San Francisco Center Proves that if You Want Something Done Right, Do It Yourself

08/26/2008

San Francisco, CA—No programs, extremely low resident participation, and a computer lab that was in a state of disrepair. That was the situation at the Bayview Computer Learning Center when Resident Service Coordinator Lee Harrison arrived on the scene in May 2007. In July 2008, just a little more than a year after Harrison assumed leadership of the floundering center, Neighborhood Networks Director Delores Pruden presented Harrison with not one, but two, awards of achievement that signified the center’s remarkable transformation from struggling center to shining example. The first award was a Certified Neighborhood Networks center plaque that acknowledges the center’s attainment of advanced center status in the Neighborhood Networks Classification System, a feat accomplished by only 129, or less than 10 percent, of all Neighborhood Networks centers and one of only eight in California. The second commendation Pruden bestowed on Harrison recognizes his personal commitment to Neighborhood Networks and his community. Out with the Old, In with the New When Harrison took over managing the Bayview Computer Learning Center, the owner of the 146-unit Bayview Apartments, AIMCO, was paying an outside consultant to operate the center. It did not take Harrison a great length of time to realize that the arrangement was not working out in the residents’ best interests. “When I started at Bayview Computer Learning Center, only three of the five computers were working. The center only had one black-and-white printer, while a perfectly functioning color printer was, for reasons unknown to me, stuffed in a closet. And, the computers were not networked. After assessing the current state of the center, I determined the contractor who was operating the center was simply not capable of meeting the needs of the center or our community,” described Harrison. With the departure of one contractor and a failed trial period with another, Harrison decided to manage the center’s staffing himself, and began looking for another contractor to assist with the center’s information technology (IT) needs. Harrison signed on a resident as the center’s attendant and Tracor Netware Systems for IT support. Within two months, the Bayview Computer Learning Center was living up to its name. “Today, all of the center’s computers are functional and networked. We also dedicated one computer as an administrator computer so we can monitor computer usage and provide technical assistance when necessary. We also have two color printers, one black-and-white printer, and a scanner. Our IT contractor has been great. They did a fair amount of support on a voluntary basis, and we received many donations from the community to resurrect the computer center. The transformation is incredible. The center went from having hardly any visitors to now serving an average of 93 users per week,” reported Harrison. User Input Guides Programming One way Harrison was able to achieve such a dramatic turnaround was to seek input from residents. Since taking over management of the Bayview Computer Learning Center, Harrison has conducted four resident surveys. The surveys collected a variety of information, including general user information and information on the types of employment resources residents need and want. Harrison also continuously seeks the guidance of the tenant association and uses the association to get the word out about the center. “Through the surveys, I discovered that, when it comes to employment services, residents really needed direction. So, using the information collected during the surveys, I created a Job Search Toolkit. The toolkit includes a master job application, four resume templates, a job search tracking form, and tips for successful interviewing. The toolkit also includes information on how to keep a job once you get it, such as knowing and meeting employer expectations and workplace etiquette. We also created a Web site for the center [www.bayviewrsc.net], which is a source of pride, and gives the community easy access to center resources and information,” described Harrison. To enhance the employment services offered at the Bayview Computer Learning Center, Harrison is working with a local One-Stop Center to offer center users even more federal, state, and city employment resources. While Harrison will mostly refer center users to the One-Stop Center to participate in employment classes, the partnership calls for One-Stop Center instructors coming to the center to offer some workshops to make attending them more convenient for users. The center also serves as a pilot site for Lifetime Learning, a software application that strengthens individuals’ reading, writing, math, and algebra skills. With the program, users can take a placement test to gauge where they are in their learning. Based on the assessment test, a customized curriculum is created for the student. To access the Internet-based lessons, Harrison provides each user with a password. Harrison also partners with local organizations to offer a variety of programs. The partnerships typically call for Bayview Computer Learning Center to provide the space and facilities and the community organization to offer their services. “Active participation and support from our residents, sister centers, AIMCO, and our community partners are at the heart of what we have been able to accomplish. Our center motto is, Together, we can give the gift of ‘I can!’.” Rewards for Frequent Techno-Users Another tactic Harrison has implemented to entice residents back to the center was to establish a technology club. Similar to frequent flyer and loyal shopper clubs, the Bayview Computer Learning Center’s technology club offers incentives for users who frequently use the center. These incentives include free technical assistance, storage space on the center’s server, and first choice of registering for center programs. “One of the first users to join the club was a senior resident who has a daughter living overseas and another one living in Ohio. She wanted to learn how to use e-mail so she could regularly communicate with her daughters, but not run up her phone bill. Participation in the club has been slow, but I think that will increase as user confidence in the center grows,” reported Harrison. Harrison also enlisted the help of the center’s IT contractor to offer free workshops on computer repair. Held on Saturdays, the workshops teach center users how they can maximize the efficiency and extend the lifecycle of their home computers. A Center with No Boundaries To celebrate and announce the new and improved Bayview Computer Learning Center, Harrison hosted a grand re-opening of the center in March 2008. Harrison’s future goal includes taking full advantage of San Francisco’s wi-fi program to offer residents free Internet access, as well as in-home, 24/7 learning. “San Francisco’s community wi-fi is still being constructed, but I spoke with someone from the program and much of the wi-fi network is up and running. As soon as the wi-fi comes to our neighborhood, I plan to heavily promote this incredible free resource to residents. My goal is to establish the first ‘virtual’ Neighborhood Networks center. The physical center would still exist because it is an important gathering place in the community, but many of its resources could be offered online to make accessing resources and participation in classes easier. Center users could access the center’s resources on their time schedule, at their pace, and in their own homes. It doesn’t get any easier or more convenient than that,” concluded Harrison. For more information about Neighborhood Networks centers in Northern California, contact: Diana C. Mann U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development San Francisco Regional Office 600 Harrison Street, Second Floor San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 489-6647 Martha G. Picasso U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development San Francisco Regional Office 600 Harrison Street, Second Floor San Francisco, CA 94107 (415) 489-6650 For more information about the Bayview Computer Learning Center, contact: Lee Harrison Resident Service Coordinator Bayview Computer Learning Center San Francisco, CA 94124 (415) 285-7305

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National

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