Tener Technologies LLC of Ferndale selected Detroit’s St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church Community’s Outreach Center from a pool of Southeast Michigan nonprofit applicants to receive its first annual Digital Donation, a free, customized tech upgrade based on the needs of that particular community.
St. Aloysius’ Outreach Center serves the homeless population and low-income seniors in the area, hosting more than 300 clients daily.
“Tenertech selected St. Aloysius because it was clear that access to technology and the Internet will have an immediate and positive impact on the clients at the community outreach center,” said Brian Tenerowicz, founder and president of the company.
“The computer center has really taken off and really affected the dynamic here,” explains Brother Al Mascia, OFM, outreach coordinator for the church. “It has become a wonderful gathering point and an empowering component to the center.”
Volunteers and staff provide online training and help guests link to resources such as United Way and government sites as well as fill out job applications.
“The recent announcement of the Westin Book Cadillac hotel that they are taking online job applications created a rush of activity,” explains Brother Al. “Our computer center is the only way many can fill out an application to have a chance at one of those jobs.”
The majority of the center’s guests, who are homeless, are not able to access the computer at the public library because they have no identification without a home address.
Guests can set up email accounts and establish profiles on online communities to connect to family members and friends.
“Marginalization is a major side effect of homelessness and joblessness and anything that can bring our guests from the margins closer to the mainstream is a good thing,” said Brother Al. “This electronic component is accomplishing that in a very specific way.”
The computer room is one of the key features of the Outreach Center’s Canticle Café designed to move away from a warming center concept to an environment that encourages relationship building and a sense of community.
Long folding tables have been replaced by small bistro tables and artwork done by volunteers hang on the wall to create more of a coffee shop feel.
In addition to providing breakfast to 300 people a day, the center has also begun selling 100 percent Fair Trade organic coffee roasted by Higher Grounds in Traverse City and an onsite bakery where they make cinnamon rolls.
On Saturday mornings, staff takes to the streets, bringing breakfast and needed items like socks to the homeless who sleep in Hart Plaza and the surrounding area.
The center also provides hygiene kits, food, clothing and counseling, and
hosts health fairs and field trips to the seniors and residents in low income housing.
“It’s about creating an environment where people feel good about themselves, and little things like being able to select food items off the shelf themselves in our pantry or check emails or community boards online provides a sense of self-worth,” said Brother Al. “A key part of helping homelessness is teaching time management, especially to those who have been raised in generational poverty, in order to be successful.”
Even the entertainment factor provided by the computers is important. In addition to playing games like chess, guests visit favorite sports and pop culture sites.
Founded in 2000 by President Brian Tenerowicz, Tener Technologies provides IT services and solutions that maximize efficiency for small to mid-sized businesses throughout the Midwest.
TenerTech is a Microsoft Gold Certified Partner offering network consulting, design and implementation, on-call technical support, Web site and server hosting, and software customization services. TenerTech has expertise in Windows Vista, Windows 2003, Windows XP, Linux, Novell and Apple Macintosh operating systems, and is an authorized reseller for Hewlett-Packard, Cisco Systems, Microsoft, Xiotech, and EMC.
More at www.tenertech.com .
