SF Tech Council Equity & Innovation Pilots
In 2021, SFTC awarded a total of $50,000 in grants to five local organizations to conduct pilots. SFTC administered the grant program in partnership with Community Living Campaign. Funding for this project came from Metta Fund. The grant-funded period for interventions was approximately six months, from April until November 2021.
The primary goal was to decrease the risk for social isolation and loneliness for older and disabled adults, particularly in underserved communities, by supporting interventions that increased digital access, improved digital literacy, and provided tech support. To achieve the goal, the Project focused on the following outcomes:
Scroll down to find out about each of the grantees.
Curry Senior Center provided tablets, digital literacy training, and six months of internet access to 12 low-income Vietnamese speakers in theTenderloin and four members of the LGBTQ+ community. In addition to the 14 weekly sessions, Curry offered drop-in consultations and tech support through its Tech Navigator program.
Family Caregiver Alliance is providing tablets, internet connectivity, tech support, ongoing education, and in-home support for caregivers. The pilot is directed to Spanish-speaking family caregivers who have been unable to access FCA’s professional remote support services during the pandemic due to lack of devices and connectivity. The goal is to improve health outcomes for the caregiver and family member and deliver remote, professional training and caregiver support. Training is delivered in Spanish with some education sessions in English. Caregiver support topics focus on stress and burnout. The tech support group name was changed to Platicas (“talks”) to encourage culturally-appropriate conversations amongst caregivers.
Felton Institute is working exclusively with their behavioral health clients for this pilot. The focus is on improving connectivity and access to health services for these clients, who often lack a stabile home, including seniors and disabled adults who are homeless or in transitional housing. The Felton Institute’s expertise in advocating for and helping people suffering from behavioral mental health challenges puts them in a good position to demonstrate how digital connectivity can improve mental and physical health outcomes for this population.
Mission Neighborhood Center‘s pilot focuses on 12 LatinX, Spanish-speaking seniors in the Mission District, partnering with local health clinics to improve their wellness and fitness while increasing social engagement. Mission Neighborhood Center is lending Fitbit step trackers alongside Android tablets, and providing tech support and training. Individuals engage in their own health activities while taking advantage of regular monitoring and wellness checks conducted by the local Health Resource Center and a UCSF clinic.
Televisit.org's pilot serves Chinese-language seniors from a Self Help for the Elderly housing development. Televisit will provide tablets to engage participants in social activities, educational activities, and connections with the community and family members. Televisit recruited two Taishanese dialect speakers (common in SF Chinatown population) andhired a project intern and program manager. Televisit is deploying 20 modestly-priced Alcatel tablets with $10/month T-Mobile Data Plans, and uses Twilio for Televisit audio due to the limitations of the bandwidth of the T-Mobile Plan 2 GB plan.