Senior Gia Duarte of Fairfax High School has earned a spot at UC Berkeley, one of the top universities in the nation, despite not having reliable Wi-Fi or a computer at home.
The Los Angeles native said she was often teased by friends for logging so many hours of screen time on her phone — but that’s because she used a mobile hotspot for internet access. When that wasn’t enough, she’d stop by the Salvadoran American Leadership and Educational Fund (SALEF) to study and borrow a computer. That’s a community resource center in the Westlake neighborhood, run by her aunt, Jocelyn Duarte.
“They opened up so many programs and mentorship [opportunities] that also gave me an advantage to get into my dream college … and also gave my community access to knowledge and opportunities that they didn't have before,” Gia said.
After a robbery left the center without any devices, SALEF partnered with AT&T in 2022 to continue fighting the area’s digital divide. The telecom giant donated about a dozen computers, and now hosts free digital literacy trainings at three locations in L.A. County.
This type of public partnership among corporate companies, local government and nonprofits is growing in response to concerns that people in low-income communities are being left behind.
There’s now an array of free community resource centers across the county to help residents get online, fill in job applications, see a doctor via telehealth or do school homework.
Where to find free internet access and training resources
AT&T Connected Learning Centers
AT&T helps fund seven computer labs in California, including three in L.A. and one location in Orange County. All centers are equipped with high-speed internet and devices.
They’re designed to help kids, college students, adults and seniors learn basic computer skills like paying bills and submitting college applications. But the centers also provide free tutoring and mentorship opportunities.
- Coalition for Responsible Community Development’s YouthSource Center: 3101 S Grand Ave. (213-743-6193)
- Vermont Slauson EDC Technology Training Center: 1130 W. Slauson Ave. (323-753-2335)
- Salvadoran American Leadership & Education Fund (SALEF): 421 S. Bixel St. (213-480-1052)
Teen Tech Centers
There's a network of after-school centers called Community Impact Hubs. There are five Teen Tech Centers currently open, with three planned to launch by the summer and four more in 2025.
The goal is to help prepare at least 2,000 local youth annually for “creative career opportunities,” including jobs in the music and film industries, funded by the Greater L.A. Education Foundation, the Annenberg Foundation and Best Buy.
“It's like a really incredible classroom,” said Sam Gelinas of the Greater L.A. Education Foundation. “You have a green screen for film … kids playing [with] VR headsets on … or podcasting in the recording studio. It's sort of a messy creative learning space.”
The North Valley Caring Services location had a grand opening last month. Here’s a list of current and upcoming centers:
Currently open:
- Bresee Foundation, 184 Bimini Place, L.A., 90004
- Legacy LA, 1350 San Pablo St., L.A., 90033
- Vermont Slauson Economic Development Center, 6109 S. Western Ave., L.A., 90044
- North Valley Caring Services, 15453 Rayen St., L.A., 91343
- Antelope Valley Boys and Girls Club, 727 West Lancaster Blvd., Lancaster, CA 93534
Opening soon (Summer 2024):
- YMCA Long Beach at the Carmelitos Housing Development, Carmelitos Housing Community, 1000 E. Via Wanda Way, Long Beach, 90805
- Weingart East L.A. YMCA, 2900 Whittier Blvd., L.A., 90023
- Metro LA Boys and Girls Club at Watts/Willowbrook, 1339 E 120th St., L.A. 90059
- Dorris Dann Kids Campus, 4316 Peck Road, El Monte, 91732
Opening in 2025:
- Color Compton, 306 W Compton Blvd., #200A, Compton, 90220
- Southeast Rio Vista YMCA at City of Maywood, 4801 E 58th St., Maywood, 90270
- L.A. County Juvenile Detention Center
Bell Tech Center
The center, located at 4357 E Gage Avenue, is open to the public Monday through Thursday. It’s a community resource center/computer lab operated by the nonprofit Southeast Community Development Corporation. Children are also able to participate in free after-school computer skills training, as well as robotics courses.
L.A. County libraries
L.A. County offers free Wi-Fi at all of its libraries and parking lots. Residents can even borrow a laptop for use inside the library and for customers to borrow and take home (call your nearest library location for availability). Residents with a library card in good standing can print up to 10 free pages a day.
Many public libraries have a team of “digital assistants” onsite that can offer free, basic tech support for residents. It’s part of L.A. County’s Delete the Divide initiative. Read more about that here.
L.A. Public Library system
The city of Los Angeles offers free Wi-Fi at all 73 locations and other resources through its Tech2go program.
Patrons can borrow a "computer bundle" for up to six months, which includes a mobile hotspot, a Chromebook and a mouse. The service is available at 25 branches, click here for participating locations. Residents can also borrow a mobile hotspot on its own for six weeks.
Human-I-T
The nonprofit Human-I-T offers low-cost internet plans and devices, as well as a free online digital skills training in both English and Spanish. Haga clic aquí para español. You can also sign up for free, bilingual one-on-one tech support.
Searching by neighborhood
L.A. County also partners with the nonprofit EveryoneOn to help families stay connected. You can plug in your address here to find a comprehensive list of service programs available in your neighborhood, including low-cost internet plans and digital skills training.
A tool from the group BroadbandNow allows you to plug in your zip code and compare internet plans and prices in your area. You can also check the state’s interactive broadband map to see what type of service is available in your building or house.
And here is a list of broadband resources from the Digital Equity L.A. coalition, including a fact sheet that’s available in both Spanish and English.
