House New York Inc., the educational philanthropic arm of the New York State Association for Affordable Housing (NYSAFAH) recently launched a PILOT program to repurpose underutilized community and common spaces in two Bronx affordable residences for educational use. Under the program, these two spaces are being used as safe and staffed learning environments for students who might not otherwise have access to reliable WiFi during this era of hybrid learning.

 

As the ongoing coronavirus pandemic has forced many students to learn remotely on either a full or part-time basis, the digital divide has been significantly exacerbated, disproportionately impacting low-income children in communities of color who do not have online access.

 

House New York Inc. said the “Community Classrooms” program, seeded by a grant from Wells Fargo, and amplified by the participation of nonprofit organizations, will provide hundreds of students statewide with safe, staffed and connected spaces in which to learn.

 

The program, which includes ten sites across New York State, has two running in the Bronx right now at sites owned by B&B Urban, as follows:

 

• Kingsbridge Heights Apartments, 2700 Jerome Avenue in Fordham Manor (serviced by BronxWorks). Please call the Single Stop hotline at (718) 731-3114, or go to one of the walk-in offices.
• 294 E. 162^nd Street in Concourse Village (serviced by Services for the Underserved). Phone (718) 294-0850.

 

According to a 2019 report from the New York City comptroller’s office, about 44 percent of city residents in poverty lacked broadband access, and nearly one-third of Hispanic and Black New Yorkers lacked access, compared to about 20 percent of white residents.

 

Research, since the pandemic began last March, has shown that students across all socio-economic and racial spectrums are losing ground as a result of school closures and remote learning, but children of color are being impacted at a higher rate due to disparities in access to technology.

 

House New York Inc. said that while much more needs to be done long-term to assure all New Yorkers that these significant needs are being addressed regardless of their ethnicity, or where they live, or how much money they have, in the short-term, Community Classrooms is part of the solution.