Going Online to Get on the Right Track
St. Vincent’s Updates Computers, Adds Client Internet Access

   SAN DIEGO — Throw out "homeless" during a word-association game and you’re unlikely to garner the response "Web savvy," but that’s exactly what clients at St. Vincent de Paul Village have become with an upgrade of several computers in the downtown shelter’s Career and Education Center (CEC) last week.

   Ronna Roberson-Smith, program manager of the CEC, points out that Internet access complements many of the services which already exist at the Village.

   "The upgrade will offer our clients the opportunity to conduct more targeted job searches and fill out applications online," she says. "While the resources previously available were quite extensive, the Internet gives Village residents an even more expansive choice of options with regard to their educational and employment possibilities."

   In addition to providing online service, the upgraded computers are loaded with new software programs such as the latest versions of Microsoft Word, Excel and Access, all of them running on the Windows 2000 operating system.

   But the most welcome addition to the enhanced software package is a GED (General Education Development) program, which will work as a self-study support tool for the adult-education classes already in place at St. Vincent’s. The program helps Village clients complete the scholastic requirements needed to receive a high school equivalency diploma.

   The upgrade to the computer lab underscores the Village’s goal of providing a "one-stop-shopping" approach to homeless rehabilitation, where residents can access a multitude of programs and services all under one roof, Roberson-Smith says.

   "It’s almost a necessity these days for job hunters to know how to fill out and submit applications online," she says. "That medium is now available here, and coupled with the educational software programs on the upgraded computers, our clients will have the experience and equipment to compete in the San Diego job market."

   A mandatory class introducing clients to the upgraded computers and outlining the guidelines of their use has also been implemented.

   For more information on the computer upgrade, call (619) 525-1608. For more information on the career and education center, call (619) 233-8500
ext. 1501.

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