West Chester, Pa (November 22, 2024) – Safe Harbor of Chester County will receive 20 laptops to support financial and computer literacy training programs for people recovering from homelessness, state Senator Carolyn Comitta and state Rep. Chris Pielli announced today.
The laptops were awarded through the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority’s Digital Connectivity Technology Program. They will support the non-profit organization’s mission to provide emergency housing, food, and support services in a structured environment to unhoused single men and women in Chester County.
“This grant is a powerful step in addressing homelessness by providing the residents at Safe Harbor with the tools they need to rebuild their lives. These laptops will enable access to financial and computer literacy training, giving individuals the skills and confidence to secure housing, employment, and lasting stability. We are profoundly grateful for this investment in hope and opportunity,” said Jessica Chappell, Executive Director of Safe Harbor of Chester County.
“I want to thank the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority and Senator John Kane, who serves on the board, for making this investment in our community. Thanks to these laptops, some of our most vulnerable neighbors and community members will now have access to learning the digital skills that are fundamental to a productive life and a prosperous career in the 21st Century,” Comitta said.
“I’m very pleased that Safe Harbor of Chester County has received this essential technology. Safe Harbor is a greatly valued community organization offering comprehensive services for individuals who experience homelessness. These laptops will help bridge the digital divide which disproportionately impacts our most vulnerable residents,” Pielli said. “I applaud the Pennsylvania Department of Community and Economic Development for offering this grant program to enable digital access for individuals seeking employment, education, health resources, and ultimately, long-term self-sufficiency.”
The PBDA is also partnering with the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry and PA CareerLink to introduce program participants to SkillUp™ PA, which offers no-cost online job skills training to the public.
The laptops for Safe Harbor come as part of 9,122 laptops awarded to community institutions across 42 Pennsylvania counties for use by residents who do not have access to digital technology.
Through the Digital Connectivity Technology Program, the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority is investing $20 million to provide laptops to eligible public-facing institutions such as libraries, municipalities, workforce training organizations, not-for-profit organizations, and other community anchor institutions.
“The community organizations receiving these devices will help ensure that individuals needing to use a laptop to access high-speed, reliable internet will have that important access,” said Brandon Carson, Executive Director of the Pennsylvania Broadband Development Authority. “Each organization has outlined a clear and effective plan to make these laptops available to individuals in their communities so they have better health, education, and economic outcomes.”
Funded by the American Rescue Plan Act, the Digital Connectivity Technology Program aims to increase access to technology devices where affordability has been identified as a barrier to broadband adoption and use. The program helps ensure that all Pennsylvania communities can access high-speed internet on reliable internet enabled devices so they can enjoy education, career advancement, and telemedicine benefits.
The full list of approvals can be found on the PBDA website. A second round of laptop applications through the Digital Connectivity Technology Program will open in 2025.
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