The Housing Authority of Covington (HAC) is partnering with Cincinnati Bell Inc. to provide complimentary high-speed internet to residents of City Heights and Latonia Terrace.
HAC is aware of the challenges many families face from COVID-19, either due to lost jobs, erratic school schedules, health concerns or delayed benefits assistance. The need for internet access has never been greater.
“It was imperative we do everything we could do to bridge the digital equity divide by providing free high-speed Wi-Fi to our residents,” said Jon Adkins, Director of Resident Services.
More than 600 units in City Heights and Latonia Terrace will be able to access complimentary high-speed internet from Cincinnati Bell, inside their apartment, 24/7, effective immediately.
With Cares Act funding, HAC has been able to fund the necessary hardware and monthly service charges for each apartment for a minimum of 3 years.
“Our families face many challenges already. Historically, they’ve had to navigate life without the full benefits of the internet. By adding the internet in our family communities, we hope to provide the resources needed for families to achieve their goals and children to succeed in school,” said Steve Arlinghaus, HAC Executive Director.
HAC hopes that by being able to access the internet, from their home, residents will have more of the support they need to navigate these unprecedented times and move towards “Better Futures.”
The high-speed internet project in City Heights and Latonia Terrace is a key part of “Covington Connect,” a $2.5 million multi-dimensional plan to smash the digital divide in Covington.
Steve Arlinghaus
The plan includes expanding internet connectivity — with dedicated projects like those at the housing complexes and by creating about 125 Wi-Fi hotspots around the city – and donating 1,900 computers to families of Covington schoolchildren who lack that capacity. A distribution event was held this week, putting free, refurbished desktop computers in the hands of about 600 families. Other distribution events will follow.
The initiative will not only help students learn but also help families access employment and economic opportunities, said Covington Mayor Joe Meyer, who is also chairman of the HAC board.
“This is a huge accomplishment by HAC, one that will pay off for generations to come for our Covington families,” Meyer said. “In a world where internet access is increasingly necessary to do everything from applying for a job to accessing health care to paying rent to attending college to cashing paychecks, Covington Connect will ensure that many more of our families have ready access.”
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