technology,” said Cynthia Parker, Intercommunity Mercy Housing president. “We look forward to giving our residents more opportunities to put their computer skills to work with the upgrade of these nine computer labs.”
An April 2008 report from the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 55 percent of American households now have broadband Internet connections at home. However, only 25 percent of households with incomes less than $20,000 had broadband access at home. That figure actually declined from 2007 when 28 percent of low-income households reported having broadband access. The median annual household income at the Intercommunity Mercy Housing properties with computer labs is $18,545, less than the $20,000 threshold used in the Pew study.
Intercommunity Mercy Housing will now be able to offer new educational opportunities to residents that were impossible with the old, outdated equipment. New programs will include job-readiness activities, such as resume-writing, software-training, online job searches and applications, and financial education, such as budgeting, tax preparation and online banking.
The properties that received new computers are Evergreen Vista in Olympia; Tahoma View Apartments, Eliza McCabe Townhomes and Hillside Gardens Apartments in Tacoma; Appian Way Apartments in Kent; Lincoln Way Apartments in Lynnwood; Family Tree Apartments in Everett; and Sterling Meadows Apartments and Sterling Senior Apartments in Bellingham.
About Intercommunity Mercy Housing
Intercommunity Mercy Housing, the Seattle-based regional office of Mercy Housing, owns and operates 43 properties in Washington State that are home to nearly 4,000 residents, including families, seniors and people with special needs, with a median annual household income of $12,715. Mercy Housing, a national not-for-profit affordable housing organization headquartered in Denver, has a presence in 41 states, serves more than 117,000 people on any given day and has participated in the development, financing or operation of more than 35,700 homes. About 75 percent of Mercy Housing’s portfolio is rental units, and the remaining 25 percent is homeownership. Mercy Housing serves families, seniors and people with special needs (formerly homeless, people with HIV/AIDS and the developmentally disabled). For more information about Mercy Housing, please visit www.mercyhousing.org.
About the Employee Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound
The Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound is an employee-owned and managed fund made up of contributions from thousands of generous Boeing employees. The fund started in 1951, and since that time ECF has funded over $.5 billion to our local communities.
- Twitter Pitch
- Mercy Housing receives grant to buy new computers for low-income residents at affordable housing properties in Wash
- Tweet It!
- Resource Links
- Intercommunity Mercy Housing
- Mercy Housing
- Tags
- Intercommunity Mercy Housing, affordable housing, Employees Community Fund of Boeing Puget Sound, Cynthia Parker, digital divide, low income, Dell, Washington State
- Share via
- More Mercy Housing News
- MERCY LOAN FUND RECEIVES $20 MILLION NEW MARKETS TAX CREDIT ALLOCATION
- Mercy Housing Colorado receives $10,000 grant from the Adolph Coors Foundation
- Cabrillo Economic Development Corporation Receives $1.9 Million Loan from Mercy Loan Fund
- Mercy Housing receives two grants worth $750,000 from Citi Foundation
-
Subscribe
PitchEngine™ is not responsible or liable for the accuracy, validity or quality of this content. Users are solely responsible for the facts and accuracy of all information posted and shared on the Site. PitchEngine reserves the right to reject or hold social media releases that it deems not newsworthy in its judgment, at any time.
Limitation of Liability - In no event will PitchEngine be liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, special, exemplary or consequential damages (Including, but not limited to, damages for loss of business profits, business interruption, loss of programs or information, and the like). This disclaimer of liability applies to any damages or injury under any cause of action, including, without limitation, those caused by any failure of performance, error, omission, interruption, deletion, defect, delay in operation or transmission, computer virus or bug, communication line failure, theft, destruction or alteration of or unauthorized access to the Site or materials on the Site.
© Copyright 2009 PitchEngine, Inc.
Download vCards
Ask a Question or Add Your Comment