A partnership between Rose Park and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints called Rose Park Connect aims to help residents access the internet for information on essential services and jobs. (Google)
SALT LAKE CITY– Salt Lake City’s Rose Park neighborhood has partnered with the Rose Park Stake of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and Salt Lake County to create a new program called Rose Park Connect that would provide internet access to residents who need information on essential services.
This new program was announced in a statement Tuesday night that a computer lab would be set up in a common room at the Rose Park 1st Ward meetinghouse on 760 North 1200 West.
“Digital equity is a real issue that the pandemic has magnified and made more complex, but now, more than ever, people need access to information that can help them and keep them safe,” Mayor Erin Mendenhall said. “We want our residents to have a place where they can get online to apply for a job, find a COVID-19 testing site, do their homework, fill out their 2020 Census, and more.” And Carlton J. Christensen, Stake President adds, “The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints wants to be good community partners in trying to provide essential computer access to our neighbors in the Rose Park Community… We also know if we’re going to get through the challenging days ahead, it will really require us to work together and support one another.”
The release says Rose Park Connect “is being supported entirely with volunteers and the City providing the computer equipment.”
The statement said there will also be staff from the Census Bureau on-site to answer questions about the 2020 Census. Salt Lake County said they are also coordinating with the County Health Department to have a community health worker present to provide COVID-19 prevention information as well as face masks for those in need.
Face masks and social distancing are required to use Rose Park Connect.
August will be a trial run of the program and the organizers said they’ll make adjustments if needed. If it turns out to be a success, the city said they could expand the program to other communities and the help of other partners.
The program will run throughout the month of August and will be open Mondays and Wednesdays from 8 a.m. – 11 a.m. and from 7 p.m. – 9 p.m. on Tuesdays and Thursdays.