ROYBAL-ALLARD ANNOUNCES FUNDING FOR
HOMELESS COMMUNITY

Washington, DC - Congresswoman Roybal-Allard is pleased to announce that the Weingart Center Association has received a U.S. Department of Education grant to promote technology and computer literacy for downtown Los Angeles' homeless community.

The grant is for "Project TEACH" (Technology in Employment and Academics to Change Homelessness), a community-based program that will provide three computer training centers to the adult homeless population in the Skid Row area of Los Angeles. Skid Row/Central City is east of Downtown Los Angeles, and has the greatest concentration of low-income individuals in Los Angeles County.

The project is a collaborative partnership with several Skid Row non-profit housing providers, including the lead agency, The Weingart Center, and Skid Row Housing Trust, SRO Housing Corporation, and Chrysalis.

Project TEACH will have a two-component program. The first component will provide a comprehensive Internet training for clients, who will be referred to the project from the consortium partners. A certified instructor will teach a six-class course, using a combination of Microsoft PowerPoint presentations, instructor demonstrations, hands-on exercises and personal assistance for clients facing individual job search difficulty.

The second component will provide Skid Row residents with access to computer technology where they live. Twenty-five computers will be placed in each of the consortium's residential hotels and service sites.

"I am delighted to announce this grant for such a worthy program," said Roybal-Allard. "It will help integrate our homeless community into our 21st century economy and it will help welfare recipients achieve self-sufficiency, as required under the Federal Welfare Reform law," stated Congresswoman Roybal-Allard.

The program will also offer a peer-mentoring program where clients will share their skills and knowledge with their homeless colleagues to reduce barriers for those individuals who are uncomfortable in a formal classroom setting.

"The Weingart Center is very excited about this collaborative community partnership. We are happy to be a catalyst in bridging the digital divide for Los Angeles' homeless population by offering this a cutting-edge, technology access program to the entire Skid Row community, "stated Cynthia Heard, Vice President of Programs and Services at the Weingart Center.

-- ### --

Contact Lucille  |  Get Help  |  Meet Lucille  |  Our District  |  Latest News
Home	Back to Press Releases

Congresswoman Roybal-Allard
Washington, D.C., Office: 2330 Rayburn House Office Building, Washington, DC 20515. Phone: (202) 225-1766. Fax: (202) 226-0350.
District Office: 255 E. Temple St., Ste. 1860, Los Angeles, CA 90012-3334. Phone: (213) 628-9230. Fax: (213) 628-8578.