Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Bedford Dwellings Offers Free Computer Access and Digital Literacy Classes

The Housing Authority of the City of Pittsburgh Bedford Dwellings offers free computer and internet access to help residents further their education and find employment opportunities. The Bedford Hope VI Center provides an onsite Technology center and employment training, including GED preparation, job search and workforce development classes, and employment seminars, to low-income residents. Residents can also attend computer classes on a variety of topics including computer basics, Internet fundamentals, Microsoft Office® productivity software, resume writing, and online job searching techniques. As an added incentive, individuals who complete 10 computer training objectives have the opportunity to receive a refurbished computer.

These programs have made an enormous impact on several residents of the housing community. Senior citizen resident, Una Madey traveled to the Bedford Hope Center to attend the Computer Program. At first, she mentioned she was nervous and intimated, but through the basic computer and Microsoft Word® classes, Ms. Madey felt comfortable enough to navigate the computer on her own, and later used her computer skills to find a job as an administrative assistant at a local business. After raising her family, Frankie Willis made the decision to go back to school. With the help of Bedford Dwellings’ GED program, she was able to accomplish her goals. As a young adult, Taneka Davis spent time at the Bedford Hope Center researching potential career paths of interest and decided to further her education at Point Park University. Ms. Davis, now a college student, still comes to the computer lab to work on her college assignments and research job leads. Leslie Bailey, a handyman by trade, came to the computer lab with an interest in writing poetry. After completing a Microsoft Word® training course, Mr. Bailey now uses the program to create and distributes his poetry to his neighbors.

All of these programs are made possible by funding from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.