Austin Pathways raised $34,212 during Amplify Austin, doubling last year’s total of more than $17,000. One hundred percent of the funds, generously donated by 215 individuals, community partners and local businesses, provide direct support for programs like the Housing Authority of the City of Austin’s (HACA) scholarship and Family Self-Sufficiency programs for public and affordable housing residents. HACA and Austin … Read More
Austin Pathways Wins Grant to Support Music Education
The Best Buy Foundation has awarded the Housing Authority of the City of Austin’s (HACA) nonprofit subsidiary Austin Pathways a $6,000 Community Grant to support the Digital Opportunities for Music Education program at a public housing property that serves 576 residents in southwest Austin. The funds will be used to purchase music equipment in the audio recording room at HACA’s Henry Flores Education and Training … Read More
Google Community Leaders Help Residents Plug in to Digital Austin
About 20 children who live in apartments operated by the Housing Authority of the City of Austin recently received free refurbished computers donated by Austin Community College after dedicating 40 hours of their summer vacation to STEM education. Three Google Community Leaders from the University of Texas Division of Diversity and Community Engagement attended the computer deployment to help residents assemble and become … Read More
Housing Authority Aims to Close Digital Gap
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_author title=”Publisher: Rivard Report” author_id=”Publisher: Rivard Report”][cs_text] The San Antonio Housing Authority (SAHA) has begun work with President Barack Obama’s pilot initiative to help close the digital divide among local children and families living in federally funded public housing. ConnectHome is in 27 cities, including … Read More
Promoting the Modern Lingua Franca among Austin’s Low-Income Residents
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_author title=” Publisher: UT Austin: HDO” author_id=”Publisher: “][cs_text] Imagine, for a moment, that you’ve been dropped into a foreign country with absolutely no grasp of the local language or customs. You look around, cautiously observing the unusual. You want to take advantage … Read More
When It Comes to Digital Inclusion, Start Slow to Go Fast
As told by Catherine Crago, Strategic Initiatives and Resource Development This week the White House and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development’s ConnectHome initiative will host a webinar for participating cities to share what they are learning as they convene stakeholders in their cities to bridge the digital divide. Austin Pathways’ Unlocking the Connection program is credited as a … Read More
It Takes a Village to Bridge the Digital Divide
As told by Sylvia Blanco, HACA Executive Vice President Earlier this week, KXAN reported on U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Secretary Julian Castro’s visit to the Reimagining Cities conference. Recently, we met with Castro at the first convening of a HUD and White House initiative called ConnectHome, a program in which we serve as a Mentor City … Read More
Digital Inclusion Initiative Update
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_author title=”Publisher: John Speirs, Office of Telecommunications & Regulatory Affairs” author_id=”Publisher: John Speirs, Office of Telecommunications & Regulatory Affairs”][cs_text]This memo provides an update on implementation of the Digital Inclusion Initiative Strategic Plan and supporting programs funded by the Grant for Technology Opportunities … Read More
About the National Housing Conference
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_author title=”Publisher:” author_id=”Publisher:”][cs_text] The National Housing Conference represents a diverse membership of housing stakeholders including tenant advocates, mortgage bankers, non-profit and for-profit home builders, property managers, policy practitioners, real estate professionals, equity investors, and more, all of whom share a commitment to … Read More
Austin a Tech Mentor
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_author title=”Publisher:” author_id=”Publisher:”][cs_text]Earlier this month, President Barack Obama and the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a new pilot program meant to close the gap between those online and those left out when it comes to Internet access, largely due to expense. The plan, … Read More
Austin Housing Authority Digital Inclusion Program Selected by HUD to Mentor Other Cities Across the U.S.
U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) Principal Deputy Assistant Secretary Lourdes Castro Ramirez today highlighted the HACA and the City of Austin’s designation as a peer mentor to 28 communities participating in the ConnectHome initiative to extend affordable broadband access to families living in HUD-assisted housing. ConnectHome was recently unveiled by HUD Secretary Julián Castro and the Obama Administration. Work locally will be led by Austin Pathways. “It is so important … Read More
U.S. Program Will Connect Public Housing Residents to Web
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_author title=”Publisher:” author_id=”Publisher:”][cs_text]The Obama administration on Wednesday announced a program to connect thousands of public housing residents across the nation to the Internet at low prices or free, part of a broader effort to close the so-called digital divide and help low-income Americans succeed … Read More
Google offers free Fiber internet in public housing
[cs_content][cs_section parallax=”false” style=”margin: 0px;padding: 45px 0px;”][cs_row inner_container=”true” marginless_columns=”false” style=”margin: 0px auto;padding: 0px;”][cs_column fade=”false” fade_animation=”in” fade_animation_offset=”45px” fade_duration=”750″ type=”1/1″ style=”padding: 0px;”][x_author title=”Publisher: Fortune” author_id=”Publisher:”][cs_text] Google will bring free high-speed internet to public housing projects in select cities, as part of a larger initiative by the Obama Administration to ensure low-income Americans are not left behind in an era when more and more … Read More
Austin Pathways Pilots Computer Refurbishing Program
Growing up in Kerala, India, Austin Pathways volunteer Unni Krishnan learned the value of reuse at an early age – and a documentary he saw while studying computer engineering at the University of Texas on sustainability made a strong impression. “I always question the need to upgrade. I use an old phone with limited capabilities, but it has everything I … Read More
Rachel Martinez Named TX NAHRO Resident of the Year
Unlocking the Connection spokesperson Rachel Martinez was recently recognized as the 2015 Texas National Association of Housing and Redevelopment Officials (NAHRO) Resident of the Year for a large housing authority during the TX NAHRO 39th Annual Conference and Tradeshow in Austin, Texas. The Resident of the Year award honors individuals who live in public housing, participate in a rental assistance program … Read More