I’ve been volunteering at Hayes Valley Learning Center for about a year now and the experience has had its ups and down. We’re in an upward swing right now, last Tuesday I received some news that made the time I’ve spent completely worth while. A few months ago, one of my students came in upset about something and wanted my help. L. is in his fifties and a new computer user, he had been to class only 2-3 times and was still not able to log into his email by himself.

He moved to San Francisco after his house was lost in Hurricane Katrina and recently heard about a program called The Road Home that helps residents of Louisiana affected by Hurricane Katrina or Rita get back into their homes. To apply you can fill out a form online or call for an application. Since L. didn’t know how to use the computer at the time he called for an application but received it 2 days before the deadline and wasn’t able to submit it in time. He wanted help sending an email to them to ask for an extension. Another volunteer, T., helped him go to their site and find an email address, compose and send the message. We were all excited about the possibility that he could get an extension because he sent this email. But, the following Tuesday when he checked his email there was a message from them saying there was nothing they could do. I wasn’t surprised, but I was mad. It’s just not fair to expect people to know how to use the computer to apply online. They must have been flooded with requests for the paper application and not able to respond to everyone. Over a month has passed since that happened, and last week he showed me a letter that nearly made me cry. It was from The Road Home telling him that they would find someone to help him. We’re not sure what this means or how much they’ll help, but it shows the importance of know how to use the computer in 2008. Without access and knowledge people are being left behind and it’s not right.

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