Canada Healthy Communities Initiative - London Public Library
CHC Initiative - London Public Library
London Public Library helps bridge the digital divide
Jennifer Martino, Executive Director, Crouch Neighbourhood Resource Centre & Michael Ciccone, CEO & Chief Librarian, London Public Library
Having access to the internet is no longer a privilege - it’s a basic need. The digital divide has been widening for many years now but the COVID-19 pandemic thrust this issue into sharp focus.
With the help of a grant from the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative (CHCI), the London Public Library partnered with local community resource centres to narrow this gap by providing Wi-Fi hotspots to residents in need.
Through the $31 million CHCI, the Government of Canada, alongside Community Foundations of Canada and the Canadian Urban Institute, is building safer spaces and ensuring a higher quality of life for people across the country by helping communities adapt to the challenges presented by COVID-19.
London Community Foundation co-led the South Western Ontario HUB with the Kitchener Waterloo Community Foundation and the Windsor Essex Community Foundation, in partnership with various other community foundations across the region*. In total, the HUB was able to collaboratively facilitate approximately $1.3 million in funding to 63 projects in Southwestern Ontario ($550,000 for 28 projects in round one and $744,000 for 35 projects in round two).
A key criteria of this program is that projects must embody the principle of ‘nothing about us without us,’ meaning solutions must include input from the groups they serve. Committed to engaging with community partners to address inequities, the London Public Library empowered local resource centres to identify the best use of the hot spot devices to meet the needs of the communities they serve. Participating local resource centres included Crouch Neighbourhood Resource Centre, LUSO Community Services, Northwest London Resource Centre, Glen Cairn Community Resource Centre and the Neighbourhood Resource Centre of Westminster Park.
“The hotspot has saved me so much time and money not having to leave the house for all of my Ontario Works appointments, it’s helping my mental health as well for not having to get on two buses each way to arrive at the community centre,” says a local resource centre client.
The impact of the Wi-Fi hotspots has been transformational for many resource centre clients, empowering them to thrive in other areas of their lives.
To see the full list of CHCI recipients visit lcf.on.ca/chci
