Formerly used San Diego county employee computers were refurbished by the San Diego County Futures Foundation for it's distribution to local children in foster care through the Computers for Resource Families Program.
The San Diego County Futures Foundation provides resources to assists individuals and communities with repurposed computers and educational programs that promote digital literacy. Resource families, or families who open their homes to local children in foster care, were invited to pick up one of 100 free computers.
“When I got a call I couldn't believe it. It was absolutely Christmas for my kids,” Foster Parent, Lupita Garcia said.
According to Voices for Children, more than 80,000 children have experienced foster care in California annually in recent years. Voices for Children is a nonprofit that supports foster children.
The program has provided over 4,000 refurbished County-owned computers to resource families since former San Diego County Supervisor Greg Cox started the initiative in 2001.
“Our internship training, adaptive technology courses, and coding boot camps, to name a few, have all given students the means necessary to seek and secure gainful employment, enabling each to become contributing members of society,” San Diego Futures Foundation said in a statement.
With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic technological inequities have been magnified for basic equipment and broadband. Nationwide shutdowns and social distancing protocols pushed people to learn and work from home. A survey of Transitional Housing Placement for Non-Minor Dependents (THPNMD) programs, a majority of providers reported serving foster youth, including some in high school, who did not have a laptop, internet, or access to tutoring during school closures.
An April 2020 survey conducted by the Pew Research Center found 53 percent of Americans say the internet has been essential during the pandemic.The number of Americans who believe internet is essential during the pandemic increased to 58 percent as of April 2021.
“School has been all online, zoom, google meet, everything. Thanks to the computers and the association, we are able to get a computer and I was able to connect with my classes and so was my little brother,” Computer recipient Astrid Cid said.
