Jersey City Housing Authority Earns AARP Grant

JERSEY CITY, NJ — The Jersey City Housing Authority is one of five grantees selected in New Jersey for the 2021 AARP Community Challenge grant.

Digital inclusion is one of the Jersey City Housing Authority’s main areas of focus in light of national and local data that show extreme disparities in digital access among public housing residents compared to the general population. The Jersey City Housing Authority became a participant in HUD’s ConnectHome USA Initiative in late 2018 and has since partnered with organizations to provide hundreds of residents with devices and hotspots, establish on-site computer labs at four developments, and host dozens of digital literacy classes.

The AARP Community Challenge Grant will expand on the digital inclusion initiative by increasing digital equity among residents in a senior-only public housing development in Jersey City. The project will provide wifi, smart home devices, a computer lab, and digital literacy programming to reduce social isolation, bridge language barriers and create sustainable, on-site digital programming.

“Nationally, only one-third of public housing residents have internet access, and for most that is through a cell phone connection," said Vivian Brady-Phillips, Executive Director of the Jersey City Housing Authority. “The AARP Community Challenge grant will allow 50 low-income JCHA households — some of the most isolated during the pandemic — to get connected, enabling them to access online education, utilize telehealth services, connect with family and friends virtually, and better engage in civic and political activities."